The company has installed an integrated frying, seasoning and packaging machine including FOODesign’s direct-fired batch-pro 12, tna’s intelli-flav 5, on-machine seasoning (OMS) system, to apply seasoning to its salted range of chips and tna robag 3ci to pack the bags.
Financial growth
The frying technology cooks thicker potato slices at the right color, texture and flavor, processing 230 kg/hour of finished product.
Vincenzo Bove, technical and operations director, Preziosi Food, told BakeryandSnacks demand for batch-fried potato chips has grown in popularity in Italy and it wanted to expand its market share in this sector.
“Finding a supplier that could deliver consistent quality, flexibility and performance for every section of the production line, including frying, seasoning and packaging, was essential,” he said.
“Adding a new line meant significant financial growth for our company. tna’s support throughout the installation process was invaluable, helping to keep the project on-time and within our budget constraints.”
FOODesign and tna fitted the batch-pro 12 at Preziosi Food’s factory in Melfi, southern Italy, which comes with an oil filtration system to remove fine and large particles, essential for high performance frying and chip quality.
When cooked, potato slices take on 23% of the oil, meaning 77% remains after the batch is complete. The remaining oil is subsequently filtered out and blended with fresh oil to return levels to 100%.
“Snacking is ingrained in the Italian culture and snack products like chips are a simple and convenient way for consumers to momentarily escape from their busy lifestyles,” said Peter Pellizzari, regional sales manager, tna.
Demand for savory snacks
“In Italy, we see particular demand for savory snacks that are produced with high quality, novel ingredients as a lot of consumers here regard snacks as a rewarding, luxurious treat.
“At the same time, consumers are also looking for more variety in their snacking options. Expanding their portfolio with a new product line is a great way for snack manufacturers to respond to this demand as it enables them to offer their customers a more diverse range of textures and flavors while increasing their market share.”
Seasoning plays an important role in a product’s overall taste, texture and appeal. Once the flavor for the new product line was decided, Preziosi Food installed a tna intelli-flav 5 that can coat irregular-shaped products.
The OMS equipment is integrated with spray and flavor injection systems for wet, dry and slurry seasoning applications and has a scarfplate on its infeed to better direct the product into the spraying and flavoring area, for even seasoning.
Preziosi Food replaced its existing bagger with an automated packaging system in a limited amount of space. The tna robag 3ci can produce 180 bags per minute (bpm).
The company now has plans to expand its range of chips and add additional flavors to the line.