Food Engineering articles from March 2008

Food Engineering archives from March 2008

The ante has just been upped on food safety.(EDITOR'S NOTE)(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... Do you ever wonder how life in the food and beverage industry got so complicated? Just after our industry suffered one of the largest beef recalls in history during the Topps incident last fall, not too many of us would have dreamt an even more...

Calendar.
March 1, 2008... APRIL 2008 6-9 Food Automation and Manufacturing Conference & Expo, Clearwater Beach, FL; Food Engineering; 630-694-4347; www.foodengineeringmag.com. 24-26 FPA Executives Conference, Naples, FL; Food Products Association;...

Winning strategies increase OEE.(MANUFACTURING NEWS)(overall equipment effectiveness)
March 1, 2008... Last month's ARC Strategy Forum in Orlando drew manufacturers from around the world to learn how to plan winning strategies and set goals for best practices--ultimately to achieve improvements in overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). ...

Idaho Milk Products.(PLANT OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Idaho Milk Products began construction of a 180,O00-sq.-ft. facility in Jerome, ID in October 2007. Once operational, the new plant will process about 3 million gallons of milk per day into protein powders, lactose permeate and cream.

Lifeway Foods, Inc.(PLANT OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Lifeway Foods, Inc., maker of Kefir probiotic dairy beverage, completed the expansion of its Morton Grove, IL headquarters facility. The project, which cost approximately $2.5 million and took about 18 months to complete, will double Lifeway's...

Riviana Foods Inc.(PLANT OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS)
March 1, 2008... Riviana Foods Inc. will build a new 400,O00-sq.-ft. rice processing and packaging plant adjacent to its current packaging facility in Memphis, TN. The new facility will also include an on-site warehousing and distribution center. Riviana Foods...

J.D. Sweid Ltd.(PLANT OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... J.D. Sweid Ltd. is spending more than $6.5 million to expand its Elmira Poultry plant in Waterloo, Ontario. With a 31,000-sq.-ft. expansion, the company will be better able to meet the demands of its customers, which include Costco and Loblaws,...

Truitt Brothers.(PLANT OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Truitt Brothers will open a 200,O00-sq.-ft.processing plant in East Bernstadt, KY. The facility, which was once a food distribution warehouse, should be operational by the fall. The new plant will cost between $16 and $19 million.

Meat packer recalls 143 million pounds of beef, suspended from Federal programs.(REGULATORY WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company of Chino, CA is voluntarily recalling 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef products packaged since February 1, 2006. This announcement comes on the heels of an ongoing FSIS investigation of...

Industry pans FDA budget.(REGULATORY WATCH)(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Food processors and marketers are finding little to cheer about in President Bush's FY2009 budget for the Food and Drug Administration, the agency with the most responsibility for inspecting the US food supply. "The President's proposal to...

Opposition to Farm Bill provision.(REGULATORY WATCH)
March 1, 2008... Several food industry associations and companies are attempting to head off consideration of a sugar-trade proposal by congressional Farm Bill conferees. The groups contend that, in addition to further inflating US sugar prices, the proposal to...

WalMart Stores Inc.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... WalMart Stores Inc. has become the first nationwide US grocery chain to require suppliers of its private label and other food products such as produce, meat, fish, poultry and RTE foods to have their factories certified against one of the...

Dunkin' Brands Inc. realigned its organizational structure by combining the US and international teams for its Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(Will Kussel was named president and chief brand officer for Dunkin' Donuts )(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Dunkin' Brands Inc. realigned its organizational structure by combining the US and international teams for its Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands. Will Kussel was named president and chief brand officer for...

Kellogg Company acquired The United Bakers Group, one of Russia's largest cracker, biscuit and breakfast cereal producers.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)
March 1, 2008... Kellogg Company acquired The United Bakers Group, one of Russia's largest cracker, biscuit and breakfast cereal producers. United Bakers' products, marketed primarily under the Yantar and Lyubyatovo brands, are a strong strategic fit with the...

