Food Engineering articles from December 2002

Food Engineering archives from December 2002

Thermo Electron Corporation. (Food Engineering).
December 1, 2002... Thermo Electron The best companies in the business are now one big family. Thermo Ramsey, Thermo Goring Kerr, Thermo Alien Coding, Thermo Detection, and Thermo Moisture Systems--each already at the top of its class--have been restructured...

Will America just say no to sodium? (Editor's Note).(American Public Health Association sodium policy change )
December 1, 2002... AS WE WENT TO PRESS WITH IT THIS ISSUE, THE AMERICAN Public Health Association (APHA) was making headlines with a new policy calling for a fundamental shift in the restaurant and food processing industries and in consumer behavior to...

Letter to the editor. (Editor's Note).(Food Engineering magazine)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2002... Being in the food industry for over 20 years, I enjoyed reading your "Editor's Note" in the November issue of Food Engineering. How true, how true. The USDA must realize that they work for the people and not the lobbyists in Washington, DC. ...

Calendar.
December 1, 2002... January 2003 22-24 55th Annual International Poultry Exposition, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, (770) 493-9401, E-mail: expogeneralinfo@poultryegg.org. 22-24 FPA Environmental Summit,...

Big-D Construction completed work on the first food processing plant for Slim-Fast Foods Co, in the west. (Plant Openings & Expansions).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Big-D Construction completed work on the first food processing plant for Slim-Fast Foods Co, in the west. Located in Tuscon, AZ, this 550,000-square-foot manufacturing facility will allow the company to expand distribution of its nutritional...

Construction has begun on a new 75,000 square-foot blast cell and freezer addition for ConAgra Frozen Foods by the Stellar Group. (Plant Openings & Expansions).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Construction has begun on a new 75,000 square-foot blast cell and freezer addition for ConAgra Frozen Foods by the Stellar Group. The low-temperature distribution and food processing facility will house additional machine and mechanical rooms,...

Cereform USA. (Plant Openings & Expansions).(new plant in Denver, Colorado; maker of baking ingredients)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Cereform USA, a national baking ingredients manufacturer, is starting up operations at a plant in northeast Denver, CO.

Tres Caballeros Company. (Plant Openings & Expansions).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Tres Caballeros Company of Nederland, TX, a family-owned baking company, is planning to construct a new bakery in Texas.

Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. (Plant Openings & Expansions).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. plans to construct a new soft drink bottling plant on the East Coast and have it operational by late 2003.

Alfa Laval. (Plant Openings & Expansions).(fluid handling plant, United States)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Alfa Laval opened a $10 million fluid handling plant in Richmond, VA. Designed for continuous flow manufacturing, the plant will produce Tri-Clover and Alfa Laval centrifugal pumps and seat valves for the dairy, food and other industries. It...

Pliant Corporation. (Plant Openings & Expansions).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Pliant Corporation is expanding its Odon, IN, facility which manufactures co-extruded barrier packaging film for cookie, cracker and cereal boxes and pizza overwrap film. The expansion will add 12,000 square feet of additional space to the...

Phillips Foods and Seafood Restaurants. (Plant Openings & Expansions).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Phillips Foods and Seafood Restaurants, Baltimore, MD, is making renovations at the Coca-Cola plant on Fort Avenue in Baltimore, in order to relocate and better serve its clients.

Kudos for HACCP programs in seafood plants. (Manufacturing News).(food industry, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point programs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... AN FDA STUDY OF FOOD INDUSTRY HACCP PROGRAMS SINGLED out scathed processors for special praise. The agency report says the industry has made significant progress in implementing HACCP over the last two years. For each of the four years that FDA...

Processors prevail in allergen labeling bill. (Manufacturing News).(Food industry regulations)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Food processors prevailed in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, when the panel recently tabled a tough proposal backed by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and passed a more "industry-friendly" food allergen-labeling bill....

Consumers turn to the Internet for food safety information. (Manufacturing News).(survey of Americans)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... AMERICANS WANT TO TAKE CONTROL OF FOOD SAFETY in their homes, according to a new survey by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and ConAgra Foods. While more people are aware of home food safety, increased knowledge still needs to be...

