Processing equipment & systems, automation, control

Dispatches from IBA 2012

Increased accuracy with new dough twisting machine: Rondo

01-Oct-2012 By Kacey Culliney from Munich

Rondo has developed a machine for twisted dough pastries that it says is more accurate and intricate than others already on the market.

Dispatches from IBA 2012

New heat recovery system saves money: WP Green

25-Sep-2012 By Kacey Culliney from Munich

Bakery firms can cut costs with a new system that reuses hot gases emitted from ovens to heat and make water for an entire production facility, head of WP Green says.

Dispatches from IBA 2012

Vacuum cooking film slashes formulation costs: Multivac

20-Sep-2012 By Kacey Culliney from Munich

A new, vacuum film pack enables bakery firms to slash formulation costs and increase shelf-life when cooking products, Multivac says.

Markel Ventures acquires Reading Bakery Systems

06-Sep-2012 By Rod Addy

US-based Markel Ventures has acquired Reading Bakery Systems, a designer and manufacturer of industrial baking systems for the production of crackers, pretzels, cookies and other baked snacks.

Reading Bakery launches single system for multiple snack applications

10-Aug-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

North American equipment firm Reading Bakery Systems has introduced a snack processing machine capable of handling multiple sheet snack varieties, which it claims cuts costs for manufacturers and allows flexibility.

Baker Perkins claims 20% increased output with upgraded dough dividers

03-Jul-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

Baker Perkins has upgraded its range of dough dividers and claims a 20% raised output compared to its last models.

Biscuit maker fined after worker loses finger on unguarded machine

02-Jul-2012 By Rory Harrington

A UK biscuit manufacturer has been ordered to pay £11,000 (€13,600) for flouting safety regulations following an accident which led to a teenage worker having one finger amputated.

Ralcorp to shell out $1.3m after air pollution breaches

29-Jun-2012 By Kacey Culliney

US bakery and snacks firm Ralcorp will pay out more than $1.3m under the Clear Air Act due to its failure to implement air pollution controls and issue permits for its bakery ovens.

Dough testing equipment solves sticky troubles

12-Jun-2012 By Kacey Culliney

UK bakery Warburtons and texture analysis firm Stable Micro Systems have joined forces to develop equipment that enables manufacturers to assess the stickiness of dough immediately after mixing.

Dual X-ray system weeds out contaminants and wonky products

08-Jun-2012 By Rory Harrington

Productivity boosts and greater compliance rates with quality and safety parameters are benefits claimed by Mettler Toledo Safeline for its new high-speed X-ray system for processed formed foods that not only detects foreign objects in products but also...

Cargill makes sweet, specialist baking expansion with Oregon site

08-Jun-2012 By Kacey Culliney

A new, larger integrated baking facility will enable food giant, Cargill, to cope with increased demands for speciality, complex bakery products, it said.

Swift, portable oven profiling kit to fulfil needs of travelling engineers

29-May-2012 By Kacey Culliney

US bakery systems firm, Reading Thermal, has designed a portable R&D kit to enable travelling engineers to efficiently and quickly profile ovens.

Reading Bakery introduces ‘first’ continuous mixing system for crackers

24-Apr-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

US-based technology firm Reading Bakery Systems has claimed to have developed the world’s first continuous mixing technology for snack crackers.

Process analytic technology boosts product quality and yield, cuts costs - company

24-Apr-2012 By Rory Harrington

Emerging food quality method Process Analytic Technology (PAT) is gradually gaining traction in the food industry after being launched in the pharmaceutical sector eight years ago, Soenke Rosemann of Sartorius told FoodProductionDaily.com at Anuga FoodTec...

Improved cutting using ultrasound in bakery and confectionery, claims Döinghaus

10-Apr-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

A higher quality cut can be achieved by using ultrasound technology for confectionery and bakery products, according to technology firm Döinghaus

Alternative bread process to improve quality and cut costs – Campden

05-Apr-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

Research institute Campden BRI has partnered with equipment firm Rondo to commercialise an alternative bread process that it claims can improve bread quality and reduce costs for manufacturers.

ExxonMobil touts energy saving claims for food grade lubricants

04-Apr-2012 By Rory Harrington

FoodProductionDaily.com caught up with Dr Ian Davidson of ExxonMobil at Anuga FoodTec in Cologne last week to talk about new energy saving claims the company is making for its range of food-grade lubricants.