Surinder Kumar, chief innovation officer, will retire from the Wrigley Company on July 1, 2008.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Surinder Kumar, chief innovation officer, will retire from the Wrigley Company on July 1, 2008, and Rob Peterson, currently vice president-new products and packaging, will succeed him.

Parker Hanifin Corp.'s Filtration Group.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)
March 1, 2008... Peter Popoff was named president of Parker Hannifin Corp.'s Filtration Group. Popoff replaces retiring John Oelslager who served 41 years with the company.

Hinds-Bock Corp.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jim Hinds, who co-founded the Hinds-Book Corp. in 1976, passed away after a battle with Supra-Nuclear Palsy. Hinds began his career in the food machinery manufacturing business in 1968 with the Philip Bock Company....

AFC Enterprises, Inc.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(AFC Enterprises, Inc. appoints Richard Lynch as chief marketing officer and Ralph Bower as chief operations officer)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... AFC Enterprises, Inc., the franchisor and operator of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, announced the appointments of Richard Lynch as chief marketing officer and Ralph Bower as chief operations officer of its Popeyes brand.

Dean Foods.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(Harrald Kroeker appoints as president)(Michelle Goolsby appoints as executive vice president)(Greg McKelvey appoints senior vice president)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Dean Foods named Harrald Kroeker president, direct store delivery group; Michelle Goolsby EVP, development, sustainability and corporate affairs; and Greg McKelvey SVP, strategy and marketing services.

CH2M.(INDUSTRY & PEOPLE)(Mike McKelvy appointed as president and group chief executive officer)(Mike Gearhart appointed as president of manufacturing and life sciences)(Thomas Searle appointed as president of international business)(Steve Gelman appointed as head of the new industrial systems group)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... CH2M, appointed Mike McKelvy as president and group CEO for the industrial client group, Mike Gearhart as president of manufacturing and life sciences, Thomas Searle as president of international business and Steve Gelman as head of the new...

Vendors stir the pot for shelf-stable portion packs: more options and new applications pique interest.(FOOD PACKAGING)
March 1, 2008... Aseptic single-serve cups for dairy cream are small packages with a big economic punch and a huge upside potential. And although the filling and sealing technology has been around for four decades, recent developments point to new opportunities...

Carbon neutral campaign gets a kick-start.(FOOD PACKAGING)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Form-fitting reusable boxes for sample shipments and back-hauling techniques to reduce energy consumption were among the first changes made by City of Industry, CA-based Blue Pacific Flavors in its drive to become carbon neutral by 2013. They...

Have we lost sight of HACCP?(FOOD SAFETY)
March 1, 2008... I recently observed interchanges on a food microbiology list service where the participants discussed how to ensure the safety of sandwiches. The participants provided many insights for the processor who posed the question. This discussion...

Moist granulator.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)(Alexanderwerk, Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Alexanderwerk's G 1/100 moist granulator produces dimensionally stable granules and aids in the homogenization of products. Its modular, compact design simplifies cleaning the unit and changing cylinders; no special...

Impingement oven.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)(FMC FoodTech)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Utilizing vertical airflow to deliver fast cooking along with product browning, FMC's JSO III continuous-process, high-intensity impingement oven is intended for products requiring a flame-broiled flavor profile, such as burgers, sausage and...

Crawling insect spray.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)(TyraTech)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Formulated for use in food preparation, food storage and other sensitive areas, TyraTech's crawling insect spray is a natural insecticide. Plant-based, the all-purpose, ready-to-use insecticide uses a combination of essential oils that target...

Bag cutter/discharger.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... Intended for cutting and dumping numerous paper bags into a bag dump station, IEDCO's semi-automatic bag cutter and discharger has a self-contained pneumatic-driven bag cutter assembly with dual safety enclosures for protection from knife...

