Food Engineering articles from March 2002

Food Engineering archives from March 2002

Yes, you can come home again. (Editor's Note).
March 1, 2002... IF YOU HAD TOLD ME A FEW MONTHS AGO THAT my smiling face would be gracing the editorial page of Food Engineering magazine once again, I may have told you to lay off the margaritas. If you had told me back in December of 1999, when I wrote my...

Leprino Foods Co. (Plant Openings & Expansions).
March 1, 2002... An August completion is expected for a new whey processing facility at Leprino Foods Co.'s Waverly, N.Y., mozzarella plant. The drying system will be housed in a 30,000 sq. ft. addition to the plant, which produces about 240,000 pounds of...

Kraft Foods. (Plant Openings & Expansions).
March 1, 2002... A $29 million expansion at Kraft Foods' Winchester, Va., plant will add more processing and packaging capacity for the Northfield, Ill.-based firm's popular Capri Sun line of fruit juice drinks. Construction begins next month and is scheduled...

American Premium Foods Cooperative. (Plant Openings & Expansions).
March 1, 2002... Design work is underway for a $30 million pork processing facility slated to begin production in June 2003 in Rantoul, III. Smyrna, Ga.-based The Affiliates Group was awarded the design/build contract by American Premium Foods Cooperative, a...

Hiccup in 2001 cheese production. (Manufacturing News).
March 1, 2002... U.S. CHEESE PRODUCTION SAW ITS FIRST DECLINE IN 17 YEARS IN 2001, dropping almost 98 million lbs., or 1.2 percent, to 8.15 billion lbs., U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates show, but market experts characterize the drop as an aberration,...

Booming lactoferrin market prompts plant expansion. (Manufacturing News).
March 1, 2002... MAJOR EXPANSION IS UNDERWAY AT Glanbia Ingredients Inc.'s whey processing facility in Gooding, Idaho, as the firm seeks to satisfy growing demand for the protein derivative lactoferrin. The plant has extracted lactoferrin from cheese whey...

DuPont Awards. (Industry & People).
March 1, 2002... A call for entries has been issued for the Fifteenth DuPont Awards for Innovation in Packaging. The DuPont Awards is an international industry competition recognizing innovation in food processing and packaging technology and is sponsored by...

Conference at PACK EXPO. (Industry & People).
March 1, 2002... The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) is issuing a call for presentations for the Conference at PACK EXPO. The three-day conference will be held November 4-6 during the PACK EXPO International 2002 show, scheduled for November...

SureBeam Corp. and its majority stockholder, The Titan Corp, of San Diego, and Ion Beam Applications (IBA) of Louvainla-Neuve, Belgium, have resolved the litigation between the two companies. (Industry & People).
March 1, 2002... SureBeam Corp. and its majority stockholder, The Titan Corp, of San Diego, and Ion Beam Applications (IBA) of Louvainla-Neuve, Belgium, have resolved the litigation between the two companies. IBA has dropped its challenge to the validity and...

Screw Conveyor Corporation. (Industry & People).
March 1, 2002... Screw Conveyor Corporation is returning to its long-established name after a brief corporate name change to SCC Industries in 1998.

U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. (Industry & People).
March 1, 2002... Ralph Simmons, Nacogdoches, Texas, has been elected chairman of the board of U.S. Poultry & Egg Association for 2002. According to Simmons, "U.S. Poultry must play a vital role in addressing the needs of the industry through education,...

Nilfisk-Advance America. (Industry & People).
March 1, 2002... Nilfisk-Advance America, manufacturer of specialty industrial vacuum systems, promoted salesman Russ Seery to business development manager. A 13-year veteran of the company, Seery earned Nilfisk-Advance America's Salesman of the Year award in...

Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute. (Industry & People).
March 1, 2002... The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) promoted Patti Fee to vice president, meetings and facilities management and Craig Silverio, CAE, to vice president, finance.

Snapple Beverage Group. (Industry & People).
March 1, 2002... Snapple Beverage Group has appointed Lewis Goldstein director of communications for Snapple, Yoo-hoo, Stewart's and Orangina.

