Advancements In Conveying, Processing, Freezing and Packaging Has Created a Boon In Food Manufacturing

The global food industry generates over a $4 trillion per year in revenue. The food processing industry can be segmented into several categories of food including: dairy, seafood, eggs, fruit and vegetables, luxury foods, organic food, meat, packaged food, frozen food, condiments and cereal-based products. The industry has evolved over the last twenty years thanks to technological advancements in blast chilling and blast freezing.

As these advances in freezing and cooling has increased and demand globally for convenience food is growing the sector calls for greater demand in processing and packaging to ensure safe, fresh and easy-to-use products. In addition, manufacturers have been looking for best methods to convey, process, freeze and package product. With advancements in automation, plants have been yielding higher efficiency in workforce and overall energy improvements from freezing systems and other line production systems.

Food manufacturers and system integrators have developed highly specialized production lines to handle larger volumes, at faster rates to remain competitive and direct growth in new areas of the world and service the developed countries that continue to look for more specialized products and production requirements, such as gluten free, dairy free, peanut free and organic. These custom manufactured systems must preserve plant floor space and with that the need for vertical processing systems, also known as spiral conveyor systems.

These systems are often made of stainless steel and galvanized aluminum, all of non-corrosive material for years of continued operation and efficient use. There are many system manufacturers that provide solutions. When choosing a systems partner proper research must be completed and always ensure to see their plant and overall operations. In addition, ask to visit a customer’s facility to see a system in operation.

Food manufacturing equipment for high volume food processing applications are changing the industry

Food processing and manufacturing has emerged as a rapidly growing industry with the introduction of freezing/refrigeration technology and logistics to support movement of production volumes across large geographic areas over the last 50 years. As a result food manufacturers have been able to expand production and have invested heavily in efficient processing equipment and integrated conveying systems. With process lines incorporating blast chilling and blast freezing technologies that run within space saving footprints reducing total plant floor space requirements Food Manufacturers have been able to leverage their production capacity. As a result, spiral conveying and integrated systems designers and manufacturers have been able to provide large food manufacturers the needed systems and equipment to efficiently improve their processing.

Here is a look at various types of food manufacturing and processing systems made by these systems and conveying integrators.

1. Canning and Bottling Conveyors – As more packaged food has moved to canning and bottling, system designers have had to adapt to the boost in demand and the specialized requirements of automating. With Elevate and Lowerate Systems and Single Path and Multi-Path Vertical Accumulators you can maintain product position, multitude of product types, reduce label damage and run at higher speeds.
2. Blast Freezers and Chillers – Blast freezing and chillers are another important aspect of food processing. Chilling and Freezing ensures that the moisture content of the stored food is minimized so that the chances of microbial growth are negated in eatables, and you can preserve them and increase shelf life. Commonly used equipment for this purpose include chillers and blast freezers, which can reduce the temperature drastically (to as low as -100⁰ C)
3. Pouch cooling equipment – This high-end equipment is designed especially for packaging and preserving eatables like sauces, ketchups, purees, syrups, and soups and similar other tomato based products. These machines make use of heat transfer technique (using water) to cool the product packed within the pouch. Depending upon the type of eatable to be packaged, these systems can make use of water at different temperature ranges (ambient water to cool down to +90⁰ F, Chilled water for cooling below +80⁰F and Blast cooling for temperature requirements below +40⁰ F).
4. Slicing and Spreading Systems – Automated splicing equipment has been used on a mass scale in food processing systems for various purposes. For instance, food manufacturing equipment used for splicing purpose can be utilized for cutting bread loafs into desired sizes, and similar other purposes, along with spreading butter or other materials.

As Food Processing Systems continue to automate, there are various other systems of used in eatable preservation and the food manufacturing industry that has made it relatively easy to store the products for longer durations. These include hot/hold systems, icing set systems and drying & curing systems to name a few, which are used for improving product quality as well as the duration of preservation.