Baking & Snack - May 2024 - 82

FRYING
fines in the oil and able to withstand the higher temperatures
involved in the frying process, " he said.
In certain applications, he added, PPM Technologies
uses multiple temperature sensors, then averages the temperature
readings with a PLC. Operators can now monitor
moisture and oil readings during production using
near infrared technology. They may then check their frying
processes and make changes, when needed.
Some slick ideas
Moline said the overall advancements in frying technology
now center around providing longer production
runs with no degradation in product quality. These
enhancements can be used to control oil temperature,
evenness of oil temperature and oil quality, which is
where filtration plays a key role.
" For many companies, continuous oil filtration was
viewed as 'nice to have' and now it's really become standard, "
he said. " The benefits are just undeniable with their
efficiency and ability to run for extended periods of time. "
Menardo said metallic filters activate a self-cleaning
cycle when a loss of pressure due to " residue stacking "
within the filter itself reaches certain thresholds. On
Tecnofryer's TEC systems, such filters can perform continuous
oil cleaning using a series of metallic surfaces
that intercept tiny particles and eliminate them without
having to stop the frying process. He added that these
filters also eliminate the need for operators to change
out paper filters, avoiding close contact with hot oil that
poses a potential safety hazard.
Today's filtration and sanitation systems also focus
Securing safety in a hot
frying environment
Employee safety is always number
one. That's why fryers meet and exceed
fire safety and other regulatory
standards. For insurance reasons
or to comply with corporate safety
guidelines, some snack producers
want to go beyond what is required.
" Many of them now place fryers
in separate rooms, " noted
David Moline, president, Moline
Machinery. " There are a lot of reasons
to do that, not just from an airquality
perspective. Doing so allows
them to implement access controls,
such as physical guarding around
our fryer, to make sure that some82
Baking & Snack May 2024 / www.bakingbusiness.com
DONUTS TYPICALLY FLOAT
IN THE FRYER WHILE MANY
SNACKS ARE SUBMERGED
EITHER THROUGH ALL OR
PART OF THE PROCESS.
on minimizing labor and enhancing worker safety, said
Matt Asplund, Heat and Control's application engineering
manager. New filtration systems automatically and
frequently eject debris from the system before storing it
in a safe place.
" For sanitation, this [emphasis] is driving system design
to greater automation and reliance on sensors and programs
to detect the sanitation system performance rather
than the skill and the training of an operator, " he said.
Luna pointed out online oil filtering has improved,
but it needs to be tailored to specific production lines
and products. Depending on the process, snack makers
can use PPM Technologies' new style drum pre-filters
or employ centrifugal or other secondary pressurestyle
filters.
" Use of positive fines and sediment-removal systems
in the fryer can also help in transferring fines from fryer
to filters for products that produce heavy fines, " he said.
To recoup oil from some pre-fried snack products,
like potato sticks or even French fries, TNA Solutions'
defatter system can recover around 2% of oil relative to
the line's output, said Twan van den Berg, global sales
manager, processing, TNA Solutions. Once filtered, this
body can't touch a hot surface. "
Topos Mondial places removable
heat shields on the top sides of its
kettles.
" These heat shields act as a
jacketed wall, " said Reilly Rodriguez,
design engineer. " If you think of the
glass door on your oven, there's
an inner and outer piece of glass
with air gap in between. That's what
keeps the outer glass cool and safe.
That's the same thing we do with
our heat shields. They're aerodynamically
designed to allow air in
between the kettle and the heat
shield to keep that heat shield cool. "
Specifically, he added, the fryer's
hood pulls cool air underneath the
shields to cool them while the kettle
remains hot. Connected to the fryer
by chains, they can be folded down,
enabling the company to clean them
as well as the open-frame components
of the kettle during a sanitation
period.
In general, safety relays and
controllers become more readily
available, said Daniel Luna, director
of processing equipment, PPM
Technologies. The company uses
redundant temperature sensors tied
into the heating system.
Nicola Menardo, president, TP
Food Group North America, noted
its Tecnofryer TEC fryers integrate
the latest safety systems. The main
changes affect sensors and electronics,
such as temperature sensors for
the heating elements and PLCs that
provide system control.
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