Increased output with automated dough handling, claims Diosna

03-Apr-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

Using a computer-controlled process to move dough balls from mixers to the loading station can increase output and drive efficiency, according to German technology firm Diosna.

DISPATCHES FROM ANUGA FOODTEC

Anuga FoodTec - innovation powerhouse

02-Apr-2012 By Rory Harrington

The food and beverage production industry is ramping up its innovation pipeline as a way of bucking the uncertain economic trend, Anuga FoodTec show director Peter Grothues told FoodProductionDaily.com at the event last week in Cologne, Germany.

Scraped-surface heat exchanger takes high viscosities, claims Alfa Laval

02-Apr-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

Alfa Laval claims that its scraped-surface heat exchanger can take high viscosities and avoid burn-ons for applications in bakery and confectionery products.

Anti-fungal compounds offer natural shelf-life boost alternative - researchers

16-Mar-2012 By Mark Astley

Researchers are working to develop a method for extending the shelf-life of products such as cheese, cakes and pastries using natural anti-fungal compounds to meet consumer demands.

Pasta dryer will reduce energy use by 40% while maintaining quality, claims Bühler

12-Mar-2012 By Joe Whitworth

A new pasta dryer that recycles the energy in production back into the process uses less heat, cooling energy and electricity, according to Bühler.

Price increase will continue into 2012 after ‘challenging’ fourth quarter – Maple Leaf Foods

29-Feb-2012 By Mark Astley

Food processor Maple Leaf Foods intends to further increase prices across all segments to offset the raw materials price hike that affected earnings in final quarter of 2011.

Four steps to achieve zero waste to landfill – United Biscuits

28-Feb-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

United Biscuits (UB) recently became the first major UK food manufacturer to achieve zero waste to landfill at its UK sites. Its sustainability head shares ways other manufacturers can do the same.

Auto biscuit machine cuts stacking systems to reduce staff costs, claims EPP

27-Feb-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

An in-line biscuit sandwiching machine can produce cost-savings by eliminating the need for stacking systems thus requiring no manual operation, according to the European Process Plant (EPP).

Infrared, hot-air almond pasteurisation combo kills Salmonella - USDA

23-Feb-2012 By Mark Astley

US food safety researchers are exploring the combined use of infrared and hot air as a tool in the pasteurisation of almonds – a method to prevent potential Salmonella contamination.

Weetabix invests £20m in UK and North American sites

15-Feb-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

UK-based cereal firm Weetabix has announced plans to invest £20m (€23.9m) across its manufacturing facilities in the UK and North America.

Dispatches from ProSweets 2012

Combined technology can cut changeover times, claims Franz Haas

03-Feb-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

BakeryAndSnacks.com spoke to Anders Filt of Franz Haas on the show floor at ProSweets 2012 about a bakery processing machine that combines three technologies that he claims can cut changeover times to 15 minutes.

Spiral freezer helps high production baker maintain competitive edge

01-Feb-2012

Linde Gases has launched a new high-capacity compact cryogenic spiral freezer designed to boost frozen food productivity, reduce the amount of liquid nitrogen used in the freezing process and lower maintenance and sanitation costs.

Kraft’s carbon emissions from plants ‘negligible’

16-Dec-2011 By Oliver Nieburg

The vast majority of Kraft Foods’ carbon emissions come from outside its manufacturing facilities, according to a survey mapping its environmental footprint, but the full picture may look quite different as full results are withheld.

Ultrasonic clean for baking tins can cut lifetime costs – Caresonic

29-Nov-2011 By Oliver Nieburg

Ultrasonic cleaning machines for baking tins can produce better results faster and reduce long-term costs compared to high spray washing, according to UK based technology firm Caresonic.

Tetra Pak upgrades sugar-dissolving unit

18-Nov-2011 By Oliver Nieburg

Tetra Pak has launched an upgrade for its Tetra Albrix sugar dissolving unit that it has claimed lowers costs and reduces energy consumption on previous versions.

Upgraded co-extrusion unit boosts productivity for centre filled cereals

17-Nov-2011 By Oliver Nieburg

Baker Perkins Group has introduced an upgraded pillow crimper for co-extrusion that it has said maintains consistency and increases production capacity for cereals and snacks with centre-fillings.

High-speed bread packaging machine enters Russia and Americas

27-Oct-2011 By Oliver Nieburg

Canadian-based packaging firm Technopac International has secured distribution rights to North, Central and South America and Russia for a high speed bread packaging machine it say can improve productivity by 60% and significantly reduce waste.

