Tag: <span>food processing</span>

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From catching a ride to getting instant medical attention, smartphones have completely changed the way people live and carry out their daily tasks. In a similar way, the rapid evolution of operating technology and production means have transformed manufacturing. Innovative companies like Tesla is the best example of how technology can materialize the seemingly impossible ideas and change our view of reality. Modern food processing equipment, robotics, sensor technology, and smart machines are no less striking.

There is something that drives manufacturers to constantly explore means for improving efficiency and agility. Managing market volatility is one of the biggest challenges manufacturers face today. In order to successfully handle this challenge, manufacturing leaders need a sound combination of speed, agility, and responsiveness. The characteristic of being agile and responsive can also help companies deal with a number of challenges, for example, fluctuating raw material costs.

Most of the successful companies focus on improving production processes and enhancing customer relationships. Small companies even pay more attention to meet customization demands and improve productivity. No matter the size of a company, the manufacturer struggles to maximize capacity utilization and achieve annual cost reductions. Implementing innovative production solutions carefully is the only way to achieve these objectives.

Industrial automation technology indicates that there is never any shortage of opportunities to grow and remain profitable. A business manager has to identify strategic opportunities and technologies that can offer the greatest profit potential. It is also important that a new solution should be in compliance with a company’s competitive differentiators and core capabilities.

It is highly likely that by the year 2020, business owners in every industry will have invested millions of dollars in a broad range of automation and fabrication technologies. Nano-manufacturing, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, smart machines, and the Internet of Things (IoT) will dominate the future.

Investment decisions can depend on a company’s priorities and objectives, market conditions and forecasts. Introducing new technologies is subject to a thorough cost-benefit analysis. The way of conducting cost-benefit analysis can vary from industry to industry.

Automation technologies such as robotic welding, smart sensors, quality control systems, metal fabrication, magnetic inspection, and material handling equipment can help companies achieve the following objectives:

• High productivity
• Improved data availability
• Faster responsiveness to customer expectations
• Production flexibility
• Improved employee engagement

Small companies must learn how to implement automation and improve productivity in a cost-effective manner. The success in manufacturing now largely depends on how efficiently a company can adapt and meet market expectations.

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Source by Basharat K

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Food safety is one issue that we should always keep top-of-mind. Here are a few basic guidelines to remember during this season of the noshes, nibbles, buffets, potlucks, and office parties that are key to food safety.

Wash Your Hands

Hand washing is essential. Hand washing in warm soapy water will eliminate many of the culprits that can cause food-borne illnesses as well as the common cold and flu. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends washing your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing food. Not sure how long 20 seconds is? If you sing or hum two verses of “Happy Birthday,” as you soap up, that should add up to the required amount of time you need to spend in the suds.

Safe Food Handling

In handling uncooked meat, fish and seafood take care to not splash or spatter any juices from the food onto other items in your food preparation area. In being careful to avoid spatter, you can limit the chances of cross-contamination. Cross-contamination occurs when uncooked protein food juices i.e. meat, fish or poultry are splashed onto the cutting board or colander where you will place produce; this will cross-contaminate and may create conditions that will cause a food-borne illness.

Produce

If purchasing pre-packaged salad greens, they have been washed in chlorinated water during processing. However if purchasing loose, unbagged greens, they should be rinsed in tepid or lukewarm water.

Fruits with rinds such as melons, oranges and pineapple should be washed before using to prevent any bacteria on the outside from being transferred to the inside when you cut into the fruit. Sturdy fruits and vegetables should be scrubbed lightly with a produce brush.

Keep Hot Foods Hot & Cold Food Cold

By keeping foods at the appropriate temperatures, you can minimize the risk of food borne illnesses. Hot foods need to be above 140oF and cold foods should be held at temps of 40 oF or below. Most refrigerators are at 40 oF or lower. Letting foods hold at temperatures between 40 oF F and 140 oF is not recommended-this range is considered the “danger zone.” It is considered the “danger zone” because this is the temperature range that will enable bacteria to grow and multiply rapidly. For example if you are using a slow-cooker, it is important to make sure the food you are cooking reaches a temp of 140 oF or above within four hours.

To insure that food reaches the recommended temperatures for doneness, I advise my clients to invest in a food thermometer. They are relatively inexpensive and will provide peace of mind. You’ll know the food has cooked to the recommended done temperature and you will reduce the risk of overcooking. Unfortunately it is a tough task to remedy overcooking.

On the Label

Read food labels and understand the dates on the packages. Sometimes when products are on special or appear to be a great value, that discounted price may be because the product is very close to the suggested use by date.

