Food Engineering articles from December 2008

Food Engineering archives from December 2008

2008 was one for the record books.
December 1, 2008... Good and bad, the year 2008 will be one for the record books. The food safety recalls that plagued the food industry during 2007 seem like a century ago compared to what our nation has experienced the past 12 months. In 2008, the United...

Calendar.(Calendar)
December 1, 2008... JANUARY 2009 18-21 Northwest Food Manufacturing & Packaging Expo, Portland, OR; Northwest Food Processors Association; www.nwfpa.org. 21-28 Sustainable Package Design Workshop + Designer's Resource Expo, Clearwater Beach, FL; Packaging...

Archer Daniels Midland.(PLANT OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) company opened a new 500,000-sq.-ft. cocoa processing facility in Hazleton, PA. The 74-acre site will create at least 210 jobs within three years. Twenty-two employees are already working at the plant, which will...

H. J. Heinz Company.(PLANT OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS)
December 1, 2008... H. J. Heinz Company has partnered with Stellar to build its new frozen-food manufacturing facility in Florence, SC. The 225,000-sq.-ft. plant will produce Smart Ones and Boston Market frozen meals. Stellar broke ground on the plant in summer of...

Dairy Farmers of America.(PLANT OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Dairy Farmers of America will expand its Fort Morgan, CO plant to increase the plant's capacity for milk by 2 million pounds per day. The $21 million expansion will add seven full-time employees. The plant sits on 14 acres and makes sweet...

Ocean Spray Cranberries.(PLANT OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Ocean Spray Cranberries finished expansion of its Wisconsin Rapids facility, which has doubled the plant size to 440,000 sq. ft. The $75 million expansion is expected to create 100 jobs.

Is HACCP for packaging in your future?(MANUFACTURING NEWS)(Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)
December 1, 2008... Started six years ago by Agriculture Canada and the Canadian Food Safety and Inspection Agency (CFIA), and adopted by PAC (The Packaging Association of Canada, www.pac.ca), a set of standards was developed to support the needs of HACCP for...

Grocery Manufacturers Association.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(Muhtar Kent and Jeffrey P. Ansel appointed board of directors)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Muhtar Kent, president and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company, and Jeffrey P. Ansell, CEO, Pinnacle Foods Group LLC, were elected to the Grocery Manufacturers Association's board of directors.

Yogen Frus.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Yogen Frus, an international frozen yogurt company with more than 1,100 locations in 20 countries, will open multiple stores throughout the US. Some initial locations include Los Angeles; Washington, DC; Chicago; Houston; Dallas; Miami; and...

Casa de Oro Foods, LLC.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)
December 1, 2008... Casa de Oro Foods, LLC sold its Louisville, KY manufacturing facility and business to Mesa Foods, Inc.

American Dairy Products.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)
December 1, 2008... American Dairy Products Institute appointed Dale Kleber as its new CEO. Kleber has more than 20 years' experience in dairy and food-related businesses.

Sealed Air opened the Cryovac Flavour Mark Retort Laboratory at Clemson University.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Sealed Air opened the Cryovac Flavour Mark Retort Laboratory at Clemson University. Located in Clemson's packaging science department in the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences, this teaching, research and service facility will...

PMMI.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... PMMI inducted five. new members to the Packaging Hall of Fame at PACK EXPO International 2008. This year's presentation honored Jim Goodman, Goodman Packaging Equipment; Tom Lowory, Ethan Allen; Ben Mlyares, PMMI; Eric Nord, Nordson Corporation...

Altra Engineered Couplings Group.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)
December 1, 2008... Murk Klossner was appointed to vice president and general manager of the Altra Engineered Couplings Group.

Siemens IT Solutions and Services.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(John E. Evers Jr. appointed as president and CEO )(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Siemens IT Solutions and Services, a division of Siemens AG, named John E. Evers Jr. president and CEO of its business in the US and Canada.

Reusable Packaging Association.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(Jerry Welcome appointed as president)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The Reusable Packaging Association appointed Jerry Welcome as president. Welcome has more than 16 years' senior-level management experience in the produce industry and served as vice president of the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute...

Will food safety be a priority for Obama?(REGULATORY WATCH)(President-elect Barack Obama )(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... There's no question President-elect Barack Obama has a full plate of urgent problems as he goes about putting together his administration, but members of Congress, consumer advocates and industry officials agree that food safety issues deserve...

More free trade needed.(REGULATORY WATCH)(National Association of Manufacturers President John Engler )(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The Democratic sweep in the November elections might not bode well for free trade, but National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President John Engler says the US needs more free trade, not less. In late October, Engler called for a...