Federation of Bakers and Real Bread Campaign at odds over labelling of bread processing aids

19-Oct-2011 By Oliver Nieburg

The UK’s Federation of Bakers has dismissed calls from the Real Bread Campaign that processing aids used in bread baking should be labelled.

Canada’s ‘super’ bakery fires up the ovens

07-Oct-2011 By Lynda Searby

Maple Leaf Foods has opened a new commercial bakery it claims is the largest in Canada. The Canadian packaged food company has spent $100 million on creating the 385,000 sq ft facility, which is situated in the Red Hill Business Park in Hamilton, Ontario.

Tunnel freezer aimed at small processors poised for European launch

09-Sep-2011 By Rory Harrington

Affordability, ease of use and space savings are all benefits claimed by Air Products for its cryogenic tunnel freezer to be launched in Europe later this month.

Low oil volume fryer for even extruded snacks

23-Aug-2011 By Lynda Searby

A new fryer from Rosenqvists Food Technologies promises to minimise oil volumes and ensure a more uniform shape and texture when frying extruded snacks and tortilla chips.

E-auctions are no supplier ‘bloodbath’: Weetabix procurement head

19-Aug-2011 By Ben Bouckley

Weetabix head of procurement Anthony Bowdidge believes that e-sourcing can benefit suppliers as well as buying firms, despite the former sometimes seeing auctions as a threat.

New die design cuts dough divider running costs - company

10-Aug-2011 By Lynda Searby

Processing equipment manufacturer Baker Perkins has redesigned the dies for its Accurist and Accurist2 dough dividers to reduce downtime, oil consumption and dough waste. The company said bakers who replace their existing dies with these new dies can...

Less oily crisps? US researchers claim to have it nailed down

05-Aug-2011 By Jane Byrne

Researchers have hit upon a way of modifying the production of potato chips (crips) to ensure a reduction of the amount of oil in the final product, which is good news for a snack industry focused on improving the health profile of their products.

Reducing water build-up on floors key to Listeria control in cake factories, study

02-Aug-2011 By Jane Byrne

Spanish researchers analysing a cake-manufacturing facility found that non-food contacts areas such as the floor are a breeding ground for Listeria monocytogenes (LM), and that the pathogen can remain in such areas post sanitation.

Industrial partners sought to scale up process for low-fat donuts

22-Jul-2011 By Jane Byrne

Dutch research group TNO is seeking commercial interest in a steam-based system for the production of doughnuts with reduced fat content; the process is said to boost product quality as well as realize energy savings for manufacturers.

Ishida launches high-speed mix weigher for confectionery sector

13-Jul-2011 By Mike Stones

Precise, ultra-high speed weighing of confectionery products, plus nuts and convenience meals, without the need for overfilling are the benefits claimed for a new 36-head, multi-head weigher from Ishida Europe.

New food belt guarantees hygiene, says supplier

12-Jul-2011 By Helen Glaberson

A new food conveyor belt increases hygiene during production with a flat, compact design that prevents cracking, according to the supplier.

New wirecut machine for quick switchover of cookies and bars

20-Jun-2011 By Helen Glaberson

Rapid product switchover, plus high levels of flexibility of weight accuracy are benefits claimed by Baker Perkins for its new wirecut machine.

Kellogg gets federal warning after Listeria found in cookie plant

15-Jun-2011 By Rory Harrington

Kellogg Co has been censured by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after traces of Listeria monocytogenes were found littered throughout its cookie plant in Georgia.

Microwave technology can speed up baking time by 64 per cent, study

07-Jun-2011 By Jane Byrne

Bakers can gain in terms of time and energy savings by opting for an infrared–microwave combination oven to bake gluten-free breads, finds a new study evaluating the technology with bread made from chestnut flour.

Special Edition: Alternatives to carbon heavy processes

New technologies can slash bakers’ energy usage and cooking times - research

24-May-2011 By Helen Glaberson

A novel combination of microwave and infrared heating technologies can drastically cut energy usage and cooking times during bread production, according to the results of a new Swedish-based project.

New filling system said to aid biscuit differentiation demands

20-May-2011 By Jane Byrne

Brand differentiation is an increasing challenge for industrial cakes and biscuit makers and we caught up Tanis Food Tec at Interpack 2011 to hear about new technology for value added products.