Cheesemaking Equipment

APV has introduced a new homogenizer to its line, replacing the Rannie 90 and Gaulin 90 models.

The new APV 110T Homogenizer, designed for dairy, food, cosmetic, chemical and bio-tech applications, is available in two versions. The Rannie series comes with three-piece valve housing, while the Gaulin series has mono-block valve housing. Both offer capacities ranging from 660 gallons per hour to 5,544 gallons per hour.

“We have been working on some significant innovations in areas that have not previously received the attention we think they deserve,” says Anders Kold, APV product manager. “The result is the APV 110T Homogenizer in a radically new design and with a number of defining, best-in-class features.”

New features include the homogenizer’s modular design, which makes it suitable for a range of applications and valve types. Homogenizing valves also can be changed to accommodate different products and capacities on the same homogenizer.

Additional design features include an operating panel that provides a clear view and access to all external gauges and controls from a single point of operation, a low-speed crankshaft for reduced noise, a double-sized, 5 micron oil filter that increases the intervals between oil changes and an external APV heat exchanger to reduce water consumption and facilitate service and maintenance.

“She’s not just all good looks on the outside. There’s a lot to admire inside as well, most of which has to do with delivering enhanced performance to the customer as well as a reduced operating overhead,” says Kold. “That means not only short payback time, but also maximum ROI and lower total cost of ownership than other comparable homogenizers.”

Website: www.apv.com

APV has launched the new NR5 Easy Flow, a new Super Hygienic Plate Heat Exchanger. Company officials say the NR5 Easy Flow can provide up to a 20 percent increase in processing capacity and is a natural successor of the R5.

The NR5 is made of 0.6 millimeter 316 stainless steel and measurements are identical to the R5, though the NR5 frame will carry up to 20 percent more plates because of a thinner plate material. The plate is 3A approved and can be used in the dairy, food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.

Company officials say the NR5 plate design features classic diagonal flow with naturally high distribution which translates to an increase in the heat transfer area and a reduction of clean in place time. The plates also are equipped with Easy Clip gaskets that provide quick gasket replacement without glue, and Corner Interlock to secure correct alignment and eliminate plate damage. The NR5 plate contains 174 contact points per square foot.

Contact: Jim Fischer, Basic Concepts Inc., 6907 Mount Pleasant Drive, West Bend, WI 53090, 262-247-2536, 414-704-5678 (cell), e-mail: mozza@charter.net

Website: www.evapdryertech.com

Basic Concepts Inc. now offers a butterfat and fines removal system that is filter-free. The system removes butterfat and associated foam from brine and the collected butterfat can be reused in the cheesemaking process. Fines are captured separately.

The unit may be run during production without affecting normal operations. Company officials say it is an excellent method for removing surface-clogging fat from brine systems running Mozzarella cheese sticks and String cheese.

Contact: Jens Peter Jensen, 1805 Ridgeway Street, Hammond, WI 54015, 715-746-2313, FAX 715-796-2378 or e-mail: info@evapdryertech.com

Website: www.evapdryertech.com

New from Evaporator Dryer Technologies Inc. (EDT) is a sanitary baghouse that provides efficient dust collection from spray drying exhaust air, while keeping the baghouse clean.

Company officials say EDT’s new venturi assemble ensures proper bag cleaning from top to bottom. In addition, the product offers a walk-in plenum to provide safe, easy access to the bagsheet to deliver fast, easy bag installation or removal with no dusty overhead work. In addition, a new powder discharge design reduces the risk of plugging.

The sanitary baghouse is outfitted with EDT sanitary design components including retractable clean-in-place spray nozzles, fire suppression nozzles and relief valve, sanitary manways and overpressure doors.

Australian-based food equipment manufacturer Gold Peg International recently announced that a direct steam injection trial cooking system featuring the RotaTherm continuous cooker now is available in the United States. The trial system, based in Kansas City, Mo., is the result of a joint marketing initiative by Scan American Corp. and Gold Peg.

With the RotaTherm cooker, ingredients are cooked in a single pass by injecting steam into the product as it is being mixed while moving up the cooking column. Company officials say the result is a consistent, evenly-cooked product that is produced continuously.

The main use for the system is processed cheese, officials say, but it also can be used for analog, Mozzarella and cream cheese.

A wide range of formulations can be cooked through the RotaTherm from very low to very high viscous, low to high moisture and with or without particles. The continuous cooking system can produce UHT or pasteurized product.

