< Previous30 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net DEPOSITORS AND FILLING I t’s almost inconceivable to imagine a food and drink production line without depositing and filling machinery, making it an area ripe for innovation. Yet despite this ubiquity, many companies are still relying on manual fillers, where they could save time and, in the long run, money by moving to a semi- or fully automatic system. Now, it needs to be said that manual filling isn’t without numerous advantages over pouring or portioning product by hand – such as increased accuracy and reduction in spillages etc – and, for some companies, manual fillers and depositors are the only workable option. Of course, they favour smaller production facilities, but Maintaining From flow to the viscosity of throughput, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to depositing and filling. Food & Drink International 31 www.fdiforum.net DEPOSITORS AND FILLING they are also ideally suited in locations where electric supply or compressed air are not available for pumping the product. In those examples when a company has the space to expand – or is planning to move into a larger production facility – and has ample access to electric and compressed air, they still might be relying on manually operated hand pumps. Yet investing and upgrading to even a semi- automatic solution can save time and increase efficiency and throughput. Semi-automatic filling machines are typically operated by pumps driven by compressed air. Not only can filling be set to repeat, but precise portions can be filled through accurate measuring and dosing equipment incorporated in the weighing or volumetric controls. Needless to say, these machines offer a greater degree of speed and accuracy over manual. Automatic filling machines, on the other hand, boast controls and incline equipment which manages the filling process from material handling, loading, dosing and packaging. For larger companies and those looking to expand product ranges, this equipment is also often scalable with the ability to increase the number of filling heads. Optimum efficiency and high throughput are the name of the game when it comes to automatic filling. Yet whether automatic or not, one of the biggest challenges when it comes to depositors and filling concerns viscosity. Although depositors and fillers are responsible for weighing and portioning a certain amount of product, at their simplest they direct a liquid’s flow to a target – be that a pie filling into pasty casing, yoghurt into a tub, or oil into a bottle etc. On the surface this may sound simple enough, yet things become difficult when liquids don’t easily flow – such as slurries, gels and honey. In any production circumstance, viscous and semi-viscous liquids are Spiral Conveyor Success WMH has developed a side drive spiral conveyor system for use in a bakery environment. Fitted with Intralox’s side drive modular plastic belt it offers all the flexibility and hygiene benefits of their other modular belts with the addition of the side drive features which enables the conveyor belt to be driven from the side rather than the end. Driving the belt on the outside edge makes access for cleaning and maintenance simple and reduces the moving parts of the machine to a minimum. As with all WMH conveyors, the spiral is designed with hygiene at the core. Using all stainless-steel construction it is designed to be used in a wash-down environment, with no crevices that can act as debris and bug traps. For more information, please visit www.wmh-uk-ltd.com 32 Á © stock.adobe.com/DenisNata32 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net DEPOSITORS AND FILLING difficult to handle. It’s a challenge just to dispense them into packages, containers and pouches, a challenge that increases when said liquids must be dropped into open spaces such as tray cavities or be deposited either onto or into a product such as pie fillings or icing on sweet baked confectionary. As one might expect, flow is the biggest issue here. If a filling cannot be made to flow consistently into the machine, then it’s not going to fill or deposit consistently. Managing and controlling that flow is therefore paramount to ensuring consistent flow and consistent filling. Most filling machines utilise a hopper positioned overhead which uses the power of gravity to maintain flow. When the product is too viscous to flow freely from a hopper, agitation is required to start and maintain product flow. Hoppers can also be fitted with level sensors that trigger automatic replenishment and allow for uninterrupted throughput. Although downward pressure is an ideal means of agitation, it isn’t always necessary, with mixing able to do the job whilst also keeping the contents stirred and in suspension (ideal for liquids made of unmixable parts or those with particulates). Yet despite these additions, many products still prove too viscous, making them difficult to flow through the machines. On a production line where downtime needs to be minimised and companies have strict deadlines and throughput demands, this simply can’t be tolerated. Pistons not only provide sufficient force to push product through the depositor or filler head but can offer precise portion control. For products like ice cream, meat slurries and those with pieces, piston depositors will provide accuracy, continual flow and portion control at a high-speed throughput. Simply put, the products to be deposited are drawn in from the hopper by the pistons in the cylinder, the piston then presses the product from the cylinder to the dispensing opening. Another advantage of this approach is that they are incredibly adaptable depending on the requirements. Although single fillers are an option, multi-head fillers and depositors are widely available – an advantage on larger production lines where different varieties of a product such as biscuits are being produced on the same production line at the same time. Moreover, bespoke options mean that a company can have a solution installed that’s designed to meet their specific needs and production requirements. As well as accuracy and speed of depositing, producers will also need to watch for dripping. Spills, drips, and container overflows may be commonplace across food filling lines, but that doesn’t mean they have to be. Indeed, there are piston fillers available on the market that promise no-drip filling. © stock.adobe.com/Laurentiu IordacheFood & Drink International 33 www.fdiforum.net DEPOSITORS AND FILLING ! !"