Food Engineering articles from February 2002

Food Engineering archives from February 2002

Centennial Foods of Calgary.
February 1, 2002... Centennial Foods of Calgary opened its new food processing plant in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The plant will employ up to 190 people to make frozen meat products for markets in North America and southeast Asia. Production at the Centennial Foods...

The largest mozzarella cheese plant in the U.S. is beginning to take shape in Lemoore, Calif.
February 1, 2002... The largest mozzarella cheese plant in the U.S. is beginning to take shape in Lemoore, Calif. The plant is owned by Leprino Foods Company (Denver, Colo.), which is the world's largest producer of mozzarella cheese and plans to stay that way....

Study identifies obstacles to e-commerce. (Manufacturing News).
February 1, 2002... B2B E-COMMERCE WON'T BECOME A REALITY UNLESS MANUFACTURERS AND retailers learn to trust each other enough to share information, according to a new "e-readiness study" conducted by Roland Berger & Partner for the Grocery Manufacturers of America...

A tractor-trailer filled with more than 600 cases of cookies, snack cakes, donuts and other baked treats left Davenport, Iowa, bound for the 5,500 sailors aboard the U.S.S.
February 1, 2002... A tractor-trailer filled with more than 600 cases of cookies, snack cakes, donuts and other baked treats left Davenport, Iowa, bound for the 5,500 sailors aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, a nuclear aircraft carrier stationed in the Persian...

Urschel Laboratories Inc.
February 1, 2002... Urschel Laboratories Inc., world leader in the manufacturing of high capacity precision cutters for the food processing and related industries, announced two promotions. Tim O'Brien was named vice president, sales. Al Kurfman was promoted to...

FSIS delays effective date for final rule on water retention. (Manufacturing News).
February 1, 2002... THE FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE (FSIS) HAS delayed by a year the implementation date of the final rule on retained water in raw meat and poultry products until Jan. 9, 2003 to ensure time for more effective compliance. The rule...

Calender 2002. (Manufacturing News).
February 1, 2002... March 6-7 Environmental Management Seminar, Doubletree Hotel, Nashville, TN, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (770) 493-9401. www.poultryegg.org 7-9 Chip Seminar, Adam's Mark, Jacksonville, FL, Michigan Potato Industry Commission. (517)...

USDA to continue testing for Salmonella. (Manufacturing News).
February 1, 2002... THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) SAYS ITS INSPECTORS WILL continue to test for Salmonella in meat grinding plants, and won't hesitate to shut down plants that don't meet food safety standards. The announcement follows a recent U.S....

FDA urges industry to step up food security. (Manufacturing News).
February 1, 2002... U.S. FARMS, PROCESSORS, RESTAURANTS and supermarkets can take a number of steps to better protect the nation's food supply, including conducting criminal background checks on employees, safeguarding water supplies and keeping closer watch on...

Injury and illness rates declined in 2000. (Manufacturing News).
February 1, 2002... WORKPLACE INJURY AND ILLNESS rates declined in 2000 to their lowest levels since the 1970s, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LBS). Although the number of injuries and illness cases remained basically unchanged from 1999, the...

The incredible shrinking label: innovation is driving down costs and improving the appearance of shrink-film packaging. (Food Packaging).
February 1, 2002... THE SHRINK-LABEL REVOLUTION THAT BEGAN in dairy is picking up steam and spreading to other food and beverage categories. A recent report by Packaging Strategies and BRG Townsend Inc. pegs spending on shrink labels at $130 million in 2000, and...

Mad Cow risk in U.S. low, study says. (Food Safety).
February 1, 2002... Early protection systems put in place by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have largely succeeded in keeping Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) -- also known as Mad Cow Disease --...

Sine of the times: lower maintenance, improved quality of finished goods realized from pump upgrade. (Field Reports).
February 1, 2002... SINE-WAVE HAS BEEN CALLED THE IDEAL WAVEFORM for the transfer of AC power, so it shouldn't be too surprising that Hoopeston Foods Denver Corp. found sine-wave positive displacement pumps from Sundyne Corp. to be the ideal replacement for the...