Silicone lubricant.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)(Krylon Products Group)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A colorless, odorless, low-viscosity lubricant, Krylon's Sprayon food-grade silicone lube has a 5% silicone formula that prevents sticking without transferring to end products. Suitable for use on guide rails, slicers, grinders, heat sealing...

Centrifugal impact mill.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)(Munson Machinery Company Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Munson's 24-in. sanitary stainless steel centrifugal impact mill provides fine-to-coarse grinding of friable materials into controlled particle sizes down to 325 mesh and lump breaking/conditioning of fibrous food...

Infrared oven.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... Infrabaker's modular continuous cooking oven uses electrical infrared emitters as a heat source to cook and/or color a wide range of products, such as bacon, chicken, patties, cheese, salmon, dough, pizza, cake and vegetables. Transfer media...

Continuous oven software.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... Ultramax's Advanced Process Management software increases production of existing continuous food ovens. Enabling optimization while production is running, the software automatically balances a wide range of performance metrics and does not...

Dried foods size reduction.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Designed for dried food applications, Modern Process Equipment's IMD 8 Gran-U-Lizer reduces the creation of undersized particles and provides targeted, uniform particle size distribution. Its continuous roller-style...

Food area insecticide.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)(BASF Corp.)
March 1, 2008... EPA-approved for use where food and food products are held, processed or prepared, BASF's Phantom insectide is a nonrepellant, undetectable liquid that leaves behind little or no visible residue. Effective against cockroaches, ants, flies and...

Compact dicer.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Urschel's compact DiversaCut Sprint dicer accepts a variety of vegetables, fruits and meat up to 6.5 in. in any dimension. It produces flat or crinkle slices, strip cuts and dices up to one inch. Its combination of a...

Tension controller.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... Hardy's HI 3300 closed-loop tension controller provides control over unwinding and rewinding in web and strand processing applications. It ignores machine vibration to provide accurate tension reading and throughput, and calibrates in seconds...

Fluid bed processor.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Intended for use in healthy, low-fat snack production, Aeroglide's second generation AeroPulse fluid bed processor offers an alternative to hot oil frying for snack pellet expansion. The processor's rapid heat...

Vertical baggers.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... Leonhard's Viking vertical form, fill and seal baggers feature automatic film tracking and flexible bagging, accessibility for any type of printing or coding, a film drive system for positive feed film and an auto film registration system for...

Pest control services.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Designed for food processing facilities, Orkin Commercial Services' Integrated Pest Management program is tailored to each facility. The reporting system meets or exceeds HACCP regulations, as well as the reporting...

Heat exchanger.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... Bulkflow's fully enclosed, totally sealed heat exchanger indirectly heats or cools free-flowing powder and bulk solids. The system does not require fans or large volumes of air to operate; gravity does the work. Its design has no moving parts...

Screener/bed dryer.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kason's self-contained, pre-packaged circular vibratory screener-fluid bed dryer system scalps, de-dusts and dries up to 3,000 lbs. of bulk material/hour. Equipped with an imbalanced-weight gyratory motor that...

Wireless modem.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... Electronic Systems' 900 MHz spread-spectrum ESTeem 195Es wireless modem is intended for long-range applications requiring a serial or Ethernet interface. Contained in an industrial-hardened, pole-mountable case, the modem has RF output power of...

Inline reducer.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Suitable for use in aggressive, high-pressure washdown applications, Sumitomo's food-grade Cyclo inline reducer has an enhanced C-face quill design, FKM antimicrobial, multi-lipped, rotary output seal that expels...

Adhesive melter/feeder.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... Nordson's Pro-Blue Fulfill integrated melter and adhesive feed system maintains desired adhesive levels in the melter tank to reduce cloqged adhesive nozzles and deliver consistent bonding. An integrated capacitance sensor detects low adhesive...

Ultrasonic bird repeller.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With four ceramic speakers, Bird-X's QuadBlaster QB-4 projects powerful ultrasonic waves in an overlapping fan pattern for 360[degrees] coverage at a frequency level that repels unwanted birds but is inaudible to...