#"## $ %&'( )( *+& *&'( )( *+& However, there’s more to consider than just the type of depositor or filler. It’s no good investing in high-end machines only to shirk on the transfer pumps. These vital pieces of equipment pump product from one receptacle into another or into a hopper of a depositing machine. As with the fillers themselves, flow is key to bear in mind here as a fully liquid product is going to much easier to pump than a viscous one. Where products containing pieces are concerned – such as vegetables in soups etc – integrity needs to be maintained, so pumps boasting low-shear, low- pulsation are preferable. Whether manual or automatic, almost every food product line contains some kind of filling or depositing machinery. With that in mind, food companies need to ensure that their machinery is up to snuff – delivering not only high throughput, but also preserving product integrity. Although they are almost universal, the needs placed on these machines will differ from company to company, so flow requirements and pumping must be taken into account. What works for a company bottling oils isn’t going to be the same as one filling pasty cases with meat slurries. © stock.adobe.com/Peter34 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net COLD STORAGE A t a basic level, maintaining a temperature-controlled supply chain just means processing, packaging, storing and delivering products at a constant stable temperature. But the more products you have to juggle, the more demanding it is to identify critical points in the cold chain and execute properly for each one. Thankfully, many of the trickiest areas of this kind of temperature management come under the single umbrella of cold storage. By considering any holding and loading spaces or distribution vehicles, then building out from here, it’s easier to manage the consistency of your cold chain from start to finish. To protect the integrity of every batch or shipment, each stopping point and potential dropping-out of cold storage must be considered, including during transportation, distribution, or in containment while waiting to be processed or sent to the end consumer. Traditional thermometers, whether analogue or digital, can be used anywhere to monitor temperature at regular intervals, while being reasonable in price and simple to use or maintain. The only downfall of manual monitoring solutions is in their reliance on human intervention, which can be especially fallible when you’re relying on multiple hands for one task at different stages. Different equipment can also give variable readings, making each important measurement inconsistent and therefore unreliable. Here’s where technology makes things simpler. From data loggers programmed to measure and record whenever needed, to temperature monitoring systems that can be placed throughout a cold storage facility, devices may be employed to take regular readings or continuously measure and transmit data. Wireless or ‘Internet of Things’ technologies even enable remote monitoring of temperature through sensors connected to a network. This allows real-time temperature data to be accessed remotely via a computer, smartphone or other devices, not to mention making one cohesive system responsible for monitoring the whole chain. Elsewhere in this issue we’ve covered the many ways packaging can be used to protect your goods from inconsistent external temperatures, including thermal insulation, and fixes like insulated panels for storage spaces. But while packaging can help sustain consistent temperatures while products practice Into Understanding the cold chain and its importance in the food industry is an essential part of delivering quality goods, whatever the size of your business. But on an industrial level, the complexities of integrating the practice into your strategies only multiply. Food & Drink International 35 www.fdiforum.net COLD STORAGE © stock.adobe.com/Grispb are being moved between points on the supply chain, the cold units or vehicles you use are crucial to ensuring the effects of packaging don’t wear off during transport or other long periods of storage. Though it’s obvious how critical a role refrigeration units play in cold storage, there’s no less importance in pointing out that a food business must be able to rely on its fridges, and know which kinds will be best suited to its needs. Whether it’s the ample space for storing fruit and vegetables, dairy, meat and beverages in bulk provided by a walk-in fridge, or smaller reach-in Gressenhall | Dereham | Norfolk | NR20 4DT | +44 (0)1362 861066 | www.premierpalletinverter.co.uk 36 Á36 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net COLD STORAGE varieties for use in areas such as food assembly stations, the choice you make will depend on your organisation’s size, purpose and future goals. For instance, if your employees need quick and frequent access to packaged goods or ingredients, reach-in refrigerators may be used in this way for keeping everything chilled until ingredients or prepared food are ready to be processed or transported. However, when cold stability is needed as quickly as possible—such as when processing meat, poultry, or seafood—blast chillers or blast freezers lower the temperature of food quickly. The instant and powerful cold exposure provided by either one inhibits bacterial growth, preserving flavour and textural quality, and extending your products’ shelf life. The effectiveness of blast freezing can be further boosted by freezer spacers, particularly with cartoned meat. Designed for economical freezing, they promote more effective air circulation between each layer, ensuring fast and even Star Refrigeration’s breakthrough CO2 refrigeration system revolutionises Bidfood Glasgow’s energy consumption The technologically advanced CO2 refrigeration system installed at Bidfood’s new Glasgow site consumes just half the energy recommended by UK’s Best Practice Guidelines for cold and chill stores. Star Refrigeration has helped