Also on exhibition at ANUGA was plenty of high-tech frozen food processing equipment.

Also on Exhibition at ANUGA Was Plenty of High-Tech Frozen Food Processing Equipment

While food products always dominate the ANUGA Fair, the Cologne venue can also be counted on to serve up a healthy helping of state-of-the-art processing equipment and machinery. A review of what some of the world's leading suppliers to the frozen food industry had to show follows.

The freezer division of Frigoscandia Food Process Systems, Helsingborg, Sweden, previewed its new GyroCompact M58 spiral freezer/chiller. It is equipped with the stainless steel FrigoBelt, which is available in widths of 420mm to 1,060mm.

Personnel staffing the huge exhibition stand explained that cleaning of the equipment has been facilitated and hygiene further enhanced thanks to a split coil. In addition, operations can be more closely monitored by the newly improved FrigoScan control unit. Cost-effective GyroCompact freezers are running worldwide at capacities of 0.4 to 6 tons per hour.

Also on display was a "foot" freezer. Actually a pre-freezer, it quickly freezes the underside of certain "tricky" products such as chicken and fish fillets before they enter the main freezer, thus maintaining full quality.

Stein

Frigoscandia's USA-based Stein division presented a complete batter/breading line, including the high-capacity HPF fryer. Particularly suitable for coated products, this stainless steel, thermal fluid unit offers wide parameters in the production of fried foods. Also incorporating the thermal fluid concept, Stein's new Vertical Flow Oven was on the floor.

Frigoscandia's DSI division showed off its waterjet techniques for effective and economical portioning and trimming of products such as fish and chicken fillets. Also, the company's new PPM division exhibited the Turbo Blancher MTB 900.

Sandvik Debuts

Sandvik Process Systems presented its wares at ANUGA for the first time. The Fellbach, Germany-based company is one of the Sandviken, Sweden-headquartered Sandvik Group's most profitable units. Its turnover of 1,065 million Swedish krona in 1990 was up 18% over previous year revenues. Profits of SEK 199 million rose by three million, resulting in a healthy return on investment of over 20%.

While over 50% of sales are generally realized in Europe, the company's steel-belted food sorting systems, dehydration, drying and cooling processes have a global customer base. And contact freezer installations have been made with clients as diverse and as far afield as fish fillet packers in Canada and South Korea, hamburger pie producers in the USA, and shrimp packers in Thailand and China.

Air blast contact freezing systems draw on Sandvik-made steel belting designed for quality production while keeping running costs low and reducing processing time. Automatic belt defrosting and cycle cleaning are featured.

Also available are systems for storage and conveying built around the company's versatile steel belt which offers these features: high temperature resistance; a smooth, hard and durable surface; corrosion resistance; ease of cleaning and product removal. Configurations allow products such as snacks or mashed potatoes to be stored between processing and packaging.

Sandvik leads the world in conveyance belt production, according to Heinz D. Helber, PR and advertising manager. The company manufactures width sizes from six to 19 inches that may be used in environments ranging in temperature from 575 [degrees] F to well below freezing. They are designed to enable product to easily slide off belts, thus reducing breakage.

Despite the current economic recession which is affecting much of the world, Sandvik Process Systems continues to land new business. The former Soviet Union is providing opportunities, as a $20 million contract was recently won to supply a number of fruit and vegetable dehydration plants in Uzbekistan.

Cabinplant

Cabinplant International A/S of Haarby, Denmark, launched a new Continuous Air Defroster at ANUGA. Boasting capacity of 1,200 to 2,500 kilos per hour, it is designed to thaw small IQF products such as shrimp, berries, vegetables and fruits in just four to eight minutes.

The equipment is said to eliminate the problem of protein leaching. Among its other features are: gentle treatment of delicate products; reduction of effluents and pollution; minimum usage of water and energy. Actually, the only water required is that which is used for humidification of recirculated air flow necessary to prevent evaporation losses and degradation.

In a nutshell, here is how the system works: raw material is placed on a belt and conveyed via a vibratory process through two defrosting zones. The first one turns on the heat, while the second is an equalizing area established to even out product temperature.

The computer-controlled machine is made of stainless steel and food-approved plastics. A CIP system for automatic cleaning can be fitted, thus ensuring a strict bacteriological standard. Its economic design cuts manpower needs for thawing operations, as well as during sanitation, supervisory, maintenance and cleaning procedures.

Justus

Hamburg-headquartered Friederich Justus GmbH promoted a number of its products, including the American-designed six channel Summa-6BFF and MHS-Alterna color sorters from ESM. The former rapidly scans conveyed frozen products such as peas, berries or diced vegetables for off colors. Blemished or undesirable raw materials and foreign matter are automatically identified and ejected from the production line by high-pressure air.

Housed in stainless steel, the equipment's electronic microprocessor system permits self-monitoring of all functions such as error indication, alarm, and production statistics. Hourly capacity is between 300 and 450 kilos per channel, depending on the product.

The MHS-Alterna specializes in color sorting wet products such as diced vegetables, potatoes, black salsify and shrimp. Individual sorting channels or a large number of parallel channels are controlled according to previously stored computer programs. In addition, multi-channel machines have been developed to sort at rates of up to 20 tons per hour within a small area.

Starfrost

Also at ANUGA was Starfrost Systems Limited, a United Kingdom-based affiliate of Justus. The IQF and spiral freezer supplier introduced its new Starlite range at the show. Made of stainless steel, the IQF unit's capacity is 1,500 kilos per hour.

Managing Director Peter Hubbard reported that freezers are currently being installed in China, Spain, Portugal, Zimbabwe and Kenya. He added that equipment is being fabricated in Brazil to serve the South American market.

In other news, it was announced that UK headquarters would move to Lowestoft on Jan. 1 as operations are consolidated adjacent to Starfrost's manufacturing facility.

Dornow

Dornow Food Technology GmbH of Dusseldorf unveiled a range of new developments at the show. Karl Dietrich Dornow, managing director, brought out a number of machines including an automatic Batch Peeler 30K-OA which is available in two sizes.

Also promoted was a continuously operating carborundum blade peeling unit, known as the Carousel-Peeler; an autoclave for sterilizing foil-wrapped tubers and root vegetables; an industrial fryer (Type 300) used for preparing pommes parisiennes, pommes carrees, french fries, pellets and other products.

PHOTO : A view from the interior of a Stein oven as a whole chicken is being cooked.

PHOTO : Frozen fillets are being conveyed on a steel belt manufactured by Sandvik Process Systems.

PHOTO : The MHS-Alterna precision color sorter, based on technology from ESM of Houston, Texas, is being marketed by Justus.

PHOTO : Cabinplant International's new continuous air thawing plant can defrost IQF products in four to eight minutes.

PHOTO : Starfrost's new Starlite IQF freezer is hoisted onto a cargo ferry to be transported from England to the ANUGA Show in Germany. The IQF unit can handle up to 1,500 kilos per hour.