Products are often stamped or labeled with a date to give you an idea of when you should use the food to enjoy it at its best flavor and quality. Following are examples of the dating and what they mean:

• “Sell-By” date tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires.
• “Best if Used By (or Before)” date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
• “Use-By” date is the last date recommended for use of the product while at optimal quality. The date has been determined by the product manufacturer.

By following these guidelines for food safety, you can serve up a healthy and enjoyable season of good eating for all.

Take Away: Safe food handling practices are important—they will ensure that everyone has good memories of the holiday for all the best reasons.

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Source by Michelle J Stewart

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The process of freeze-drying added a new life to food storage and made the processing easy to handle. Incidentally, the process of freeze-drying was known to the ancient Peruvian Incas of the Andes. They used to store their potatoes and some other foods in the mountains above Machu Picchu. The food used to get frozen due to cold mountain temperatures, and the water slowly vaporized due to the low air pressure at high altitudes. It was commercially developed in World War II but, was not filed with a patent law attorney or patent attorney California. The main reason is that a freeze-dryer was not a real invention but has eventually evolved from a laboratory instrument.

The simple idea of this process is to remove water content from frozen food. Most of the food we take has a lot of moisture content and it is the very moisture that is responsible for spoilage of food. The dehydration brought about under vacuum takes care of the moisture problem, thus giving the food a longer life. A freeze-dried food will not just last longer but is also very light. This makes the food perfect for space travel.

Talking about food that has been freeze-dried, the first name that comes to our mind is Nescafe. This was the first freeze-dried coffee produced in 1938 by Nestle. It also led to the production of powdered food products since then. Technically, the process of freeze-drying is referred to as Lyophilization and works on the idea of removal of water from dissolved or dispersed frozen solids. But let us see how it actually works?

How it Works?

As you know freeze-drying is meant for the preservation of food, but it can also be used to purify different materials. Wherever this process is conducted, it will have these four steps

1. Freezing: The food has to be frozen first to a very low temperature. This provides the appropriate conditions for the proper drying of food.

2. Vacuum: Once the food is frozen, the food is placed under vacuum. This way the water from the food vaporizes from its solid state without going through the liquid phase. This process in which water skips a phase is known as sublimation.

3. Heat: In order to speed up the process, heat is applied. Applying heat along with vacuum basically speeds up sublimation.

4. Condensation: Finally, the low temperature condenser plates eliminate the vaporized solvent from vacuum chamber by converting it back to solid. This completes the separation process. However, the final step can be avoided if the simple drying rather than separation is needed.

With freeze-drying, the moisture content of the food product is controlled. This means you do not have to cook or refrigerate it, but still it will be preserved in its natural flavor and color with this process. Preservation of food was just one merit, but this process also solves the problem of space food systems by providing them a staple diet during the travel. A lot of flights to the orbit these days last many days and even weeks. The freeze-dried food will be easy to handle, and provides sustenance to the astronauts during their journey.

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Source by Connor R Sullivan

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An HACCP for Food safety management system which stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points is considered a risk analysis for the food safety sector with international recognition, which is used as priority in action and reduction of risks in the food process. The tool identifies the critical control points, so the control points and their respective actions are defined. Thus, the process can guarantee safety of the process regarding the industrialization and manipulation of food.

For assessing risks and establishing control systems, HACCP is an effective tool that focuses on prevention rather than relying mainly on final product testing. HACCP Certification serves different purposes, but is also complementary. The main focus of HACCP is the sanitation of facilities, equipment and products, all of which must meet government and municipal standards. As well as priority for companies in the food industry is HACCP certification.

An external certification authority grants the HACCP Certification that has the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake an assessment of the HACCP system. The food business should always ensure that the external or third-party certification body has the necessary qualifications to provide service.

Application of HACCP principles

The principle focuses on the records and documentation needed to show that all activities have been performed according to approved procedures. HACCP principles should meet the following criteria:

• Identify the main hazards associated with the type of product produced and the operations carried out flexibility.
• Identify those Critical Control Points (CCPs) / Control Points (CPs) necessary to control those hazards; it may choose to have in the plan only CPs which is legal requirements flexibility that pre-determined CCPs in the preparation, manufacturing and processing of food.
• Establish legal limits against which to monitor the effectiveness of control measures at CCPs / CPs flexibility.
• Monitoring CCPs / CPs flexibility: – may be a simple procedure such as a visual observation to monitor whether the correct de-hiding procedure is being applied during slaughter process.
• Record the observations and corrective actions taken; the requirement of retaining HACCP documents needs to be flexible in order to avoid undue burdens for businesses.
• Recording – in the case of visual monitoring procedures it can be acceptable to record results only when there is a problem and the corrective action that has been taken; that is, ‘exception reporting’.
• Verify the HACCP-based procedures flexibility: – checking all aspects of the HACCP plan can be spread throughout the year so that all aspects are verified at least once a year to meet the requirement for verification.