Contact: Brad Millerbernd, president, Millerbernd Process Systems, 330 Sixth Street South, Winsted, MN 55395, 320-485-2685, FAX 320-485-3900 or e-mail: brad@millerbernd.com

Website: www.millerbernd.com

Millerbernd Process Systems now is offering a new line of draining and salting belts that offer new features to improve hygiene and cleanliness. These Millerbernd belts feature a continuous, solid stainless steel drive and idle shafts designed for Intralox belting. Company officials say this eliminates the hard-to-clean crevice between the individual sprockets and the traditional drive shaft.

The conveyor bed itself is constructed from solid material, which eliminates the possibility of leakage into hollow-section material such as pipe or tubing. In addition, numerous manways and inspection ports allow for quick and efficient inspections after clean-in-place and during production, the company says.

Millerbernd also expects to release a 40-pound block tower in late 2007.

Contact: Munson Machinery Co. Inc., 210 Seward Avenue, Utica, NY 13503, 315-797-0090, FAX 315-797-5582 or e-mail: info@munsonmachinery.com

Website: www.munsonmachinery.com

Munson Machinery has introduced the new MX-5-SS Miniature Rotary Batch Mixer, which company officials say blends ingredients in ratios up to one part per million with 100 percent uniformity in less than three minutes, regardless of disparities in bulk densities, particle sizes or flow characteristics of batch ingredients.

The mixer features a rotating drum with proprietary mixing flights that tumble, turn and fold material gently and rapidly. Company officials say the rotating vessel and internal flights lift and direct the batch through a plug gate valve for complete evacuation with no residual material.

An optional swivel feed chute assists with manual dumping of batch ingredients through an access door, and an optional discharge spout helps direct the product flow into customer containers.

The mixer has a drum capacity of 10 cubic feet (283 liters), and a batch capacity of five cubic feet (141 liters) and 500 pounds (227 kilograms), and is capable of blending batches that comprise between 5 to 100 percent of rated capacity in laboratory and production environments.

Contact: Nathan Allen, Nu-Con Equipment, at 1600 Lake Drive West, Chanhassen, MN 55317, 877-939-0510, FAX 952-279-521

Website: www.nucon.com

Nu-Con Equipment’s new Rotor Detection System (RDS) has been introduced to help processors of food and dairy powders prevent metal contamination.

This new system is designed to alert plant operators when a valve’s rotor vanes have come into contact with the valve body. If the valve fails, the RDS sends a signal to the plant’s system and immediately shuts the valve down, preventing contaminated product, costly shutdowns and product rejections.

RDS is available for all sizes of Nu-Con rotary valves.

Contact: Steve Gruenke, Nelson-Jameson Inc., 2400 East 5th Street, Marshfield, WI 54449, 800-826-8302, ext. 323

Website: www.nelsonjameson.com

Nelson-Jameson Inc. now offers seal kits and cover gaskets to fit Fristam Pumps. These aftermarket seal kits utilize an OEM-style chrome oxide rotating seal.

Powder Technologies Inc., a provider of powder and liquid processing systems and related engineering services, has announced the availability of its new Ystral Jetstream Mixer.

In operation, a fast rotating rotor creates a vertical stream in a stator that is directed toward the bottom of a tank or vessel. At the vessel bottom, the stream is diverted and forms an upward stream on the wall of the vessel. Turbulences in the mixing head and a strong vertical circulation provide conditions for optional mixing of entire contents in the vessel or tank, company officials say. The jetstream mixer principle provides a balanced relationship between a micro and macro mixing action.

Typical applications include but are not limited to milk, yogurts, fruit concentrates, mixed drinks, emulsions, suspensions and solutions.

Contact: Safeline Inc., 6005 Benjamin Road, Tampa, FL 33634, 813-889-9500
Website: www.mt.com/safelineus

Safeline Inc. has introduced a pipeline metal detector for detecting metal contaminants in pumped liquids, slurries and semi-solids.

The pipeline metal detector has met USDA’s sanitary requirements for use in dairy applications.

Safeline’s new pipe design uses screw mechanisms at the end points and utilizes O-rings to secure it in place, lowering the potential for food particles getting trapped, company officials say.

Contact: Spirax Sarco Inc., 1150 Northpoint Boulevard, Blythewood, SC 29016, 803-714-2000, FAX 803-714-2200

Website: www.spiraxsarco.com/us

Spirax Sarco Inc. (SSI) has released the new SP200 line of electropneumatic smart control valve positioners. The SP200 can be fitted to any of SSI’s pneumatic direct actuators.

Installation of the compact positioner is simplified by the absence of mechanical linkages between valve stem and positioner and the auto-calibration function. Local calibration and parameter setting can be performed through menu-driven software with an integral keypad and a large LCD alphanumeric data display.