SIG Combibloc Inc. (Industry & People).(company personnal changes )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... SIG Combibloc Inc. has appointed Ben Hamer as the company's new President and CEO. Previously he was managing director of Stork Mexico.

Perdue Farms. (Industry & People).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Perdue Farms shut down its Petersburg, VA, deboning plant and is phasing out production of its DeLuca line of refrigerated entrees.

The Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society. (Industry & People).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society recognized the achievements of leading professionals at its annual awards banquet. Dr. James Truehard, chairman and president of National Instruments Corporation, Austin, TX received the...

Food Industry Suppliers Association. (Industry & People).(2002 Manufacturer of the Year award)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The Food Industry Suppliers Association (FISA) named Alfa Laval, "Manufacturer of the Year 2002. The award was received by Mark Larsen, general manager of the Sanitary Segment which supplies the Alfa Laval and Tri-Clover brands of sanitary...

Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute. (Industry & People).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... According to the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI), shipments of packaging and packaging-related converting equipment declined by 4.1 percent in 2001. Responding to PMMI's 8th Annual Shipments and Outlook Survey, packaging...

FMC FoodTech. (Industry & People).(new general manager of North American Sales and Service)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... FMC FoodTech promoted Steve Smith to the position of General Manager of North American Sales and Service.

Waukesha Cherry-Burrell. (Industry & People).(company personel changes)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Waukesha Cherry-Burrell announced several promotions. Ross Skelton has been promoted to Vice President of Domestic Sales. Jim Scheurell has been appointed National Sales Manager. Dave Murray has been appointed Director, Sales Administration.

Open Modular Architecture Controls. (Industry & People).(Keith Campbell appointment)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Open Modular Architecture Controls (OMAC) Users Group Advisory Board appointed Keith Campbell as Executive Director to support the activities of the Packaging Workgroup. Campbell, who was formerly the workgroup chairperson has been replaced in...

BOC has acquired Environmental Management Corporation (EMC), a privately held St. Louis-based water services company. (Industry & People).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... BOC has acquired Environmental Management Corporation (EMC), a privately held St. Louis-based water services company. EMC manages water and wastewater treatment facilities for both industrial and local municipal customers around the US.

National Center for Food Safety and Technology. (Industry & People).(personnel changes )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The new Director for Food Safety for the National Center for Food Safety and Technology is Karen D. Huether. Previously she was director of microbiology and food safety for Kraft Foods and director of food safety for Nabisco, Inc.

Do-it-yourself shelf-life extender. (Food Packaging).(Mantrose-Haeuser Co., food preservative)
December 1, 2002... THE SAME CHEMICALS that allow processors to market sliced apples that remain firm and don't brown for three weeks or longer are now being sold through supermarkets to consumers who would rather preserve fruit themselves. Westport,...

Great size, less metal. (Food Packaging).(beverage packaging, Crown Cork and Seal)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... AN ENGINEERED SOLUTION TO source reduction for beverage packagers recently marked an early milestone. Crown Cork & Seal shipped the 10 billionth 202 SuperEnd, a can end that uses 10 percent less metal than standard 202 ends while increasing the...

Package promises fresher coffee. (Food Packaging).(SEATTLE COFFEE Company facility move )
December 1, 2002... SEATTLE COFFEE Co., manufacturer of Seattle's Best Coffee (SBC), is a processor in transition, and customers and employees both will benefit from those changes. The 31-year-old firm is preparing to move from Vashon Island, its home since...

The return of clear plastic cans. (Food Packaging).(Owens-Illinois Plastic Group )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Plastics cans made their food-industry debut more than a decade ago, but the packaging never advanced beyond test-market curiosity. Sky-high material costs were the reason, according to David Andrulonis, director of food & beverage products at...

Ready-to-eat Mexican entrees pack a punch: extended shelf life packaging and an automated rollstock system ease production pain and deliver a profit gain. (Field Reports).(Garcia Foods production techniques )
December 1, 2002... THE PRAIRIE SKY MAY BE HIGH AND WIDE DEEP in the heart of Texas, but that's not stopping San Antonio-based Garcia Foods from putting more prepared entrees on supermarket shelves. A producer of authentic Mexican cuisine, Garcia Foods introduced...