Shutdowns affect six food plants. (Manufacturing News).
March 1, 2002... THREE MAJOR FOOD PROCESSORS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED the closures of two plants each, though the reasons for the shutdowns varied. General Mills blamed sagging sales of Mexican food ingredients for the March 8 closing of its Anthony, Texas, sauce...

Humane slaughter oversight commences. (Manufacturing News).
March 1, 2002... By the end of March, doctors of veterinary medicine are expected to be deployed to the 15 district office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service to oversee humane handling and slaughter practices at the...

Calender 2002. (Manufacturing News).
March 1, 2002... March 13-15 Food Safety Summit and Expo, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, National Food Processors Association and Food Safety Magazine. (800) 746-9646. www.foodsafetysummit.com 20-22 Food Irradiation: The Global Summit for Food Safety,...

New package makes a splash; PET cup is a sales winner and a filling challenge. (Food Packaging).
March 1, 2002... KID-FRIENDLY 4 OZ. CUPS OF JUICE AND snack sauces have been around for years, but Winchester, Va.-based National Fruit Products Company Inc. recently rolled out a "grown-up" version for its White House brand applesauce. Consumer response has...

Comfort in a metalized bag. (Food Packaging).
March 1, 2002... When the economy tanks, sales take off in certain food categones, among them salty snacks. More than one laid-off worker has tried to drown his sorrows in a bag of chips, and upgraded packaging from Herr Foods Inc. should make the experience...

Entrepreneur discovers the power of packaging. (Food Packaging).
March 1, 2002... NO MATTER HOW BIG THE DOMINANT food companies get, there always is room for the small specialty player. Of course, eye-catching graphics don't hurt when competing with the big boys, as Sarah Cohen of Route 11 Potato Chips has discovered. ...

Microbrewery opens doors with plastic bottle. (Food Packaging).
March 1, 2002... WHILE NFL FANS ARE MAKING A CASE FOR BEER in paper cups, small to mid-sized breweries are flirting with plastic bottles as their packaging ticket to sports arenas and other outlets previously closed to them. A recent example is Carolina Beer...

ADA only for workers with severe limitations; Supreme Court says manufacturers will not face a major expansion of the ADA. (Regulatory Watch).
March 1, 2002... IN A RECENT UNANIMOUS DECISION, THE U.S. Supreme Court said manufacturers will not face a major expansion of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The justices said that the inability to perform a specific job is not automatically a...

FDA working to make the food system safer after 9-11 attacks. (Regulatory Watch).
March 1, 2002... Months have passed since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, but the federal government continues to grapple with the appropriate response to safeguard the nation's food supply. While Congress labors over comprehensive...

Crunch time to no time: a new sensorless vector drive makes clean-up quick and easy at Gibble's potato chip plant. (Field Reports).
March 1, 2002... WHEN CHAMBERSBURG, PA-BASED POTATO chip processor Nibble With Gibble's agreed to install two new TB Wood's sensorless vector drive in one of its tougher environments, the plant's manufacturing team was eager to see quick results. But Gibble's...

Dairy does it best with MES; dock to stock implementation eliminates production hang-ups for Israeli processor. (Field Reports).
March 1, 2002... A BROAD RANGE OF PRODUCTS AND BRANDS is key to Tnuva Dairies' leadership position in Israel, but the breadth of its offerings also presents many challenges. Varying processes for milk, yogurt, butter and cheeses add complexity to...

The next best thing: breakthrough products and packaging require years of technological trial and error before they burst on the scene. (Cover Story).
March 1, 2002... In the food industry, there are no only evolutions. Markets may shift dramatically, but the technology underlying the processing and packaging changes that make them possible are usually the result of decades of development. Innovations in...

Best practices for allergen control: food manufacturers improve allergen control strategies as recalls rise.
March 1, 2002... Food product recalls for unlabeled allergens have steadily risen during the past decade, averaging 90 per year during the late '90s and reaching 121 in fiscal 2000. "I'm not sure, but there may be several reasons for the rise in allergen...

Shape of things to come: from pasta to plastics, tools used in other industries are coming on stream in snack food production. (Technology Update).
March 1, 2002... For those who see a half-empty glass, the snack food category is what soft drinks would be like without Pepsi: one big company and everyone else. In that kind of environment, innovation takes a back seat to cost reduction. For those who...

