Direct-steam injection cooking EuroPeg, a direct-steam injection cooking trial system based at Berief Innovativ, Germany, is the European trial system of renowned RotaTherm® continuous cooking system manufactured by Gold Peg International, Australia. The EuroPeg system forward-feeds and cooks with direct-steam injection, and has cooling options – indirect, vacuum flash de-aeration, or a combination of the two. The direct-steam injection cooking of Rotatherm continuous cooker ensures no product burn-on, excellent viscosity management, consistently superior product quality and formulation flexibility, with pause capability. EuroPeg can cook up to 140ºC, with throughput rates of about 500-1,500 kg/h, and cool to 25°C. Trial results are scalable to production. Rotatherm cooking systems are available in configurations for aseptic, UHT and pasteurization, with throughput rates of 50-7,500 kg/h for production and R&D. Contact: Gold Peg International Pty. Ltd., Australia. Tel: +61 (3) 8531 2999; Fax: +61 (3) 8531 2988 Website: www.goldpeg.com Source: www.ferret.com.au New technology for continuous low-pressure product conveying Standard-Knapp, a leader in the manufacture of innovative packaging machinery, has introduced its Zero-Gap II Infeed complete product conveyor assembly. Engineered to eliminate line jams during the packaging process, Zero-Gap II uses electronic sensors to monitor and control product movement, thus maintaining a constant low line pressure and maximizing machine uptime. A flexible design and gentle handling capabilities make the Zero-Gap II ideal for applications in the soft drink, beer, wine, food and household product industries. Installed between the upstream product conveyor and the original infeed of the machine, the Zero-Gap II distributes product from a nested pattern into multiple lanes. As these lanes fill and product accumulates in the low-pressure area, electronic population sensors signal the conveyor to increase its speed, thereby maintaining balance. Each of these lanes continues to carry the product downstream where the lanes begin to narrow and line up with the machine’s individual lane guides. Source: www.packagingnetwork.com Sorter weeds out coffee rejects The Swiss group Buhler offers a new machine that is reported to be the first to sort reject materials from coffee beans by colour and shape. Sortex Z+, which allows coffee processors to classify beans simultaneously by shape as well as colour, shows promise of improving coffee quality on line. According to Buhler, previously it was possible to distinguish defects in coffee beans only by optical colour sorting, whereas the removal of any foreign material of the same colour as the accept product, like brown sticks in roasted coffee, had to be done mechanically or manually. Sortex Z+ utilizes the company’s PROfile shape sorting technology to simultaneously identify reject material by both shape and colour. The machine can also connect by phone to Buhler’s Z-Anyware service, allowing engineers to assess performance remotely. Source: www.foodproductiondaily.com Mix without stirring Researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia, have developed a new method for the mixing and heat exchange of highly viscous liquids without the use of traditional stirrers. RAMeX is twice as effective as traditional mixers and uses about five times less energy. The performance improvements have been possible as RAMeX operates without the use of stirrers, impellers and plates. Advanced mathematical simulations were used in the development of the prototype that, following successful trials, is now ready for commercialization. During trials, according to the developers, the RAMeX produced homogenous heating or cooling through a smaller heat exchange unit and at a rate faster than can be matched by typical mixers using shell-in-tube (jackets) or annular (tube-in-tube) heat exchangers. Suitable for batch mixing and in-line continuous mixing, the simple design of the RAMeX eliminates the need for internal baffles and plates incorporated in static mixers that generate large pressure drops and energy use. Source: www.ap-foodtechnology.com Automated machine to meet changing market demands Tetra Pak has introduced a moulding machine that automates the production of multilayer ice-cream products, including sherbet and fruit-juice sticks. Hoyer Rollo IM was designed in response to changing market demands favouring quick changeovers. The new machine is available in two models capable of generating 15,000 or 30,000 stick novelties per hour. It targets the high-capacity schedule for manufacturing such goods, according to Tetra Pak, aiming to provide companies with a slim and easy to assemble machine that is controlled from one central panel. The moulds are also cleaned after each production cycle – a feature specifically designed for use in the creation of multilayer goods. Source: www.tuvps.co.uk Research-scale high-pressure processing system Avure Technologies, the United States, offers the QFP 2L-700 laboratory food processing system to meet the research and feasibility testing needs of processors, universities and R&D labs. The compact yet highly functional unit closely replicates a high-volume production environment. The water medium in the 2 litre vessel can be pressurized up to 100,000 psi (690 MPa), with temperature control from 10ºC to 90ºC. This broad processing range allows for both microbiological and food functionality studies in which the effects of direct and adiabatic heating can be evaluated. The results obtained are directly scalable to all of Avure’s larger commercial food processing systems. The QFP 2L-700 features precise computer control of the full range of pressure and temperature parameters, with data acquisition for test cycle analysis and comparisons. Safety enhancement features include “leak-before-break” pressure vessel technology and threadless end closures. Contact: Ms. Glenn Hewson, Avure Technologies, 22408 66th Avenue South, Kent, WA 98032, United States of America. Fax: +1 (253) 981 6229 E-mail: glenn.hewson@avure.com Source: www.media.netpr.pl