Healthy Handling

Converting a traditional bread line into an added value bread line is not easy, as Katy Whitelaw discovers. It is time-consuming and still a relatively new task for many equipment suppliers. However, added value healthy breads, with their high margins, can ensure a baker’s profitability in the volatile bread market.

Consumers are increasingly focusing on healthy eating and in the bread market, there is evidence of a higher level of demand for wholegrain and health-orientated products, although total volume consumption has not risen. However, most interest is generated by-products which are not only good for you, but also look, smell and taste great too.

Premium breads generally take more time to manufacture and as a result, conveying systems have to be reprogrammed to handle the slower production speeds due to the additional array of inclusions and toppings.
The addition of seeds, nuts, grains and fruits to bakery products has pushed technology to create improved methods of baking these specialist ranges. For example, with new bread pans comes the task of retrofitting any pan handling equipment to accommodate the pans. This task encompasses minor conversions to conveying systems and oven loaders and unloaders, which are an indispensable part of the production line.

The Buhler Group say the growth in demand for added value bakery products has created a rise in sales of specialist equipment around the world and the company has seen a rise in orders.

Buhler’s Product Manager Urs Duebendorfer, said: “There is definitely a visible trend for such kinds of equipment. Millers are looking for value-added products. The growth in demand is mainly in central European countries and the US, but other markets are definitely growing too.”

Among other technology, Buhler produces optical sorters which ensure the absence of foreign materials in whole grain mixes and surface treatment equipment to ensure the absence of contaminants. The company also has high competence for mixing plants for the production of specialty flours with any kind of ingredients. They make a wide range of equipment for the addition of various ingredients for flour fortification and they are also using innovative technology such as the InGaAs Sensor and optical sorters to enhance the separation quality of contaminated kernels and special light peeling technology.

The major challenge that producers face is segregation and shelf life due to the higher fat content of some products. As a result, specific conveying and handling measures are needed when part of a turnkey or full production line. Duebendorfer added: “The most challenging bakery product additions to work with are ingredients with a high-fat content, organic raw material due to their higher amount of impurities and a lot of different raw materials are challenging the security in avoiding cross contamination.

“High priority has to be given to avoiding cross-contamination and therefore there has to be less mechanical transports and more pneumatical transports. Due to the huge range in particle size, much more attention has to be paid in insuring segregation.” Another hurdle for producers is cleaning. Buhler makes a wide range of equipment that deals with the cleaning of the raw materials, and particularly in the decontamination of it in order to produce whole grain and dark flours.

“Ease of cleaning is a clear requirement, noble materials (stainless steel) and hygienic design is a must for this process,” said Duebendorfer. “Some processes do need more energy – such as peeling – and this is because some fractions of the cereals are used in food and not in feed anymore.”

One of the world’s largest manufacturers of conveyor belts, Ammeraal Beltech, has been working closely with Hovis (part of Premier Foods, one of the largest UK food manufacturers) on new technology for the bread baking industry.

Ammeraal Beltech provided improved belt performance on a major project to upgrade the dough handling system at the company. These belts are a key part of the production system, as they are in close contact with the dough from the time it drops from the divider to when it is panned-up ready to go into the prover. Their performance helps determine smooth running and consistent quality.

Hovis asked for a new design of belt which combined the best qualities of modular belts (positive drive, ease of fitting and cleaning) with the best qualities of plastic-coated continuous belts (good intrinsic hygiene of plastic coatings and good release), and also to provide the option of metal detectability. The pre-production samples of the new belts were tested at two key points on the dough handling system for six months and received good reviews from both engineers and production personnel and Hovis ultimately opted for Ultrasync.

Different Technologies in Sync

Graham Hoole, major accounts manager at Ammeraal Beltech described Ultrasync as ‘a marriage of different technologies’. He added: “In order to get the bread dough pieces correctly spaced for efficient baking, the positive drive and tracking of Ultrasync belts are employed. To release these sticky dough pieces from the belt, we use our latest polymer technologies combined with special surface profiles.”

Hovis are delighted with the results. Chris James, process improvement manager at Premier Foods, said,“So far it’s performed reliably and not given us any production problems. We believe that good belt performance is key to optimising dough handling. This helps to enhance the quality and consistency of our product. We have plans to roll out this belt onto other plants.”

Indeed, these new belts could have applications throughout the food processing industry. The special profiles and polymer coatings development for the baking industry will undoubtedly transfer into other food industry sectors, especially where positive tracking, indexing and keeping products on station are vital to production continuity.

The new belting technology created for Hovis is just one example of how Ammeraal Beltech have listened to the client, looked at their application, and developed a product. The same thought process can be applied to any number of industries including logistics, corrugated board, paper and print and more. For the fully automated and cost-effective production of bread products, effective conveyor systems are the key and a well-designed and reliable transportation system is the difference between saving costs or creating costs.

This is one facet of the processes offered by French company De la Ballina Industrie. From their IQS-400 intelligent sorting system with a triangulation laser, through to counting systems, quality control, depanning and direct filling stations, bagging and palletisation, the company offers flexible handling and conveying solutions to the bakery industry and has done so for more than 45 years.

The company’s new generation of robot RPV allows controlling, counting and sorting of any production at high speed, ranging from 18,000 baguettes an hour to 140,000 dinner rolls an hour with a 98 percent accuracy guarantee. The fully-automated robotized packing by De la Ballina offers flexibility with different product and packaging requirements on the same production line.

And Dutch company Capway Systems began to develop expertise in bakery conveyor systems over 50 years ago and has developed an extensive range, including seed dispensers, which recognize the demand for added value in dough production.

The firm is a specialist in designing and creating loaders and unloaders for the front and end of ovens, to load and unload the baking forms and baking sheets in a dough and bread-friendly way. The ovens have an in-built control system to check if the oven is ready for a new batch of baking forms and made from stainless steel components, they are designed especially for ease of cleaning underneath the machine.

“Our goal is to provide our customers with the best solution for product concepts and equipment requirements for the production of breads in all shapes and sizes present in the world,” a Capway spokesperson said. “These ingredients we use to maintain and expand our position as the best equipment supplier choice for industrial bakery automation, services and equipment.”