Fast-back motion. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... The gentle slow forward, fast back motion of FastBack conveyors from Heat and Control reduces product breakage and coating loss by up to 60 percent to vibratory conveyors. Coatings do not vibrate off the product or build up in the conveyor pan,...

Conveyor-belt cutting tool. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Designed for light-duty conveyor applications such as food processing, the 845LD cutters adds extra-strength belt-clamping springs that prevent shifting, during the cut. This assures straight, smooth, perpendicular cuts essential for proper...

Low-profile micro-motor. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... The Micro-Motor is ideally suited for light-duty belt conveyor applications. It features a compact right angle design that fits into a 2-3/4-in. conveyor frame with only an inch of external clearance. The Micro-Motor unit with drive card for...

Vertical belt conveyor. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... The Kamflex Series 810 vertical lift conveyor utilizes a molded plastic belt with "scoop" type cleats. These cleats are available in heights up to 6 in., which allows for high transfer rates. The molded plastic belt design reduces the...

High shear disperser. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... The Rotosolver from Admix is a high-speed disperser with a stainless steel mixing head, drive frame and motor. 3A-approved and USDA-Dairy accepted, the Rotosolver features serrated rotors fixed within a slotted stator. It can be completely...

Modular conveyor belt system. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... uni-chains Inc. introduced the uni Flex SNB modular conveyor belt system to replace multiple straight and side-flexing conveyors with a single, interchangeable system that eliminates the need for transfers and dead plates. Featuring high...

Spiral conveyors. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... A new generation of Ryson Spiral Conveyors loads up or down in a continuous flow, facilitating high throughput. These conveyors feature small footprints with the outside diameter varying between 5'-3" and 8'-6" depending on the size of load....

Bi-material rollers. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Marbett conveyor components from Rexnord feature bi-material rollers for conveyor chain returns. Low friction acetal hub and external rubber surface reduce noise between chain and roller. The rollers turn freely due to low friction between...

Ask the expert. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... Q How can I improve factory output of a mix of frozen products? AA 20 to 30 percent improvement may be hiding in production inefficiencies. Start by measuring downtime and the relative loading of your equipment components and its variation....

Low-profile vibratory conveyor. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Key Technology introduced a new low profile design for its Iso-Flow Vibratory Conveyor product line. The Low-Profile Vibratory Conveyor combines a lower frame design with a solid plate construction that can reduce vertical height by as much as...

Modular conveyor systems. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Snap Lock Modular Conveyor Systems provide clear advantages over custom-built systems. Designed for USDA/FDA applications, the modular components allow plants to reconfigure their conveyor lines quickly without investing in custom equipment....

Backstop device. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... A new patented manual release backstop (MRB) that reduces the time and physical effort needed to reverse inclined conveyor direction is available from Van der Graaf, Inc. The MRB device can disengage an internal backstop allowing the drum motor...

Split screw conveyor seals tolerate high shaft runout. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... MECO air-purged seals effectively contain dry powders, pastes, and slurries in screw conveyors and other rotating equipment. The fully split versions permit installation and maintenance without disturbing the bearing or drive assembly. Designed...

Smart weigh belt. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... K-Tron's Smart Weigh Belt feeder is the first to offer continuous online auto tare. Automatic and continuous online taring of the belt reduces maintenance, line shutdowns and manual calibration. A second weigh bridge enables this function....

In-line screeners. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... New literature on pressurized Pneumati-Sifter in-line screeners for dilute-phase pneumatic conveying systems is available fromKason Corporation. The in-line screeners eliminate the need for additional blowers, cyclone separators and rotary air...

Drag chain pallet conveyor. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Built to withstand jarring fork truck unloads, Alba's triple-drag chain conveyor accommodates high throughput transfer of two-ton loads from palletizer to shipping dock. The drag chain conveyor system installs in modular units and is equipped...

Chain drive belts. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Drive chains added to spiral mesh belts result in positive drive, no slippage and better speed control of conveyor systems. Chain driven belts consist of three major parts -- spiral mesh belt, supporting cross member and chain. These three...

Double deck scalping conveyor. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Carrier's double deck scalping conveyor features interchangeable trays fastened through the trough sidewalls. Oversize product side discharges from top screen, and undersize product side discharges through bottom screen. The unit is isolated to...