Drum discharging/feeding.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... Material Transfer's 180[degrees] rotation drum discharging and feeding system features a 304 stainless steel pour cone and adjustable metering valve for dust-tight discharge and feeding of dry solids and powders. The unit allows the Operator to...

Dryer shaft seals.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... Woodex's MECO custom-engineered shaft seals reduce vacuum dryer cycle times by effectively holding the vacuum. The seals accommodate both thermal growth and run-out motion of the shaft, as well as changes in process pressure during the drying...

Bird repeller.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A low-profile track system, Bird-B-Gone's Bird Jolt FlatTrack emits a mild shock to birds that land on the system's surface. The shock does not harm birds but conditions them to avoid the area. Made of flexible,...

Modular piping system.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Made from smooth, calibrated aluminum with a low friction coefficient, Kaeser's SmartPipe compressed air distribution system features push-to-fit connectors that can be installed without threading, welding or...

Admittance switch.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hawk's Gladiator Smart Admittance level switch detects the level of liquid, slurry or powder in a tank or vessel, and measures the capacitance or "admittance" between a probe and the wall of the container. As the...

Salad conveyor.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Moving heavy loads up to 40 ft./minute, Heat and Control's FastBack 260E horizontal motion conveyor conveys large quantities of leafy salad and spring mixes without bruising or damage. The conveyor's slow-forward...

Evaporative cooler/heater.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bessamaire's 48-in. high Kube low-profile evaporative cooler/ heater employs slinger wheel technology that evenly distributes evaporative, atomized water across air inlets. Eliminating the need for evaporative...

Double planetary mixer.(TECHNOLOGY SOURCEBOOK: Focus on Pesticides, Ovens, Dryers and Size Reduction)
March 1, 2008... Ross's new double planetary mixer has a mix can that is raised to a fixed-drive assembly, allowing the addition of fixed and rigid connections for liquid and dry powder as well as other service connections into the hood; connections do not need...

Protecting your human assets: "Quality is job one" is a catchy marketing claim. For the men and women who manage and work in America's food and beverage plants, on-the-job safety is an even higher priority.(Plant Safety)
March 1, 2008... Of all the continuous-improvement efforts manufacturers can undertake, none is more vital than plant safety. Steady state is not an option when it comes to safeguarding an organization's human assets. Machine guards, light curtains,...

The business case for better maintenance: when manufacturers tighten their belts, maintenance, usually feels the pinch. By demonstrating maintenance's contribution to operational improvements, managers hope to change that.
March 1, 2008... Can a plant's maintenance department be a profit center? It seems a stretch, but maintenance service providers are encouraging plant professionals to focus on organization and record-keeping issues to make the business case that investments in...

Power transmission gets a boost from stainless steel: whether or not it meets regulatory demands, stainless steel can be used in devices and housings.(TECH UPDATE)
March 1, 2008... While the overall designs of motors, drives, gear boxes and bearings are well-established, the use of stainless steel (SS) for these devices and their housings has captured a lot of attention. Power transmission suppliers and food processors...

A case to drive anybody nuts: losing your pistachios can be an expensive proposition.(FIELD REPORTS)
March 1, 2008... For more than 30 years, Paramount Farms has been growing premium pistachios and almonds in California's fertile San Joaquin Valley. Paramount has always embraced technologies that improve yields, speed harvests and streamline processing. But,...

Inspection's perfect pitch: acoustical engineers are using attenuation, backscattering and other measurements of sound waves to deliver unobtrusive, low-cost inspection tolls for food processors.(ENGINEERING: R&D)
March 1, 2008... Light waves in the electromagnetic spectrum have yielded a host of technology tools for food manufacturers, from radio frequency to gamma rays. Overshadowed is another unseen mechanical force: sound waves. But acoustics and ultrasound have...