3rd annual Best Manufacturing Practices Survey. (Cover Story).
February 1, 2002... WELL, PARDON OUR HUBRIS. Last summer, during Food Engineering's PlantTech conference, we presented the results of the magazine's 2001 Best Practices Survey, assuming attendees would be wowed by the heaps of data being shoveled at them....

Out of the lab onto the line: four decades of development and refinement are making the electro-magnetic spectrum a tool of both line operators and chemical engineers.
February 1, 2002... Simple ideas often require complex calculations to execute, and turning them into easy-to-use devices requires another quantum leap forward. That, in a nutshell, describes the application of near infrared spectroscopy in the food processing...

The value-added whey: whey is the lemon of cheese production. Cabot Creamery leveraged modern technology to turn it into lemonade.
February 1, 2002... The resourcefulness to turn byproducts into value-added products ranks among the food industry's most impressive achievements. Companies that pioneer those processes also rewrite their economic models and enjoy huge competitive advantages. ...

Is the time right for MES? Manufacturing execution systems are gaining momentum in the food industry, but some formidable hurdles still need to be cleared. (Technology Update).
February 1, 2002... The food industry is renewing its interest in manufacturing execution systems (MES) as a result of new standards governing their performance and new priorities and practices on the plant floor. Bill McCarthy, manager of industry solutions...

Impingement cooking. (Focus on Ovens and Dryers).
February 1, 2002... Shorter cook times with Heat and Control's AirForce impingement oven deliver greater production output and product uniformity than with comparable ovens. One processor cooks beef pot pies with their desired crust color in 2.5 minutes using the...

Dehydrate rice. (Focus on Ovens and Dryers).
February 1, 2002... The dryer technology developed by Catalytic Drying Technologies, LLC will dehydrate rice to a moisture level of 12 percent in as little as 3 hours. This is a marked contrast to the staged, silo-based hot air drying method, which requires a...

Vacuum drying. (Focus on Ovens and Dryers).
February 1, 2002... The Bolz-Summix vacuum drying system removes moisture and vapors from heat sensitive materials. Because of the vacuum operation, it requires only moderate temperatures to achieve the drying, and also tremendously accelerates the drying cycle,...

Contract drying. (Focus on Ovens and Dryers).
February 1, 2002... Pulse Combustion Systems (PCS) has announced the introduction of its new toll drying service at its Arizona facility. The contract drying service is offered in response to customer demand for cost-effective drying of smaller production runs....

Hot room. (Focus on Ovens and Dryers).
February 1, 2002... The Sahara 24-drum, steam heated Hot Room is an energy efficient way to heat twenty four 55-gallon drums. The unit economically replaces inefficient homemade hot rooms and awkward band heaters. Steam or electrically heated, the Hot Room...

Tote hot room. (Focus on Ovens and Dryers).
February 1, 2002... The Sahara 6-tote Hot Room is an energy efficient way to heat six totes. Unit is ideal for pumping from totes. Each tote has a 4-in. porthole for a hose. Small access doors provide easy access to make connection to the pumps without having to...

Technical library. (Focus on Ovens and Dryers).
February 1, 2002... A new six-page Technical Library Index lists 150 free published articles, catalogs and bulletins available on vibratory screening, centrifugal screening, fluid bed processing and vibratory processing of bulk solid materials and...

Cartridge heaters. (Focus on Ovens and Dryers).
February 1, 2002... Watlow recently revised its brochure highlighting FIREROD cartridge heaters, one of the company's most successful product lines. FIREROD Cartridge Heaters: Provide Quality and Engineering Expertise for your Most Demanding Applications offers...

Cone dryer. (Focus on Ovens and Dryers).
February 1, 2002... Constructed of 316 L stainless steel on all wetted surfaces and highly polished, this pharmaceutical cone dryer has nominal working capacities of 1.7, 3, 10 or 25 cubic feet. The unit features 100 percent sanitary connections; full opening...