Spiral systems belting. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... For bakery and snack conveying applications that require strength, a wide range of temperature tolerance and excellent product support, Hybri-Flex 150 belting from Ashworth offers a total solution. This hybrid belting combines a modular plastic...

Pneumatic handling. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... PIAB Material Handling has introduced the C33 family of conveying systems to handle dairy and food grain products. The conveyors conform to 3A Sanitary Standards for pneumatic handling of milk and dry milk products. Powered by pneumatically...

Roller conveyor chain catalog. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... U.S. Tsubaki Inc. has published a new catalog featuring hundreds of Union Roller Conveyor Chains for heavy-duty applications. The full-color, 36-page publication provides detailed specifications for Roller Conveyor Chains, Attachments, and...

Plastic belt series. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Dorner Manufacturing introduced a new conveyor series featuring plastic belts called the MPB Series. The equipment combines the suitability of plastic belts for a range of applications with low-profile conveyor performance advantages such as...

Multi-channel spreader. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Equipment currently used for adding toppings to edible products made in multiple rows delivers the toppings by spreading them over the product like a waterfall, often producing waste. The ARBO spreader places toppings on the product without...

Radius friction top belt. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Intralox announced a new version of its Series 2200 Radius Friction Top Belt with the rubber friction surface co-molded to the top. This feature makes the rubber an integral part of the belt and reduces delamination. The new configuration...

Tube conveyor. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Unlike screw and mechanical conveyors that require mechanical parts to physically push material to the discharge point, the Slipstick Tube Conveyor uses no internal parts that come in contact with the conveyed material. Instead, it uses a...

Vertical bag machine. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Triangle's vertical bag machine makes four-corner packages that lay down for efficient conveying and casing, yet instantly stand upright for display. The continuous motion Advantage CM4Seal's design seals bottom gussets to prevent...

Soup/sauce mixer. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Terlet's new horizontal soup/sauce mixer and cooking vessel can be used for particulates such as bacon bits, bread-crumbs, vegetables or noodles. The agitator moves light floating particulates to the bottom and heavier sinking particulates to...

Horizontal motion conveyor. (Focus on Conveying Equipment).
March 1, 2002... Eriez introduced a variable speed Horizontal Motion Conveyor designed to move fragile products with a gentle sliding motion. The new HMC-22 and HMC-50 models use a counter rotating weight drive system so the product remains stationary as it is...

Continuous portioner. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... The SmartSlice XT in-line continuous portioner produces high volumes of fresh or chilled boneless portions to thickness. By measuring the length of the product before cutting, SmartSlice XT decides the optimum cutting pattern needed to maximize...

Food-grade lubricants. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants' food manufacturing (FM) aerosols are ozone safe and can be used for multiple applications throughout a plant. Packaged in point-and-spray aerosol cans, users can quickly lubricate hard to reach points in food...

Bar code reader. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... Accu-Sort Systems now offers a compact, fixed-position CCD-based bar code reader for omnidirectional decoding of both linear and 2D barcodes in applications such as packaging. It can also be used for automated document processing. Called the...

Automated sampling. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... The Networkir can simultaneously measure a variety of constituents in liquids, pastes, semi-solids, and powders using its state-of-the-art control software and sampling accessories. The Networkir can measure up to eight sampling points. CalCare...

Slip resistant floors. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... The old solution of coating the floor with leftover salt doesn't significantly increase slip-resistance. Salt also has a detrimental effect on concrete floors and metal fixtures and equipment. ARMAGRIP increases the slip resistance of meat...

Product shifting reduced. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... The Cryovac BL-100 automatic bag loader is designed for loading multiple cuts of fresh red meat at speeds up to 16 cycles per minute. After automatically opening a taped bag, the BL-100 product pusher assembly pushes product through a...

ESL packaging. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... The N-8 forms, fills and seals paper gable-top cartons at speeds up to 340 cartons per minute in sizes ranging from 4-10 oz. Machine status is readily available on the machine's CRT and fill volumes can be adjusted at operating speed. Optional...