Valve commissioning is simplified through an auto-stroke routine and display of programming status, software travel switch status, 4-20 milliamperes input signal and valve diagnostics. The tight pressure valve shut-off reduces air consumption, while the adaptive valve control automatically adjusts for changes in air supply pressure, stem friction and other changes.

The compact positioner features single/fail vent action and function with 2-port or 3-port valves. It offers linear, equal percentage and fast opening modes with an output capacity of 5 SCFM (8.5 Nm3/h) at 90 psig (6 barg). The SP200 includes: anti-corrosive, die cast aluminum construction; a local LCD indicator; a NAMUR standard mounting kit for attachment to yoke- or pillar-mounted actuators; and an optional pressure gauge block. The positioner is dust tight and resistant to water jets with an IP65 protection rating and compliant with EMC standard 89/336EC.

Contact: Tom Gumpert, sales and marketing manager, Stoelting Process Equipment, 502 Highway 67, Kiel, WI, 920-894-2293, 800-558-5807 ext. 421, FAX 920-894-7029, e-mail: tgumpert@stoelting.com

Website: www.stoeltingprocess.com

Stoelting Process Equipment’s new Curd Finishing Table features a permanent drain screen and a clean-in-place drain trough. This permanent drain screen is designed to reduce labor, improve plant hygiene and to be more gentle on the product than traditional removable drain screens.

Company officials also point to the drain screen’s seamless perforated design that results in loss of fewer fines. In addition, the perforations are laser cut as a part of the 10-gauge sheet liner, which provides increased strength and rigidity to the table structure.

Contact: Südmo North America, 1330 Anvil Drive, Rockford, IL 61115, 815-639-0322, FAX 815-639-1135

Website: www.sudmona.com

Südmo North America Inc. has introduced a tank outlet mix-proof valve specifically designed for the dairy industry.

Company officials say this new valve eliminates the need for disconnects on the tank outlet and gives processors the ability to clean the fill/empty line while product is in the tank.

Südmo’s mix-proof valve also offers leak-free changeover, a one-piece machined body, a maintenance-free actuator and the latest in control technology. In addition, there are no special tools required for replacing seals, the company says.

The valve also meets PMO requirements, carries the 3A symbol and has passed the EHEDG test procedure for cleaning in place.

Contact: Charles Nashef, Sunnex Inc., 3 Huron Drive, Natick, MA 01760, 800-445-7869, FAX 508-651-0099 , e-mail: cnashef@sunnex.com
Website: www.sunnexonline.com

New from Sunnex Inc. are FDA-approved stainless steel H3A-Series machinery mounts for food and dairy processing equipment and manufacturing applications.

The stainless steel H3A-Series mounts have rubber vulcanized to the mount housing in order to provide a completely hygienic seal. The mounts also offer a full range of motion starting at a 10-degree pivot, which provides secure footing and complete vibration control, company officials say.

The H3A-Series is available in two versions and comes with or without thread casings. The mounts also are available with ANSI 316 stainless steel for corrosive environments.

Contact: Jean Pierre Berlan, sales and marketing director, Tetra Pak Inc., 101 Corporate Woods Parkway, Vernon Hills, IL 60061, 847-955-6422, 847-421-05200 (cell), FAX 847-955-6500, e-mail: 847-955-6500

Website: www.tetrapakprocessing.com

Tetra Pak Inc. has developed the Tetra Therm MicroPart to microparticulate whey proteins in an industrial setting using WPC powder or WPC retentate.

According to the company, microparticulated whey proteins behave like fats and can be used for fat substitution in the production of various dairy products, such as cheese, desserts, yogurt and ice cream. In cheese production, for example, microparticulated whey proteins improve texture and taste in lowfat cheeses.

In addition, the use of microparticulated whey proteins can realize substantial yield improvements in most cheese manufacturing processes, the company says.

Contact: Viking Pump, Inc., 406 State Street, P.O. Box 8, Cedar Falls, IA 50613, 319-266-1741, FAX 319-273-8157, e-mail: info.viking@idexcorp.com
Website: www.vikingpump.com

The newest addition to Viking Pump Inc.’s line of high-speed rotary transport pumps is the RTP20.

Offering configuration flexibility and ease of maintenance, the RTP20 provides exceptional performance, advanced durability, application flexibility and ease of installation to help users achieve enhanced productivity, company officials say.

The RTP20 is compact and lightweight and features removable feet and multiple mountings for easy vertical or horizontal adaptation.