Food Engineering articles from November 2001

Food Engineering archives from November 2001

Real and unreal. (Editor's Note).
November 1, 2001... UNTIL SEPTEMBER 11, BIOTERRORISM SEEMED TO BELONG LARGELY TO the world of pulp fiction and Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. Sure, there were exceptions every now and then: A hospital lab worker in Texas feeds colleagues pastries laced with...

White Castle. (Plant Opening & Expansions).
November 1, 2001... Columbus, Ohio-based White Castle hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for their latest meat processing facility in Zanesville, Ohio. This facility is the third such meat processing plant for White Castle, with similar facilities in operation in...

St. Onge, Ruff and Associates (SORA). (Plant Opening & Expansions).
November 1, 2001... St. Onge, Ruff and Associates (SORA) recently completed design and construction of a 65,000-sq.4t. refrigerated expansion for Willow Run Foods in Kirkwood, New York. The expansion doubled the refrigerated storage capacity of the original...

The national consulting firm of Carter & Burgess announced that its Distribution Center Group has reached a company goal of 100,000,000 sq. ft. of automated distribution center space constructed over the last 15 years. (Plant Opening & Expansions).
November 1, 2001... The national consulting firm of Carter & Burgess announced that its Distribution Center Group has reached a company goal of 100,000,000 sq. ft. of automated distribution center space constructed over the last 15 years. The Distribution Center...

Canada closer to E. coli vaccine. (Manufacturing News).
November 1, 2001... A CANADIAN ALLIANCE OF CORPORATE, GOVERNMENT AND UNIVERSITY researchers was set to launch large-scale field trials this month in Alberta on a vaccine intended to attack E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in live animals. Plans call for trials to...

Calender. (Manufacturing News).
November 1, 2001... November 6-7 13th Annual KOSHERFEST 2001, Meadowlands Expo Center, Secaucus, NJ. (212) 981-3676 6-8 Applied Extrusion Workshop, Univ. of Nebraska Food Processing Center, Lincoln. (402) 472-9751 8-9 Food Science...

New FSIS residues policy draws fire. (Manufacturing News).
November 1, 2001... A PROPOSED REGULATION BY THE U.S. FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE (FSIS) that would require meatpackers to toss an entire carcass if related organs contained unacceptably high levels of residue is akin to throwing the baby out with the...

Rohm and Haas'.
November 1, 2001... A major reorganization of Rohm and Haas' adhesives business unit, along with a complete restructuring of all functional areas, has occurred over the past months. No area of the company's adhesives operation has been untouched. This makeover of...

Chiquita Brands International Inc.
November 1, 2001... Carl H. Lindner, Chairman of the Board of Chiquita Brands International Inc., announced that Steven G. Warshaw has been named President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Warshaw was most recently President and Chief...

Measurement Systems International (MSI).
November 1, 2001... A business partnership has been formed between the Industrial Business Area of Columbus, Ohio-based Mettler Toledo and Seattle-based Measurement Systems International (MSI). This alliance will allow Mettler Toledo to distribute MSI's products...

Interroll Corp.
November 1, 2001... Wilmington, N.C.-based Interroll Corp. has appointed Greg Wheeler Inside Sales Engineer, Automation Products. Mr. Wheeler is responsible for product development of conveyor component design and engineering in the U.S. He is also responsible for...

New cryogenic impingement freezer for baking industry.
November 1, 2001... SUPPLIER BOC USED THE OCCASION OF SEPTEMBER'S International Baking Industry Exposition in LasVegas to roll out a new cryogenic freezer for bakers that combines high freezing efficiency with significant improvements in dehydration rates. ...

Increase in foreign animal disease surveillance. (Manufacturing News).
November 1, 2001... THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will increase Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) surveillance in the U.S. in the wake of September's terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and New York City's World Trade Center. ...

Labor department delays ergonomics announcement. (Manufacturing News).
November 1, 2001... IN THE WAKE OF SEPTEMBER'S terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., the U.S. Department of Labor has decided to postpone the announcement of its plan of action on inplant ergonomics. The announcement, which was expected in...

FSIS to provide electronic updates. (Manufacturing News).
November 1, 2001... The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service has launched a new notification system that will provide electronic status reports on testing samples taken from meat, poultry and egg product establishments. ...

Membrane package finds export niche. (Food Packaging).
November 1, 2001... COST HAS BEEN THE GREATEST OBSTACLE FOR Landec Corp.'s IntelliPac packaging system in cracking the modified atmosphere packaging arena, and a successful program featuring iceless broccoli crowns with a 21-day shelf life for the Japanese market...

