Baking & Snack - June 2024 - 84

MIXING
Know when its time to
invest in a NEW MIXER
A highly versatile mixer does have its
limitations. The dough or batter being
mixed must be within the mixer's capabilities.
When moving beyond that, it's
time to invest and go back to the drawing
board of dough/batter characteristics and
volume.
" Certain mixers are so different that, yes,
you need a different mixer, " said Andrew
Adreani, business development manager,
Escher Mixers, a Middleby Bakery company.
" When you have exhausted tool
changes, speed adjustments, temperature
adjustments, batch sizes, time changes or
you are spending too much time tinkering
with the mixer, you need a new dedicated
mixing machine. "
Sizing the horsepower
of a horizontal mixer to
a dough's needs and
batch size will ensure
that bakers get the
right mix in the right
amount of time.
Peerless
solutions to their mix issues, from minor speed and mix
time changes to reconfiguring the mixer offline, which
can be more time consuming. "
Bartsch noted that on AMF's triple roller bar mixers,
bakers can make minor adjustments to the roller bar
configuration by adjusting the roller and breaker bars
inside the mixer.
" Operators can make adjustments to the bearings for
the roller bar and breaker bar to provide a tighter roller
bar to bowl sheet clearance for more dough development, "
he said. " By changing the location of the breaker
bar, bakers can ensure a smaller dough interacts more
consistently with the breaker bar. "
Speed, however, is a way to adjust to a different
dough's needs, whether simply incorporating ingredients
or developing a dough.
" Some higher absorption doughs will do better by
running them faster, " Bartsch explained. " Compared to a
bread or bun dough, which is typically run at 70 rpm, an
English muffin dough is run at 80 rpm because there's a
lot more water being incorporated into the dough. "
AMF Bakery Systems designed its Fusion Snax Sigma
Mixer to offer snack producers maximum flexibility
with consistency for making a wide range of snack
products such as cookies, crackers, pretzels, gluten-free
products and specialty snacks. The flexibility and consistency
come down to the single sigma arm agitator's
shape, which was designed for efficient ingredient incorporation
and consistent dough quality. AMF's Dough
Guardian technology also provides operators with an
easy way to change parameters on any of the company's
mixers.
Variable frequency drives have also changed the game
84 Baking & Snack June 2024 / www.bakingbusiness.com
There are a few telltale signs that it's
going to be more beneficial to buy a new
mixer. Mélanie Gay, marketing and digital
development, VMI, pointed out that if the
intention is to run a high-volume product
with consistent quality, managing changeovers
at the mixing bowl isn't going to
be efficient. If there's enough volume to
justify a dedicated production line, a baker
should invest in the best mixer possible for
the product.
" One key consideration is when the current
mixer no longer allows the required
levels of productivity to meet production
needs, " she said. " This might be due to
limitations in speed, capacity or versatility.
If the demand for products exceeds what
the current mixer can efficiently handle, it's
time to explore other options. "
Quality is another aspect to keep an eye
on. If the bakeries are experiencing issues
with consistency, texture challenges or
limitations in controlling dough or batter
characteristics due to the current technology,
it might be time to look at a different
type of mixer, Gay explained.
" When the current mixer starts to hinder
productivity, quality or the ability to scale
up production, it's a strong indicator that
it might be time to consider investing in
a different type of mixer that better aligns
with the evolving needs of the business, "
she said.
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Baking & Snack - June 2024

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