HACCP's most underemphasized prerequisite: electronic maintenance management system helps ensure food safety.(FOOD SAFETY)(Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points )
December 1, 2008... Preventive maintenance is acknowledged as one of the basic HACCP prerequisites, but it may also be the most underemphasized of all. Although every food, beverage and ingredient processor has a maintenance manager or plant engineer and support...

Chemical-resistant tanks.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Constructed from virgin high-density crosslink or FDA-compliant linear polyethylene, Assmann's corrosion- and chemical-resistant tanks and containers can be used to store and transport corrosive and hazardous...

Pre-depositing muffin lines.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hinds-Bock's pre-depositing muffin lines are available in sizes for production rates from 264 to 800 muffins/min. Automatic tray denesting, automatic paper cup denesting and batter depositing using Hinds-Bock's...

Ultra-high shear mixer.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Used to improve dispersion prior to milling, Ross's PreMax ultra-high shear mixer contains a rotor stator that creates high flow and shear rates. It reduces the number of passes required to obtain high-quality...

Temperature monitoring labels.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... PakSense's Ultra wireless temperature monitoring labels enable users to wirelessly download time and temperature information and analyze data before unloading perishable product from a container. The labels are activated and applied to product...

Intermittent-duty vacuum.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nilfisk's CFM 137 compact intermittent-duty vacuum includes all the features of larger models. Suitable for general cleaning and collection and containment of fine powders, the vacuum can be adapted for pick up of...

Rising plate evaporators.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... API's Schmidt Sigmastar 90 and 150 rising film plate evaporators provide short exposure time to the heating medium and reduce volumetric hold up. Suitable for a variety of evaporation processes, especially challenging products such as slurries,...

Ask the expert.
December 1, 2008... Q What should I consider when choosing a modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) solution provider? A The right solution provider is a key to bringing your products to market faster. Air Products' Freshline[R] MAP solutions offer more than...

Heating/evaporative units.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Constructed of 18-gauge zinc alloy steel, Bessamaire's Workhorse heating/evaporative units combine a direct-fired heater with an evaporative cooler. Slinger wheel technology evenly distributes atomized water across...

Digital temperature gauge.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Designed to meet temperature monitoring requirements in the food, dairy and beverage industries, Anderson's DTG digital temperature gauge can directly replace all mercury-in-glass or bi-metal thermometers currently...

Rail-guided stacker crane.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... Effective in forward pick operations, Diamond Phoenix's rail-guided stacker crane is a high-speed storage/retrieval unit that moves items swiftly to support high-volume picking operations. Suited for applications that include the buffering and...

Impact traffic doors.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... Intended for loading docks of distribution centers, warehouses and manufacturing plants, RubbAir's double-acting SteeI-Lite impact traffic doors have shock-absorbing construction and 38-in. high, integral, heavy-duty bumper panels for long-term...

Integrated ozone systems.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Optimized to meet the requirements of sanitary applications in the bottled water, beverage, food processing and brewing industries, Pacific Ozone's Summit integrated ozone systems seamlessly integrate feed gas...

Deli package.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... Suitable for any size portion of sliced dell meats, smoked and processed meats, and fresh poultry, Sealed Air's Cryovac EZPak dell package offers trap printing capabilities and a tight, thin, clear lid stock for enhanced visual appeal. The...

Food forming machine.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... A completely hydraulic microprocessor-controlled unit, NuTec's 745 multi-outlet food forming machine combines weight control, minimum leakage and quick changeovers with mobility; it can be easily transported to washdown departments or other...

Sealing compound.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Available as Turcon Variseal (a spring-energized sealing element) or in other custom profiles, Trelleborg's Turcon MF6 compound conforms to the requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 51--Food Equipment Materials. Based on...

Can cable.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... A high-performance alternative to nylon-coated steel cables, Fenner's Eagle Blue 55D Aramid can cable is made from premium, light-weight polyester and high-tenacity Aramid fiber for belt reinforcement. Suitable for heavier products or higher...

Pressure systems.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Intended for pneumatic conveying, aeration/wastewater treatment, landfill remediation, vacuum hold-down/positioning, combustion or gas boosting, Meyer's PSS and PFS pressure system packages are available in pressures...

Storage rack systems.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... Ridg-U-Rack's drive-in storage rack systems store product on continuous rails that allow lift trucks to enter the rack structure to pack and retrieve pallets. Engineered for maximum strength and configuration flexibility, the systems have top...

Photoelectric sensors.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... Pepperl+Fuchs's ML7 miniature photoelectric sensors have a retro-reflective mode for detecting clear objects such as PET plastic bottles, clear shrinkwrap, glass and clear Mylar film. Capable of detecting clear objects up to 3.5 meters away and...

