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Performance measures for continuous food processing ovens |
R. SWACKHAMER, Stein-DSI, FMC FoodTech, Food Processing Technology Ctr., 1622 First St., Sandusky, OH 44870 The designs for continuous ovens continue to evolve. Where have we been? Where are we now? Where are we headed? What is the scorecard for benchmarking our progress? Consumers cast their purchasing demands by voting with their dollars. In all cases, they demand safe food, free of physical, chemical and pathogenic hazards. Then, among the remaining food options being considered, they migrate toward those choices offering the greatest apparent value, typically measured by price. They prefer consistency from piece-to-piece and from time-to-time. Their decisions are also heavily influenced by sensory properties of the food: appearance, smell, taste, texture and bite. The food processor is then challenged to provide consumer-pleasing products that can be delivered at a profit, again and again. The challenges of consumer demand and of competition force the food processor to maintain programs of continuous improvement. Our focus today is on those ovens used to pre-cook or fully cook many food products. The ovens of not-too-many years ago were little more than heated boxes, with a fan and perhaps a steam pipe and a gate valve that surrounded the product conveyor for a selected amount of time. Various improvements ensued. Current ovens provide more consistent delivery of the heated air to the product zone, continuous measurement of moisture levels with automatic control of the steam valve, variations of the cooking environment throughout the oven to enhance cook yields and sensory properties, and warnings for the operator when deviations occur. While these changes continue to evolve, the current emphasis also includes a wider span of control to include the operations before the oven and those after the oven. Newer controls integrate information from many points in the line to harmonize the total processing system, not just the oven.
Session 33, Food processing with air impingement systems: Innovations and opportunities
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