The 'chunk and bit' launch is the "first roller-style Gran-U-Lizer designed specifically for reducing food products to the ideal size for inclusion in ice cream, yoghurt and other 'mix' products," said the Illinois-based firm.
The special roll corrugations reduce the size of granola, cookies, biscuits and other dry products in a single pass with a minimal production of 'fines', or dust.
Typical capacities for the machine "range from 200 lbs to 4,000 lbs per hour," depending on the size of the grind size setting, added MPE, which makes precision particle reduction equipment.
In terms of saving time on the production line, according to the US firm the 'chunk and bit' is designed for high change-over operations, and the granuliser can be disassembled, cleaned and reassembled “in less than ten minutes”.
In relation to hygiene and cleaning practices MPE claims its design eliminates pockets and crevices “that can accumulate product”, providing tool-free access to all grinding areas.
How the granuliser works
MPE explains that in a granuliser, the product passes between a series of precisely-machined roller pairs with an adjustable gap between them.
After passing through, the ground material falls into the next set of rollers. The total number of rollers depends on the material properties and degree of particle size reduction required. Typically, the number of roll sections varies from one to four pairs.
As the material falls between the "nip" point of each roll section, it is crushed into progressively smaller particles. Uniform, ground particles are then gravity discharged from the bottom of the mill.
This latest launch for granola and biscuit bits adds to the firm's extensive granuliser portfolio that spans product applications ranging from flour to food colourings, and sugar to wheat flakes.