GEA processing lines handle raw materials for flavors ‘that mimic the real thing’

31-Jan-2018 - Last updated on 31-Jan-2018 at 10:08 GMT

GEA has developed technology for end-to-end manufacture of flavor ingredients. Photo: GEA.

GEA has developed multiple machines for the production of ingredients handling, to mixing, homogenization, spray drying and packaging for flavors that ‘mimic the real thing’.

Its portfolio includes Batch Formula mixers and high-pressure homogenizers; FSD spray dryer; Matrix piping; powder filling systems; Cleaning-in-place (CIP) and MES (manufacturing execution system) so that products are processed in the correct sequence to prevent tainting from one to the next.

Garlic, chilli, curry

Purer flavors such as melon or strawberry which are often consumed on their own, take precedence whereas stronger flavors such as orange, garlic, chilli, curry, are usually mixed with the products themselves.

Nicole Meierotto, corporate media & press, GEA, said flavors are integrated in nearly every food and the machines are individually assembled according to customer requirements.

“It is a specialized process solution with a combination of machines which handle mixing, pumping, homogenization, drying and handling,” she said.

For example, the control system on the GEA line is capable of managing the recipe for each product and sequencing the production for maximum efficiency ensuring that after each operation the line is cleaned.

Deep cleaning can be performed at the end of the sequence before the program begins again. Any variation in method can cause variations in a product that, for all companies, are unacceptable.

300 to 400 flavors

“When producing flavors there is much opportunity for something to go wrong. An ingredient added too quickly into a mixing vessel, inconsistent temperature, insufficient mixing or incomplete homogenization can all have an effect further downstream that affects the outcome,” a GEA spokesman said.

Similarly, variations in oil droplet size, shearing or drying parameters all have an effect that can alter the product.

The process becomes more complex when 300 to 400 flavors are produced on the same machinery.

In terms of cleaning, each machine has to be cleaned to the highest hygiene standards because flavors and aromas can linger in equipment. Any residue of the previous flavor can taint the next product.