New twist on environmental compliance for snack maker; outsourced compliance and employee training service lighten the load for plant engineering at Snyder's of Hanover. (Field Reports).(food industry )
December 1, 2002... MANY FOOD MANUFACTURES FACE tough choices when deciding which company unit should take responsibility for environmental compliance. Snyder's of Hanover, a privately held, family-owned maker of chips and pretzels based in Penna., found itself in...

The half-full glass: solid salary gains are accruing to food engineers and managers, despite the soft economy. (Exclusive Job Satisfaction & Salary Survey).
December 1, 2002... A career in food processing never looks so good as when the rest of the work world looks bad. While workers in many manufacturing sectors wonder about the viability of their jobs and companies, seven out of 10 respondents to this year's Food...

Pilot plants put to the test: whether they have a new formulation or revolutionary process change, processors have many options for lowering the odds of production snafus with new products.(food processing industry )
December 1, 2002... The distance between a food R&D lab and the production line isn't necessarily measured in feet or miles. Transferring a new food or beverage from concept to manufacture often requires a leap of faith, and shortening the production aspect of...

Beverage improvements take center stage: the latest advances in processing, packaging and quality assurance were on display at this year's edition of InterBev. (Technology Update).
December 1, 2002... Given the food industry's focus on product safety, it's no surprise that many of the new technologies on display at this year's InterBev show in Atlanta, Ga., addressed quality control and quality assurance issues. Greater process control is...

The fatal flaws of software: overlooking the details that are essential to your business may result in a total failure. (Managing Software).
December 1, 2002... DEALING WITH SOFTWARE VENDORS can be difficult. You need to understand what the system can do for you and they want to tell you all the great things that make them look good--the two lists usually do not agree. Your challenge is getting vendors...

Sanitary pipeline mixer. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Chemineer, Inc)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Chemineer, Inc., a unit of Robbins & Myers, Inc., has a new Greerco Sanitary Pipeline Mixer for high-shear applications. Suitable for the beverage and food processing industries, the Mixer can be used for a wide range of deagglomeration,...

High shear blender. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Breddo Liqwifier)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The LORWWSS Liqwifier offers a blender with a high shear impeller at the bottom and scrapers on both the cone and sidewall that create a smooth paste-like product. Applications include products such as hummus where 50 and 100-gallon units can...

Mixer mill. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Retsch Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Retsch, Inc., introduced the Mixer Mill MM301. According to Retsch, it is particularly suited for dry and wet grinding of small quantities as well as mixing and homogenizing powders and suspensions. An assortment of new screw-top grinding...

Continuous processor. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Readco Manufacturing, food processor)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Readco's Continuous Processor is a twin shaft, co-rotating mixer that can be used for everything from candy bars to cookie dough, cereal to chewing gum and peanut butter to pet food. Designed to mix one or more dry materials with one or more...

Reactor system. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(food machinery)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... ARDE Barinco's new ARDE Cavitron reactor system utilizes the explosive shearing forces caused by high pressure cavitation release. The unit's food applications include decomposition of hops for brewing, homogenization and refining of cocoa and...

High speed mixing. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(DCI Inc., food mixer)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... DCI, Inc. published a new 4-color Dynamixer/Dynamixer Processor bulletin. It describes the capabilities and applications of its newest line of DCI tanks, and highlights the high-speed mixing and blending features such as mixing,...

High shear batch mixers. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Silverson Machines)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Silverson Machines' High Shear Batch Mixers offer flexible tank-top mounting and a capacity range of 1 to 8,000 gallons. Interchangeable rotor/stator workheads allow each machine to mix, homogenize, dissolve, disperse, disintegrate or emulsify...

Shearmill. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Admix Inc )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Admix's Boston Shearmill features a variety of special purpose shear heads for shear and milling action. Multi-stage heads range from pilot plant sizes to models with over 200 gpm capacity. Triple head configuration allows progression from...