Benefits of Implementing HACCP

• Increased consumer or government confidence
• Reduced legal and insurance costs
• Increased market access
• Reduction in production costs
• Improved product consistency
• Improved staff-management commitment to food safety
• Decreased business risk.

To gain HACCP certification by a reputable certification provider such as Global Manager Group who provides HACCP Certification Documentation Kit to cover all the requirements of HACCP documentation. The HACCP documents follows CODEX guideline is designed accurately so that it can be used very effectively for educating vendors, employees, management, and food safety groups for the establishment of a food safety management system(FSMS).For food safety and HACCP policies and procedures, the food business is required to undergo an audit or assessment.

Source: foodsafetystandard.WordPress.com

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Source by John Steves

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In an industry where perishability, quality and safety standards are a top priority, a modern ERP plays a critical role in analyzing deep level insights, timely alerts and monitor inventory levels to keep the business profitable and sustainable. It is no surprise that leading Food and Beverage businesses feel that they need a software that helps them solve the core problems of the business.

Moreover, issues such as supply chain effectiveness, food safety, dynamic purchasing patterns, and global competition are some of the factors that food and beverage companies must constantly take into notice. Regardless of their size big or small, working in farming, food processing or fine dining, these companies have to struggle with high-cost structures and tight margins.

For this, you need an enterprise-ready solution which mitigates all your mission-critical challenges and gives you a true solution to your F&B demands.

Compliance with Food Safety

We know in the F&B industry, food safety is paramount. In this regards, the modern ERP helps to ensure the product which is reaching expiry date is tracked well in advance. With this, keep informed your customers are receiving fresh materials and quality products every time. This feature helps to minimize waste and boost customer loyalty.

Full Traceability

In F&B business, it’s important to keep a track of the history and location of every unit, department, or work in process and finished goods. This visibility helps F&B business to make sound operational and business decisions with confidence.

Quicker and Informed Decision Making

One of the huge benefits of ERP for food and beverage industry is the ease and speed of decision-making process. It allows you to access real-time data across all departments backed by real-time metrics. Furthermore, you can gain critical insights and access data from anytime, anywhere and make quick decisions on the go.

No More Lost Orders

The result of the benefits mentioned above comes down to enhanced customer service – customer service is about empowering them with the quality products at a fair price and delivering it when promised. The common issue which Food and Beverages confront is the expiration of products. This can result in a lost order for a customer, lost revenue and profit. To avoid such situations, ERP software helps to reduce these issues and informs about a planned inspection date; thereby, enhancing customer service.

Reduces need for constant spot checks and inventory monitoring

Constant physical inventory checks can be tedious and really time-consuming. With a modern ERP, you can keep a constant check on labor costs and ensure that your workforce is focused on production and quality.

SAP Business One is an enterprise-ready ERP for SMEs offering powerful and easy-to-use expiration tracking, lot management, and process information. With enterprise-ready functionality, you get immediate insight into all your operations. Further, the mobility solution makes inventory tracking incredibly easier at the touch of fingertips.

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Source by Rajan Kumar

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Food manufacturing and processing is one of the success stories of the global economy. Food production is now not just a local industry as food products are now transported across the globe allowing a huge variety of products to be available on our supermarket shelves.

One of the reasons for food productions success has been the embracing of modern technology that has allowed many processes in the food production industry to be automated.

The food industry does pose unique challenges when it comes to automation and computerisation such as the prevalence of water in food production areas. Various laws and good working practices mean that food production areas are regularly washed or hosed-down. This can cause obvious problems to computer or touchscreen if they are used nearby as water will have catastrophic effects on any computer system.

Many food production of manufacturing areas turn to waterproof computer enclosures to protect their computer systems from wash down. Industrial computer enclosures are designed to international guidelines to ensure they can operate safely in washdown environments with the waterproof PC enclosure even allowing the systems to be hosed down themselves.

The European IP 65 or International NEMA 4 rating system are often used to describe the waterproofing of a computer enclosure. Many wash down areas contain IP 65 computer enclosures as they can also be manufactured out of food grade stainless steel ensuring they don’t corrode and can continually be kept clean.

Waterproof LCd enclosures and waterproof touchscreen enclosures can also be manufactured from the same material.