Systems engineering keys packaging productivity gains. (Food Packaging).
November 1, 2001... Packaging efficiencies at food plants and other manufacturing sites increased sharply last year, and much of the credit goes to the systems engineering steps taken by four out of five plants, concludes "The 2001 Packaging Productivity &...

Gerber edges away from glass. (Food Packaging).
November 1, 2001... THE POSSIBILITY OF GLASS FRAGMENTS CONTAMINATING baby food is a source of tremendous anxiety, and manufacturers spend heavily on safeguards to minimize the risk. The best solution may be elimination of glass jars, and the NatureLock line from...

Straw puts pop in drink sales. (Food Packaging).
November 1, 2001... MILK, JUICES AND SPORTS DRINKS IN grab-and-go bottles are flying off retail shelves nationwide, yet a Michigan dairy was able to increase velocity by inserting a pop-up straw in 16-oz. PET containers, producing double-digit sales gains despite...

Administration urges review of food policies. (Regulatory Watch).
November 1, 2001... U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SECRETARY Ann Veneman says the powerful forces revolutionizing the global economy are also having an impact on U.S. food and agriculture industries. In testimony to Congress,Veneman noted that globalization of...

Nutrient claims authorized for choline. (Regulatory Watch).
November 1, 2001... The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized nutrient content claims for choline, the first to be allowed under the Food & Drug Administration Modernization Act. The choline claims were initiated by Central Soya Company, Inc. To...

FDA finalizes HACCP rule for juices. (Regulatory Watch).
November 1, 2001... The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalized new regulations, proposed earlier this year, governing the processing of fruit and vegetable juices. The new rules require the application of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point...

Residue tolerances set for buprofezin. (Regulatory Watch.
November 1, 2001... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has adopted a final rule establishing tolerances for residues of buprofezin in or on almonds; banana; citrus; citrus, oil; citrus, dried pulp; grape; grape, raisin; milk; fat (cattle, goats, hogs,...

U.S. and Mexico to tighten food safety controls. (Regulatory Watch).
November 1, 2001... With trade between Mexico and the United States increasing under the North American Free Trade agreement, both countries have agreed to tighten food safety controls on products crossing the border. During the Washington visit of Mexican...

Murano confirmed. (Regulatory Watch).
November 1, 2001... The U.S. Senate has confirmed the nomination of Elsa Murano to be Under Secretary of Food Safety for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Murano will have oversight responsibilities of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Her...

Dairy industry works on bio-security. (Regulatory Watch).
November 1, 2001... The dairy industry has begun taking steps to increase "bio-security" of its processing system by drawing up specific industry-wide recommendations. The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) has created a task force to work closely with...

Power in numbers: blueberry farmers combine forces to purchase a sorter that improves productivity and efficiency. (Field Reports).
November 1, 2001... TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE, RIGHT? What if the old adage were revised to include more than two? That very notion served as the catalyst that created the West Michigan Processing Co-op in Holland, Mich. The co-op united a number of...

Ship shape: providing moisture protection for Tokyo-bound product helps Campbell soup strengthen its brand integrity in a coveted market. (Field Reports).
November 1, 2001... WHEN CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY DECIDED TO enter the coveted Japanese market, the company needed to be sure that its soup,juices and other beverages were transported from San Francisco to Tokyo without any damage to cans or printed labels. ...

A league of their own: why -- and how -- continuous improvement teams achieve results that many processors only dream of. (Cover Story).
November 1, 2001... The Japanese call it Kaizen, though to some the English translation -- continuous process improvement -- sounds almost as foreign. In Belvidere, Ill., home to Pillsbury's Green Giant frozen vegetable plant, workers have more prosaic names...

Make it safe wrap it cheap? Not necessarily. Food engineering readers rate food safety as the top criterion for their firms' packaging, though cost is always a consideration. (Cover Story).
November 1, 2001... Putting cost in perspective is a challenge, as the 16th Annual Food Engineering Packaging Trends Survey demonstrates. On one hand, Food Engineering readers who responded to this year's survey rated cost as the fifth most important of 16...

Plant maintenance's goldilocks principle: too much maintenance is a waste; too little is a prescription for disaster. Fortunately, software can deliver schedules that are just right. (Technology Update)(Cover Story).
November 1, 2001... Rick Over is understandably proud of the automatic storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) that came on line last fall at the Wawa Dairy and distribution center in southeastern Pennsylvania. The 800,000 cubic foot facility virtually eliminates...

Spiral freezer. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... The GYRoCOMPACT spiral freezer is a flexible chilling and freezing unit. Hygiene is designed into every GYRoCOMPACT freezer by requiring far less product zone support structure, its patented FRIGODRIVE system and FRIGoBeit chilling/freezing...

