Fine chopping cutters suitable for baby food

Two speedy cutting machines equipped with a contactless rotors can chop products into sizes as small as 0.05 mm, an important requirement for those in the baby food sector.

Stephan Machinery's cutters meet the need of today's high speed processing lines by allowing a continuous product flow at 3,000 rpm. Under such speed the machine still offers a consistent final product, the company stated.

The correct particle size can be obtained by a wide range of different cutting rotors and cutting stators with gaps between 0,05 mm and 10 mm.

In both machines all parts that touch food, including the whole machine frame and the housing, are made of stainless steel.

The Microcut MCH 20 KVS is designed for dry and wet cutting of cookies, the reworking of waffle scraps (rework), roasted hazel-nuts, and for frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables.

The machine can reduce sizes by up to a ratio of 1:100. That means vegetables with a size of around 35 mm can be cut to 0,35 mm in one process step, saving time on the production line.

The machine can handle capacity ranges between 400kg/h to 1,200 kg/h, depending on the product and the desired degree of fineness. The cutting of honey-filled products like muesli-bars isalso possible without any burning effects, Stephan Machinery stated.

For sensitive products like nut flour, frozen vegetables and fruits, the company has designed an outlet below the machine. The outlet is designed as a chute so that sensitive products can falldirectly into a box or on a conveyor belt after cutting.

The machine is designed for the bakery, sweet, fruit and vegetables industries.

The Microcut MCH 150 version is designed for cutting pre-mixed meat and other food with a similar consistency. A two-step rotor-stator allows a stable emulsion to build up during the cuttingprocess.

This means premixed products will be mixed completely in the same process step. This makes it possible to produce finely mixed sausages like frankfurters and wieners, liver paté and surimi.

The machine comes with a very small cutting tool with a 0.05 mm cutting gap. This means the machine can be used for producing baby food.

Despite falling birth rates, the global baby food and milk market continues to grow, increasing by 28.2 per cent in terms of value between 1995 and 2000, according to Datamonitor.

The machine capacity ranges at about 4,500 kg/h, depending on the product and the desired degree of cutting fineness. The machine is equipped with a temperature indicator.

The machine can discharge products via a tube into a lorry or directly to the filler's buffer tank. The company is targeting meat, fish, fruit and vegetables processors.

Stephan Machinery is based in Hameln, near Hanover, Germany.