Tank mixers. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Chemineer, Inc. introduced DT right angle, top-entering, open tank mixers. The model 60DTD gear-reduced mixer offers a right angle drive configuration suited for low headroom clearance applications. Additional features of the product include a...

Motorized pulley. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Emerson Power Transmission)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Emerson Power Transmission published a new motorized pulley brochure for its Emerson MXP Motorized Pulley line. The Emerson MXP Motorized Pulleys are self-contained drive units with an internal premium efficiency NEMA inverter duty motor and an...

Conical mixer. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Bolz-Summix, food mixer)
December 1, 2002... The CyCone conical mixer from Bolz-Summix features internal friction, high resistance against peak loads, compact construction and high resistance against wearing. These conical mixers/processors offer multiple and simultaneous steps for...

Jet mixer. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Quadro, food mixer)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Quadro's YTRON Jet Mixer uses an impeller/stator to deliver axial jet flow, preventing vortices, and unwanted air. The mixer offers shorter process times, improved finished quality, elimination of stratification in tanks and gentle handing of...

PTFE tubing. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(vacuum tubing)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Contef PTFE Tubing is available from New Age Industries for applications that require flexibility, chemical resistance, non-stick properties and the ability to function in a wide range of temperatures. Available in sizes similar to...

Lubricants. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Diversified Brands)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Diversified Brands, a Division of The Sherwin Williams Company, has a new line of Sprayon Liqui-Sol lubricants, cleaners and specialty maintenance products that feature durable, reusable spray triggers, eliminating the need for pressurized...

Inkjet printer. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Matthews International Corporation)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Matthews International Corporation introduced the R4 Control Unit configurable rack system inkjet printing system. Each R4 controls up to 16 Drop-on-Demand inkjet print heads for printing text, graphics and bar codes, Equipped with up to 4 CPU...

Metal detector. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Thermo Electron Weighing and Inspection)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Thermo Electron Weighing and Inspection introduced the Goring Kerr DSP IP Metal Detector which meets IP69K requirements of 1450-PSI wash-down at 80[degrees]C (176[degrees]F). Its internal power supply saves space and reduces cost of hardware...

Vibratory feeders. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Eriez Magnetics products )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Eriez Magnetics has high deflection vibratory feeders to move volumes of lightweight powders and leafy-type products that are difficult to feed in an electromagnetic feeder. Available in five models and 16 sizes with feed rates of up to 80...

Drum & pail liner. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Basco offers heavy-duty Teflon drum and pail liners that feature a leak tight design and can be easily cleaned. Made of 100 percent Teflon (PTFE) laminate designed for harsh chemical and thermal environments, the DrumRight Liner's leak tight...

CIP system. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The Ultra Flow CIP system from Sani-Matic is a self-cleaning, single-use system that provides shorter CIP cycles, minimal water and chemical use and a fresh clean solution for each CIP cycle with no cross contamination. According to...

Dissolved sensor series. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).
December 1, 2002... Mettler-Toledo Ingold has a new line of dissolved oxygen sensors specifically designed for in-line measurement in processes under hygienic conditions. The InPro 6800 sensors meet most standard measurement requirements, the manufacturer says....

Spiral elevator. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Carman industries product details )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Carman industries has a new Vibrating Spiral Elevator with a controlled velocity descent trough for preventing damage to fragile parts as they enter the system. Special features of this product include stainless steel flights for easy cleaning...

Floor coatings. (Focus on Mixing and Blending).(Sherwin-Williams Company)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Armor-Seal Heavy-Duty Floor Coatings, a new 8-page brochure available from Sherwin Williams, describes advanced waterborne and high-solids floor coatings for demanding service conditions. The brochure includes specification and application...

Out of the lab, into the plant: a few years ago, food scientists developed a lab process for creating gelatinized whey protein concentrate. Now the technology is poised for commercial scale-up. (Engineering R&D).
December 1, 2002... A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH a single step, and developing a laboratory process for a new food ingredient isn't too much farther along the path to commercial application than that single step. Scientists in the Food Rheology...