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Source by Richard N Williams

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These days, people think that the bigger the devices are, the better they perform. However, there is still some situation that dictates that the petite equipment can out perform a larger one. This is especially true for the mini food processor.

Mini food processors are small devices that allow you to chop and prepare foods in smaller items or batches. Aside from this, what makes device advantageous over larger food processors? Here are some of the benefits of getting mini fodder processors.

Smaller processors means preparation of smaller batches of food

You can chop or mince smaller food items properly if you use this equipment. This means that you can prepare small meals effectively using this device. If you use a bigger machine, it has a lot of room in it thus chopping fine items can be a very cumbersome task.

It saves a lot of space in your kitchen

Bigger machines tend to be bulky thus if you have a crowded kitchen, you might encounter a problem about its storage. However, for a smaller appliance, all you need to do is to make a little room for the device to be stored in your kitchen.

Fits well into your dishwasher

Since they are small, they can easily fit into your dishwasher without you pushing the body just so it will fit. This also prevents you from making any unnecessary damages in both your dishwasher and your appliance as well.

They are more affordable yet they still work just like the bigger machines

Since the device is small, it follows that they are also very cheap. You can buy them cheaper than how bigger machines costs. Moreover, they work just as well as their giant counterparts so you still save more eventually. Simply these machines can be categorized as one of the best food processors.

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Source by Jared Mason

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By definition, processed foods are those that are altered from its natural state by applying a certain step to be able to produce a variant out of that natural food. With meat for example, the pork undergoes certain processes such as slicing, marinating, smoking and freezing for it to be able to be made into a sausage or Spanish chorizo or as Filipino’s calls it Longganisa (skinless longganisa, tocino, etc.). One of the reasons for food processing is also to lengthen its shelf life by adding certain spices and ingredients. This is where the effects of food processing come in. Sometimes, too much content of spices and chemicals causes a negative reaction in one’s body. Some studies even show that processed food may cause certain diseases especially with too much consumption.

However, not all processed meat products are the same. That is why it is important for all consumers to examine well the product through its packaging. Most producers of processed meat products now adhere to certain quality standards that are being managed by government agencies and private institutions. Producers of processed meat are given licenses only if they follow these set standards by the respective agencies. Some examples of these standards are Good Manufacturing Practice or GMP, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points or HACCP, and ISO 2001 that pertains to Quality Management Systems, among others. These standards focus both on the ingredients, the processing methods and facilities used to be able to produce a certain product. Processed meat establishments are regularly monitored usually every six months if they follow the prescribed standards for food processing. If the producers do not comply, their licenses and permits will not be granted or renewed.

Therefore, establishments that are licensed with the quality standards usually produce foods that are safe to eat. In fact, some producers do not even use preservatives or nitrites which are the usual cause of diseases due to processed foods. That is why most products should be kept frozen to be able to preserve its quality. The packaging will tell the consumers whether the product is of quality or not. The price can also be a consideration for determining quality. Some consumers think that a lesser price is already a good deal only to know that the product with the lesser price does not conform to the quality standards.

Various kinds of processed meats are now available in the market worldwide. There is a growing consumer base for these kind of foods because most of them are easy to cook and prepare, and convenient to be packed for kids to bring to their schools. Examples of processed foods are hams, sausages, Spanish chorizos, bacon, tocino or sweetened pork, burger patties and a lot more. Each country have their own distinct taste based on their culture.

Nowadays, the competition in the processed meat industry are becoming more and more challenging due to the widening variety of the products made and the stiffening competition in terms of adhering to standards. Hence, the processed meat producers are challenged to do more, innovate and incorporate ways to improve their products to be able to do well in the market. This is the bright future that awaits the processed meat industry. Constantly improving and innovating for the good health of everyone.

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Source by Heinz Zante Militar

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Food packing machines come in various types depending on the type of food being packed. Aside from that, their packing styles are also dependent on the storage life of the product. Foods that are highly perishable like fresh processed meats and frozen items are best when vacuum packed since it can tremendously extend its storage life. In this case, there is a separate type of food packaging machine used in order to perform vacuum packing of the products.

Food vacuum packing is one of the most efficient packaging of foods because devoid of air, foods remain fresh since aerobic microorganisms responsible in swift deterioration of foods hardly thrive or are immobilized under this condition. Consequently, storage life is extended thereby making the product well suited for sale on the freezer or cold display storage units of several retail stores.

Another type of food packaging equipment is the biscuit packing machine. This equipment is usually fitted with electronic digital temperature controller in order to maintain high precision in achieving the desired temperature during food packing process. This will ensure optimum freshness of the food. What is interesting about this type of machine is that packaged products are closely monitored with its automatic feed counter that shows the quantity of items already packed by the machine. This makes it easier for the food manufacturing companies to monitor daily factory output.