Rigid packing system. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... The all-stainless Model 180 SPOT-PAK[R] packaging system for tapered cups and rigid containers is designed to package 180 containers per minute when loading six containers per pad, or 360 containers per minute when loading twelve containers per...

Sealing system. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... The ARC 240 Sealing System seals pre-cut closures to two rounded surfaces on different planes. It incorporates rotating anvils indexed beneath two sets of servo-controlled heat-sealing heads. Optimum seals are achieved by the flexibility of the...

Coriolis flowmeter. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... A new line of Coriolis flowmeters with a platform for advanced diagnostics also features self-draining measuring tubes, Tri-clamp[R] process connections, and polished finishes to meet sanitary industry requirements. The PROline Promass 80...

Flush grid belt. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... Intralox's new Series 1500 Flush Grid belt was developed as a replacement for wire belting in a variety of applications including breading, layout, enrobing, cooling, further processing, and transfer conveyors. The new belt is capable of...

High resolution printing. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... Norwood Marking Systems introduce a new line of Jaguar II thermal transfer programmable printers. The 300 dpi high-resolution printers are used for real time/date, bar codes, prices, production or lot codes, logos and more directly onto...

Poultry processing. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... Gainco, Inc. introduces the GS-IOOOT overhead sizing and distribution system designed specifically for turkey processing. The system consists of a scale, control system, sync sensors, as well as unloaders that are used to drop the birds....

Detection system. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... The InSight Compact X-ray inspection system provides detection of all dense contaminants such as metal, glass, stone, ceramics, calcified bone, product of flavor lumps, and a variety of dense plastics and rubbers. The InSight Compact can also...

Tramp metal remover. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... Eriez Magnetics' RE Plus Rare Earth U-shaped liquid line magnetic trap delivers 40 percent more power while gently streaming product through the line. The new U4 trap uses Eriez' standard Erium 3000 Rare Earth magnetic circuits or is available...

Heat exchanger. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... ISX model water heaters feature fully passivated, 316L stainless steel heat exchangers with helical corrugated tubing. The blending valve delivers fixed outlet temperature from 80 degrees F to 185 degrees F and the largest exchanger can produce...

Waterproof thermometer. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... DeltaTRAK's FlashCheck thermometer can go from room temperature to 32 degrees F in just ten seconds. The reduced tip probe folds back for safety, the large backlit display is easy to read and you can carry it in your shirt pocket. It is...

Long stroke valves. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... A new long stroke valve series from Sudmo was developed for fluids with a high solids content or poor flow characteristics. The valves are available in a variety of body styles including shut off, changeover, tank outlet and y-body. The...

Contamination prevented. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... Shatter-resistant UVC Emitters from Steril-Aire, Inc. provide mold and microbial control in food processing applications. The devices continuously eradicate mold, bacteria and phage to prevent contamination and improve production yields,...

Improved curd definition. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... Hosokawa Bepex automated cottage cheese vat is a line extension of the Hosokawa Bepex continuous cottage cheese system. Addition of the cheese culture, cutting and cooking allows processors a completely integrated cottage process system....

Immediate chilling repeatable changeover. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... The SLV-6 Sleeve Packer for cartons of frozen ice cream novelties is capable of running up to six sleeves per minute, or up to 100 cartons per minutes. The SLV6 is a simple loader that satisfies the need for horizontal and vertical accumulation...

Precise snow application to meat and poultry products. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... The Praxair Silent Snow C[O.sub.2] injector allows for precise snow application to meat and poultry products for immediate chilling or preparation prior to freezing. The Silent Snow shoots a ribbon or stream of C[O.sub.2] snow to a point of use...

Label application. (Technology Sourcebook).
March 1, 2002... The Alpha 86 label applicator applies pressure-sensitive labels using the wipe-on method, where a label automatically is peeled from its liner, then gently and securely is affixed to a carton or product. Accommodating labels up to 5.9-in. wide...

Finger on processing's pulse: decades of research on pulsed electric fields are beginning to pay off with commercial applications. (Engineering R&D).
March 1, 2002... WHEN PUKEPULSE INC. THREW IN THE TOWEL two years ago on pulsed electric fields (PEF) as a food sterilization technology, it cast doubt on the process's commercial potential in food and beverage. Thanks in part to government and corporate...