Process and product innovations at Interpack

Confectionery, snack, biscuit and cereal Innovations that enhance the production process and extend the scope for new product developments in the confectionery, snack, biscuit and cereal sectors will be introduced by Baker Perkins at Interpack (stand 4C21). Equipment exhibits will link to an Innovation Centre where visitors can investigate product opportunities for their own business. For the confectionery industry, upgraded monitoring and control technology means that the entire production line, from ingredient mixing to depositor discharge, is now fully integrated and automated. Additional sensors and actuators in conjunction with the latest hardware and software help to reduce set up times and improve efficiency. Operators can control the entire line from a single HMI that includes full process visualisation, recipe management, calibration and alarm handling. Developments that enhance three key components of the cooking process will also be highlighted. Equipment upgrades cover the Autofeed ingredient weighing and mixing system; Microfilm cooker; and Colour and Flavour Addition (CFA) system. A wirecut machine and a dough mixer which combine maximum flexibility with minimal production costs, are the highlights of Baker Perkins’ exhibits for the biscuit industry. The latest Baker Perkins TruClean wirecut machine for soft dough cookies, plus plain and filled bars, is at Interpack for the first time. The result of radical innovation in Baker Perkins’ approach to hygienic design, every aspect of this machine has been reworked to offer more thorough cleaning, more quickly, with easy maintenance. Food service manufacturers in Europe have invested recently in frozen dough wirecut machines from Baker Perkins, the leading supplier of equipment in North America where soft dough cookies baked at the point of sale are available in a multitude of retail outlets. The full Baker Perkins range, meeting output needs from craft to plant-scale bakeries, is now being introduced around the world, coinciding with the development of an innovative concept offering superior levels of performance, choice and hygiene. HS (High-Speed) multi-purpose mixers handle every type of biscuit, cookie and cracker dough. They feature a unique, shaftless mixer blade ensuring efficient dispersion and rapid dough development, cleaner discharge, the elimination of blade fatigue and cracking, and improved hygiene. The widening array of extruded snacks achieved by creative die technology, and a new technique allowing product colour changes ‘on the run’, will be the focus of Baker Perkins’ presentation for the extruded snack industry. The range of dies on show at Interpack produces snacks ranging from the standard to the exotic. There is a clear trend towards more complex products, to provide differentiation in a crowded market, and a new development on show is a co-extrusion die with 16 streams for high output production – 12 streams was the previous maximum. The co-extrusion die produces continuous cereal tubes filled with a savoury paste or cream. The tubes can be formed into a variety of snack formats including mini, bite-size or hand-held pieces in pillow, stick, bar or wafer shapes. The colour change system enables changeover between variations of an extruded snack to be made ‘on the run’: for example, matching the colour of vegetable-flavoured snacks such as carrot, beetroot or tomato. For the breakfast cereal sector, Interpack marks the launch of the new CookMaster range of batch cookers. The classic Baker Perkins machine is recognised as the market leader in high-quality breakfast cereal cooking for high performance lines. It has no centre shaft, and steam is injected through the side walls. This is now joined by a new cooker with a through-shaft design for customers who prefer this process option. Both units provide controlled steam cooking of whole or milled grains, retaining their nutritional benefits while developing the texture and flavour required. Part of the Baker Perkins Cereal Master TX range of expandable lines, these high-output batch cookers deliver the highest levels of quality, consistency and efficiency with low operating and maintenance costs.

For more information on Process and product innovations at Interpack talk to Baker Perkins Ltd