Dust collector.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... IAC's product transfer dust pulse-jet collector utilizes a series of removable lance-style manifolds, each with multiple clean-in-place nozzles. The manifolds can be removed and each port plugged off if longer product runs are anticipated. At...

Continuous heating/ cooking.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] More compact in size than multi-mode units, Ferrite's ImageWave continuous heating and cooking system is designed to efficiently shape and direct microwave energy into product to deliver uniform heating. It uses...

Axially split stator.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... seepex's axially split stator can be supplied on a new seepex pump or used to replace conventional tube-type stators on seepex pumps currently in use to extend their service life. Replacement can be done in situ; additional space at the...

Spray drying nozzle.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Intended for use by dairy, food and juice producers, Delavan's SDX V spray drying nozzle includes a check valve that gives operators drip-free shut off, saving loss of product at the end of a cycle and avoiding the...

Spray gun.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... Providing thorough cleaning without spreading contaminants, Spraying Systems' CU150A Gun Jet spray gun delivers a highimpact, low-pressure spray. It features a spray pattern that ranges from a solid stream to a 50[degrees] hollow cone;...

Application software.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... When used in conjunction with Sartorius' X-Family, Combics Pro and other PLC controllers, Sartorius' ProBatch+ application software offers efficient management of original raw material and recipe data, allowing visual presentation of the...

Modular curbing.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... Designed for environments within food processing plants that are exposed to extensive abuse or that require strict hygiene, such as freezers and coolers, kill room floors, processing rooms and ready-to-eat areas, Kwasny/SaniCrete's modular...

Wastewater treatment system.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Procorp's targeted phosphorous extraction pellet reactor system for wastewater treatment safely extracts high-purity calcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate or Struvite pellets directly into a recycle bin to minimize...

Food gripper.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sealed according to IP69K standards, Techno-Sommer's GGL3060 food gripper withstands high-pressure and high-temperature washdown cleanings. The compact gripper has a corrosion-resistant, stainless steel design, and...

Counterbalanceo trucks.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... Jungheinrich's EFG 213-220 and EFG 316-320 eco-friendly, AC-controlled, electric counterbalanced lift trucks have capacities from 2,500 to 4,000 Ibs. The 213-220 truck is available in six 3-wheel chassis variations, including 2 compact...

Converting system.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... Schober's converting system allows in-line finishing of products such as trays, inner frames and folding cartons. A pre-printed roll is re-registered, creased and die cut. Discrete waste partials are securely removed; discrete blanks are then...

Chlorine-free wrap.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... Made of an environmentally friendly, high-grade, chlorine-free resin formulation, CMS's Flavorseal FormShrink wrap combines the aesthetic appeal of shrink bags with the efficiency of roll stock. Utilizing a completely automated in-line process,...

Depanner cups.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Made from metal-detectable silicone, Vi-Cas's food-grade depanner vacuum cups withstand the high heat inherent in depanner applications. In addition to standard, stock cups, custom designs from customer-supplied...

Oil conditioning system.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... Designed to remove free, emulsified and dissolved water from a variety of industrial and mobile lubrication and hydraulic systems, Pentair's Driflex oil conditioning system decreases water concentration and improves particulate filtration...

Worm gear reducers.(Focus on Kettles, Tanks, Process Vessels and Evaporators)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Available in quill and 3-piece coupled input, with solid or hollow output, Baldor's Dodge Ultra Kleen right angle, stainless steel worm gear reducers are manufactured with 316 stainless steel housings, They are...

Soup's on at StockPot: StockPot's new state-of-the-art facility in Everett, WA facilitates the preparation of soup just the way Mom used to make it.(FABULOUS FOOD PLANT)(Cover story)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Growing up on a farm, I was used to picking vegetables from the garden, cleaning them and preparing them either for immediate use or for freezing or canning. Sometimes, immediate use entailed further preparation for...

Westward, ho! Logistics demanded a fourth plant west of the Rockies, but West Liberty Foods seized the opportunity to upgrade its production flow and material-handling safeguards.(FABULOUS FOOD PLANT)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Copackers often are viewed as commodity suppliers, low-cost manufacturers that produce middle-of-the-road products as efficiently as possible. But West Liberty Foods Inc. (WLF) resists that model, and the facility it...

Automated cleaning provides utility savings: automated CIP saves water and energy while helping to meet quality and regulatory demands.(TECH UPDATE: CLEAN-IN-PLACE)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For food processors, clean up costs money and consumes valuable production time. Where feasible, a clean-in-place (CIP) or an automated CIP system not only improves efficiency, but also provides several other...