Bundling food packing equipment is another type of machinery that is quite common and widely used by many food suppliers. This machine is capable of storing huge quantity of foods before they are banded or wrapped together as a single bundle. This is otherwise known as the banding machine. This is perfect for small items like stick candies or individually packed hotdogs that need to be bundled together for economic purposes.

Another packaging machine for foods is the bagging machine. This is quite popular in several China food processing factories. Foods in this case are packed in bags, sacks, and pouches. This is common in packaging of cereals and powdered foods like milk powder and sugar.

Closing machines are similarly common in many food factories. This type of equipment is used to tie metal wires to enclose the food bag or pouch.

Capping machines are likewise popular among food suppliers of food syrups and drinks. This equipment of course is not used solely to pack food items but it is usually used in conjunction with other food packaging equipment. Its main function is to close bottled food items by placing air-tight caps. This is common in soda-manufacturing companies.

Accumulation machinery is the equipment usually used along with the capping machine. This equipment allows proper alignment of bottles for systematic and organized filling of foods. Similar with capping machines, this is prevalent among soda companies and bottled-water companies.

There are still many other types of food packing machines. It is important to tailor-fit the selection when you buy one of these machineries according to the type of food that is being packaged to ensure optimum quality products with fully extended storage life.

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Source by Fem Mascenon

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Customers may be unaware of the actual processing that takes place in the systems of a pasta food contract manufacturer, but they do wish to know about the health checks that are done. The health-conscious society of today needs to know how the ravioli or arancini that they are purchasing is made, whether it is dry or in filled form. Substandard products are tolerated by no one, and pasta-loving nations cannot do without their cheesy lasagna or fresh Sicilian macaroni.

A food contract manufacturer helps share in the burden processing of food producers and allows them to concentrate on their marketing and selling. For small pasta businesses, this means they can focus on improving the efficiency of processing operation, reduce the duration in getting products to the market, and set up a cost-effective system – all so that consumers can enjoy their ravioli just the way they want it.

How Pasta Manufacturing Has Become Better

The addition of a food contract manufacturer for a pasta company is like having a partner in one’s business. The food contract manufacturer takes up the manufacturing processes from the parent company and utilizes the methods and recipes of the pasta company to produce arancini, spaghetti, and a variety of frozen, dry and fresh pastas.

For instance, the food contract manufacturer will recreate the pastas (such as blanched pasta) like the original company and use their manufacturing and packaging resources to support the company in delivering delicious pasta products to consumers. With the help of the food contract manufacturer, the company can quickly complete processing deadlines and the “copacker” assists in getting similar products to the market in different kinds of packages to cater to various consumer segments.

How does a large-scale pasta company utilize food contract manufacturer resources and assistance? The company hires the food contract manufacturer to undertake work in pilot projects and new products that it wants to test before launching. The copacker factory can produce pastas that the large organization distributes in promotional programme packages or sales. The food contract manufacturer bears the burden of these extra processes and the main company can focus solely on its large scale pasta manufacturing that runs in the market.

This setup is ideal for pasta food processing companies who have a number of various products that all require unique conditions, ingredients and packaging – such as arancini, trofie, gnocchi, spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli and so on.

It would be costly for any pasta manufacturing company to have separate equipment and functioning for each type of pasta product. An outsourced contractor will have more flexible equipment that is designed for use for a multitude of pastas that they package and provide to the main company.

Main Pasta Products And Variety

The way that a pasta producer manages its ever-changing base of pasta products according to consumer tastes has been explained above. Pasta techniques such as blanched pasta are successfully transferred to contract manufacturers and they develop expertise in carrying out the functioning of the main company.

As an example, ravioli can be stuffed with a large number of meats and vegetables; some of the more popular fillings are listed:

1. Beef,

2. Chicken and asparagus,

3. Mushroom,

4. Pea and dill,

5. Pumpkin and almond,

6. Pumpkin, almond and poppy seed,

7. Ricotta and spinach,

8. Sweet potato and sun dried tomato.

Managing all these varieties becomes easier with food contract manufacturer partnering. The egg pasta is made into square packets or round pillows and then filled up. Sauce and condiment options are also provided as recommendations which consumers can choose according to their wishes.

Other pastas like the popular arancini – a rice ball that is covered in breadcrumbs and baked or fried – can also contain many fillings of different kinds. The popularity of this classic Italian pasta dish makes it a high demand consumer request.

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Source by Shabir Ahmad Bajwa