Ingredient temperature control
A big challenge facing chocolate manufacturers is effective ingredient temperature control during the manufacturing process to avoid bacteria levels reaching a point that will cause contamination. We were invited by specialist industrial process heating manufacturer, ZECK, to partner on a project trialled at the National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering (NCEFE) to help overcome this challenge.
The challenge
The impact of ineffective ingredient temperature control in confectionery manufacture can be widespread. Earlier this year, confectionery giant Ferrero was forced to issue a product recall after members of the public contracted salmonella. The contamination was traced back to the Ferrero Kinder Egg product and linked to the storage and movement of buttermilk around the factory at too high a temperature during the manufacturing process.
ZECK is a progressive challenger business supplying low carbon, super-efficient electrical process heating products to the food and confectionery sectors. Their mission is to provide Zero Carbon thermal technology that saves customers money and resources, whilst also saving the planet. The ZECK team approached us to collaborate on a project to replace the water jacketing traditionally used on pipes and tanks in confectionery manufacturing facilities with a modern, digital form of heating to help manufacturers maintain a consistent temperature in critical pipework.
Innovating to support food safety
Many confectionery manufacturers use a water jacket system on pipework to control the temperature of chocolate during production. Not only is this system inefficient, it is also difficult to fully control the temperature, which presents a contamination risk.
We worked with ZECK to create a new system that gives manufacturers greater control and reduces contamination risks, whilst delivering increased efficiencies.
In the new system, water is contained in a vacuum and the pipe has a series of digital heaters attached, spaced at regular intervals. When heat is applied, the water in the pipe turns to heat vapour uniformly, maintaining a consistent temperature throughout the length of the pipe.
We developed controls that link power and data to each heater, making it easy for engineers to monitor pipe temperature and control how, when, and at what temperature heat is applied to maintain a uniform temperature. Our controller enables the temperature set by the user to be maintained and ensures the system is performing exactly as required.
Efficiency gains are also achieved because the pipes can be insulated, which water jacketed pipes cannot. This means more heat is preserved in the system and less energy is required to maintain the optimum temperature. Test show the new system to be 90% more efficient than water jackets.
Tested under factory conditions
Based at Sheffield Hallam University, the National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering (NCEFE) sits at the centre of an expanding network of business, industry groups, academics and engineers, working together to solve specific business challenges in the food and drink industry. Working with businesses across the sector, the centre aims to help deliver creative solutions to industry challenges through its leading expertise and cutting-edge facilities and equipment.
The centre is designed for industry to test ideas and projects at an industrial scale. Projects developed and tested at the centre that prove to be reliable are awarded NCEFE certification, adding a layer of credibility when taking a new development, product or system to industry.
We installed 10 metres of pipework and a controller at a test facility at the NCEFE to put the new system through its paces before introducing it to industry.
Following the success of the trials, the system has been awarded NCEFE certification. We have subsequently developed and installed a software update which adds further capabilities and we are working with ZECK to roll out the new system at a UK chocolate factory.
ZECK director Marc Heyes said, “We wanted to take our capabilities to the next level and remove the need to manually configure the controllers. Siemens introduced us to the team at Meson Electrical Services and we haven’t looked back.
“They have developed a control panel, screen and graphics that not only work incredibly well, but also look good and are intuitive to use. To say we are happy is an understatement. Meson Electrical Services have a first-class understanding of control systems and the ability to design and build something that fits exactly what a customer needs.”
