For consumers — ready meals and frozen foods are convenient and easy to prepare. But for processors — successful production of them can be a challenging and complex process.
To begin with, a frozen food production line must operate in a very precise environment. Keeping the products frozen throughout the production process is critical, and there are many places where contamination, product damage and interrupted production can occur.
In the coming years, the frozen food market is expected to experience high growth in the Middle East. Choosing the right equipment — and the right process — for your unique frozen food application is critical to achieving success, and profitability.
If you have a new frozen food project or are interested in optimising your existing production line; working with an industry expert is the quickest and easiest way to gain access to years of food industry experience, and market leading solutions.
Water-proof design of the drives on FastBack conveyors helps you reach a
higher level of sanitisation and is perfect for frozen food applications
Avoid a sticky situation!
Conveying frozen food during processing is considered challenging because it can damage the product, disrupt its coatings, and expose it to contamination. The ideal conveyors for frozen foods are gentle, powerful and built for simple sanitation in a wash down environment.
Preventing your product from ‘sticking’ is critical to keep the production line flowing and preventing product breakage or segregation in the pan. Because frozen foods are prone to condensation, this issue becomes intensified for frozen food processors.
When condensation builds up (through the course of production) it can cause the product to stick to the pan and/or itself. For many processors in this region — working in an extremely hot climate — this is a daily challenge which impacts productivity and has the potential to comprise the quality and safety of their products.
FastBack for Frozen Food Products
The FastBack® G3 series of horizontal motion conveyors — from equipment supplier Heat and Control — is becoming a popular equipment choice for processors of frozen foods. The company says many processors in the region are looking for solutions which can produce consistently high-quality food products, increase production rates, offer high efficiency and long running times, with easy sanitation for their frozen food application.
The FastBack brand is famous for its patented ability to gently transport products by cycling through a slow-forward and fast-back horizontal motion — which neither damages the product nor disturbs the coatings. This is ideal for frozen food applications, and FastBack conveyors also provide the industry’s fastest product travel rates, while maximising product distribution efficiency.
FastBack conveyors are well recognised for their ability to reliably convey hard-to-handle products while being energy efficient, quiet, versatile, with a 5-year drive train warranty. Processors of frozen foods have the option of a 260E-G3 or 90E drive base, which is dependent on their application, and required pan size/type.
A key benefit of the G3 series for frozen food applications — is a water-proof design of the drive base — which offers a higher benchmark for sanitary conveying for the frozen food production environment. The stainless-steel drives are completely enclosed and have a fan-cooled motor package that is external to the drive to protect against dust and water spray.
Both models are completely sealed, with IP65-rated enclosure, and are built for high-volume production in washdown environments with simple sanitation. In addition to frozen food products, FastBack conveyors are ideal for other challenging products such as salads, snacks, fresh chicken, cookies, candies, and more. Further applications include meat, poultry, meat alternative products, French fries, potato chips, snack foods, bakery foods, confectionary, cereal and pet food.