Bidfood move one step closer to meeting their Net Zero targets by installing two dual temperature CO2 cooling systems at its recently built cold store in Glasgow. The systems set a new industry standard in energy performance, consuming 49.5% less energy than the ‘Best Practice’ Benchmark for similar size facilities in Britain. Claire Cox, Head of Property for Bidfood, said, “Partnering with Star Refrigeration has been instrumental in strengthening our commitment to sustainability while improving the efficiency of our operations across our cold stores. The energy efficiency achieved at our Glasgow site through the installation of a CO2 refrigeration system far exceeded our expectations. We appreciate Star’s contribution and are encouraged to continue our joint efforts towards improved sustainability and operational efficiency at our facilities in the future.” For more information visit www.star-ref.co.uk © stock.adobe.com/kokliang1981Food & Drink International 37 www.fdiforum.net COLD STORAGE cooling while reducing energy cost. Ensuring food is kept bacteria free and safe for consumers means paying close attention to providing suitable storage conditions. To manage this correctly, optimise the design of every storage area with efficient layouts that make the most of the space available and offer easy access to products. Foods which will degrade when left to their own devices, and those which present a bacterial risk already, must never be left to stand at room temperature at any point. It’s equally important that a first in, first out system is properly employed so ingredients aren’t left to decompose, whether as a result of incorrect storage or afflictions like freezer burn. Chilling foods at 8 degrees Celsius or below—a legal requirement for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—is best for storing foods for shorter periods of time while they await the production line. To be certain that food is kept cool enough for health and safety, it’s considered good practice to set fridges at 5 degrees Celsius or below, as well as running regular checks that units are cold enough for purpose. Control systems are a gift for thermometer.co.uk THERMADATA ® WI-FI LOGGERS Temperature monitoring solutions for your HACCP plan Manufactured in the UK, we offer a wide range of specialist thermometers for the catering industry from daily hand-held monitoring to Bluetooth ® wireless technology & remote Wi-Fi logging © Premier / www.premierpalletinverter.co.uk 38 Á38 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net COLD STORAGE keeping track of cold environments and making adjustments without the constant need for manual inspection. With these systems, a controller receives temperature data from sensors, then activates cooling or heating mechanisms as needed. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (or HVAC) may also be used to provide consistent temperature control, proper air circulation and humidity management, and maintain optimal storage conditions. When it’s time for finished products to be delivered to shelves, perhaps across the country, cold storage facilities can be installed in loading bays to keep them stable for transfer onto refrigerated trucks. Specialised monitoring systems can be employed here as in any other containment area, to ensure products always remain within the required temperature range. By identifying and including these fundamental aspects of protecting food products from inconsistent temperatures, you can ensure the delivery of safe and high-quality products to consumers. Though preserving food and beverages from ingredient storage to final delivery is stacked with challenges, careful examination of your entire supply chain for cold storage needs should always be your first port of call. As long as you secure a continuous line of storage systems you can rely on, and perhaps some helpful added tech, you can leave it to them to safeguard the quality of all your products for you. info@munters.co.uk munters.com Improve safety & climate conditions in cold storage Ice, frost and fog in cold stores can create slippery and dangerous conditions. Munters IceDry ® is a specially designed dehumidifier that targets moisture from inside the cold store to create the optimal climate conditions. Suitable for use in manufacturing facilities, cold rooms, cold stores and process freezers, this desiccant dehumidifier is proven to: •Reduce & prevent ice, frost and fog build up on floors, walls and ceilings •Reduce defrosts by up to 1/3 •Lower maintenance requirements and costs •Improve safety for staff, visitors & forklifts •Improve evaporator efficiency •Thousands of proven installations globally CONTACT US TODAY FOR A FREE SITE SURVEY Example - Before After “The cold store is the best it’s ever been for excessive ice & snow” - Kitchen Range Foods © stock.adobe.com/AiakosFood & Drink International 39 www.fdiforum.net FACILITIES MANAGEMENT W herever you are in the food and drink industry, chances are your roles will cross over with facilities management (FM) at one point or another. Despite its deceptive vagueness as a term, a multitude of important factors in providing high- quality food products comes under this umbrella, in ways that relate to a surprisingly large number of operatives, managers and other workers. Let’s begin with hygiene, as maintaining high levels of cleanliness and sanitation is paramount in food facilities. The importance of preventing contamination for food safety reasons will be clear to anyone in this industry, but it’s the details of how to carry this out thoroughly which may get overlooked in certain areas. Regular cleaning, proper waste disposal, and adherence to hygiene protocols are essential. Much of the underappreciated heavy lifting in FM responsibilities will come down to planning rotas in a way that splits tasks fairly, while providing enough information on how they’ll be done most efficiently, and how schedules will rotate if needed. Effective organisation can be tricky scenes Behind the We explore how facilities management plays a pivotal, behind-the-scenes role in the food and drink industry, from hygiene to sustainability, ensuring top-notch quality and safety for your products and customers. 40 Á © stock.adobe.com/AZ StudioNext >