Continuous rotary chilling system. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... Praxair's Continuous Rotary Chiller was created to efficiently chill food products to a uniform temperature. Upon exit, the product is at a consistent temperature throughout. No warm spots and no frozen areas. The unique Praxair system can be...

Impingement freezer. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... The ADVANTEC is Frigoscandia Equipment's newest addition to its line of innovative impingement freezers. The Advantec uses high-speed jets of air to freeze thin, flat products such as beef patties, poultry and fish fillets, bakery, potato and...

Food laboratory. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... Air Products and Chemicals Inc. is now offering a variety of services through its Food Laboratory to help customers evaluate freezing parameters--both for existing food products and products under development--and make informed freezing...

Evaporative cooling technology. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... Evaporative cooling and humidification of large-volume structures in industries ranging from agriculture to manufacturing has become familiar, effective and economical choice over air conditioning systems. In some situations, however, simply...

Multi-temperature systems. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... Thermo King is pleased to introduce its new SPECTRUM series of multi-temperature transport refrigeration systems for trailers. The SPECTRUM systems provide tighter temperature control, faster temperature pull-down and recovery, higher...

Tunnel freezer. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... The Advanced Fluidization Freezer assures excellent freezing quality and reduced shrinkage loss by continuously agitating the product during the crusting stage and the fluidization freezing stage. The positive and precise conveying of the...

Fantrays. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... Kooltronic Inc., the leading manufacturer of air conditioners, heat exchangers, fans and blowers, has introduced a new line of versatile fantrays. The KOOLTRAY II line of fantrays are powered by 115 or 230 VAC, 50/60 Hz with standard 19-in....

IQF coating system. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... The CRYOMIX is a batch process for simultaneously mixing, coating and quick freezing of products, ensuring the IQF quality of the coated products. It consists of a rotating tumbler that controls the temperature of the product (by injection of...

PS chillers. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... AEC/Application Engineering announces another portable chiller that extends an already complete line -- new 20-30 hp PS Series Portable Chillers. Easily and effectively added to your existing floor plan, this new chiller includes tandem...

Moisture analyzer. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... The Computrac Vapor Pro Fx moisture analyzer is designed to accurately measure moisture levels in liquids and most oils down to 10 ppm on samples up to 5 cc. Results are achieved in as little as three minutes and may be displayed as percent...

Ball valve. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... The 3-piece swing-out stainless steel ball valve is designed to provide direct access to the internal seals without disturbing pipe alignment. Seal replacement is performed quickly by removing just one body bolt, loosening the other three, and...

Reactive extrusion technology. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... Available for batch or continuous operation, LIST process equipment is ideally suited for reactive extrusion applications. With a variety of process designs, LIST can provide low shear mixing and high heat transfer area for excellent...

Air/oil lift design. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... The optional line of air/oil lifts is designed for floor mounting, and is similar to the lift arrangement used on the Ross line of high-speed dispersers. The lift provides an economical method of using the rotor/stator mixers in a production...

Trailer stand. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... The TS-2000 Trailer stand is designed to prevent trailer landing gear collapse and trailer tip-over. The TS-2000 fits under the nose of "spotted" trailers to help support and prevent loading dock accidents. The 5 1/2-in. tubular steel structure...

Dispersing machine. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... The Dispax Reactor, DR 2000, is a newly developed in-line mixing system specifically for high shear applications. It is also available as the DRS 2000, a high-speed version for processing particles to the sub-micron range. The new design is 10...

Diaphragm valves. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... Plast-O-Matic Valves Inc. announces the available of a pneumatically-operated Teflon diaphragm valve with spigot connections for high purity applications. Series BSD has no metals or elastomers in contact with the process liquid. Weighing as...

Open hose reel. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... The Series 893 is an open hose reel which can be mounted exactly where you need it, ideal for versatile use in workshops and industry. Series 893 quickly and reliably conveys liquids or gases, the open design making it simple to clean. The...

Thermo/hygrometer. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... The Lufft OPUS 10 recording thermo/hygrometer is a portable, compact and completely self-contained instrument providing both current and long-term measurement of air temperature and relative humidity. The unit will easily and quickly mount to a...

Turn-curve applications. (Technology update: focus on refrigeration and freezing).
November 1, 2001... Turn-curve conveyor belting that is easy to clean with excellent beam strength are two of the features of Hybri-Flex 150 conveyor belting making it ideal of poultry processors and other fresh and frozen food processing operations where...

Controlled drying of shelf-stable cheese. (Engineering R&D).
November 1, 2001... Food processors learned long ago how to make foods shelf stable. The focus today is making them both stable and tasty. That, in a nutshell, is what prompted Joseph E. Marcy to begin a quest 15 years ago to produce a high quality, grated...