Baking & Snack - May 2018 - 98

SLICING

Left: Top drives on
horizontal slicers keep
products in place.
Right: Reciprocating
slicers can reduce
crumbing and tearing
with fresh desesrts.
Erika Record

Because the blade cuts
smoothly and quickly,
ultrasonic technology is
used for delicate desserts,
such as cakes with stacked
rows of sponge-like layers
and sticky custard or cream
fillings or smooth icing.
maintained, but Mr. Atkins emphasized the need for
a clean blade when slicing fresh, particularly products
with icing. Many fresh dessert mechanical slicers are
programmed to send a cleaning mechanism across
the blade during the process. Bakers looking for a
clean cut at a warmer temperature also have the option of slicing ultrasonically.

Inaudible sound slicing
Ultrasonic technology takes a low frequency electrical current and transforms it into high frequency energy. The energy is then converted to high frequency
mechanical energy, which causes the titanium cutting
blade to move up and down at 20,000 cycles per minute, Mr. Petrovich said.
"The blade is moving so fast, nothing sticks to it,"
he explained. "It also results in a very high quality cut
through all types of cakes with all types of inclusions."
Because the blade cuts smoothly and quickly, ultrasonic technology is used for delicate desserts, such as

98 Baking & Snack May 2018 / www.bakingandsnack.com

cakes with stacked rows of sponge-like layers and sticky
custard or cream fillings or smooth icing.
"At a high level, products with multiple layers and/
or particulates on top of or in the product are best
portioned with ultrasonic," said Rick Hoskins, CEO,
Colborne Foodbotics. "You can portion these without
damaging them or negatively affecting the aesthetic."
Mr. Hoskins said ultrasonic equipment also allows
bakers to cut products at a wider range of temperatures,
while mechanical blades require a product to be tempered at a tighter range for a clean cut.
Mr. Atkins compared the two types of equipment using an iced pound cake as an example. "When you're
running that through a reciprocating slicer, if that icing
is not frozen, it's going to be harder to slice, and it's going
to smear the icing, which will stick to your blades," he
said. "Running it through an ultrasonic slicer, it can be
warmer."
Because desserts such as layer cakes don't have to
freeze as long or can even be cut chilled using ultrasonic slicers, dessert producers can shorten their production process. "With ultrasonic cutting, they're saving a
lot of time, and they're able to make it, bake it, cut it
and package it in a 24-hour period," Mr. Petrovich said.
"You might be able to save up to 50% of your refrigerator costs by ultrasonic slicing."
Although ultrasonic slicing is a high investment
due to the technical aspects and its titanium blade, Mr.
Petrovich said there is also a fast ROI.

Product-specific solutions
Bakers must understand that ultrasonic slicers don't
work for every dessert.
"Everybody's product is a little bit different, and
one of the things that we really try to do is make sure
we spend some time with the customer trying to determine what their product is and what's going to be

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