Regenerative dryers. (Focus on Ovens and Dryers).
February 1, 2002... The compact, lightweight, SM Modular Regenerative Dryers with a small footprint are less than half the size of traditional twin-tower dryers and offer total installation flexibility. Their advanced design utilizes high tensile aluminum...

Membrane air dryer. (Focus on Ovens and Dryers).
February 1, 2002... The Balston SMD membrane air dryer will provide pure, dry compressed air and offer an economical, efficient alternative to refrigerant dryer technology. The Balston SMD will dry compressed air to dew points as low as 35 degrees F at flow rates...

Fast-change bag table. (Technology Update).
February 1, 2002... A faster, easy-to-use automatic rotary bag feed system has been announced by Formost Packaging Machines for use on its new and existing high-speed horizontal GT bagging machines. Most machines can continue running during continuous or...

Radiant tube. (Technology Update).
February 1, 2002... National Element, Inc. undertook the challenge of developing an element, which would convert fuel-fired furnaces to electric. The result was Firebar. With Firebar, conversion was easily accomplished by inserting the Firebar, a round heating...

Stretch wrapping system. (Technology Update).
February 1, 2002... Lantech's SXT straddle stretch wrapping system offers the ultimate in stretch wrapping ease of use, uptime, and safety. The Simple Automation feature is designed to allow your forktruck operator to spend more time behind the wheel, and less...

High-speed marking. (Technology Update).
February 1, 2002... The new DSL1 scribing laser features maximum flexibility, reliability and high-speed marking capability, making it ideally suited to marking packages and products in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and personal care markets. Powered by a...

Test meat for "doneness". (Technology Updates).
February 1, 2002... The ThermaZyme ACP Test is being successfully used throughout the food industry to accurately test meat products for "doneness." By allowing users to perform testing even after their product has cooled, the ThermaZyme ACPTest helps users...

Leak-resistant packaging. (Technology Updates).
February 1, 2002... Made from PETE, a clear, crack-resistant plastic commonly used in soda bottles, Crystal Seal containers keep foods in while the leak-resistant seal keeps the air out. The result is fresher food with a longer shelf life. Designed to get the...

Pinch valve brochure. (Technology Updates).
February 1, 2002... The Red Valve manual pinch valve is designed for use on abrasive and corrosive slurries and is available in sizes to 72 inches. Each Red Valve manual pinch valve features an elastomer sleeve, which provides excellent wear resistance and...

Plug and socket connectors. (Technology Updates).
February 1, 2002... Consisting of male and female pluggable contacts, the series of plug and socket connectors are available in crimp and insulation displacement contact (IDC) methods for both ribbon cable and discrete wire. To ensure a proper connection, each...

Electromagnetic flowmeter. (Technology Updates).
February 1, 2002... The 7400DF Series Magmeter provides the food and beverage industries with a highly accurate electromagnetic flowmeter specifically engineered for sanitary process applications in which conductive fluids are used. Designed for low-flow...

Polyurethane dye. (Technology Updates).
February 1, 2002... Fade-A-Way dye additive is a translucent colorant for Sherwin Williams Diamond-Clad Clear Coat. The polyurethane dye additive takes the guesswork out of applying the clear topcoat by providing temporary color contrast between the topcoat and...

Label orientator. (Technology Updates).
February 1, 2002... The Bottle Label Orientator from Roberts PolyPro, has the capability of rotating multipack bottles so that all labels face outward, The Bottle Label Orientator has an extremely small footprint and easily can be integrated into an existing...

Radical issues in irradiation packaging: processors need packaging options if they are to irradiate food, and choices are on the way. (Engineering R&D).
February 1, 2002... THE SILVER LINING IN LAST FALL'S BIOTERRORISM involving anthrax-infected letters was the subtle shift it caused in public perceptions of irradiation. The U.S. Postal Authority is implementing a $1.1 billion program involving irradiation units...