Kemutec KEK Sifters for De-Risking Food Processes & Maximising Revenue

Phil Black - PII Editor 11/12/2020

226 3 minutes read

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Brand credibility and trust in product quality, are vital considerations for food manufacturers throughout the world. Breaking news on food safety and product recall, will not just result in loss of revenue through the return of products, but worse still, wider reduction in profitability due to brand damage. Putting solutions in place that help maximise profits and remove such risks, is therefore vitally important for consumers, as well as producers.

First and foremost, food quality begins with ingredients, as they will in-turn greatly influence ‘sales-ability’ and product revenue. Food manufacturing is a competitive market, therefore producers are under considerable pressure, to ensure their products are highly attractive in every aspect. In contrast, food with poor quality ingredients, have to withstand not just better looking and tastier alternatives, but also the risk of returns, wastage from lack of sales and recall.

After selecting a supplier of quality powdered ingredients, the food processor must then ensure that they de-risk their manufacturing process by checking it’s quality at various stages during the operation. One major quality-check process for powdered ingredients is to Sift them, to screen for contaminants. Quite often bits of paper, string, wood and other foreign material can possibly make their way into the ingredients from open tip points, hoppers and even through the delivery of the ingredients from suppliers. Such contaminants, can be material that is not be picked up by end of line magnetic detection and therefore pose a greater ‘sales’ risk and challenge, if the right precautions aren’t put in place.

To help retain product quality and overcome these risks, is the Kemutec Centrifugal Sifter – part of the KEK range. There are various recommended Sifting points for a Kemutec Sifter, in a typical food manufacturing process. These include:

Bulk Tanker Delivery
An option is to position the in-line Centrifugal Sifter between the discharge and the reception silos to remove any contaminants. This process has the added benefit of being able to identify contaminants originating in supplier’s deliveries before they enter the processing factory. It also enables the manufacturer to immediately report any issues back to the supplier, with the contaminants as evidence.
Sack Tip Stations
Position a centrifugal Sifter after a Sack Tip Station, where bagged ingredients are manually tipped into the process. This is a common area where contaminants such as paper and string can enter the process.
Bulk-Bag Discharge Stations
As with the Sack Tip Stations, this is a common entry point for contaminants such as polymer bag fibres, pieces of plastic liner and string.
Note – both of the above are also needed to provide the usual Sifting quality control of the ingredients entering the system.
Check Sifting of Ingredients before Mixing
This process is adopted for checking ingredients purity and for the removal of any possible contaminants picked up earlier in the process.
‘Dressing’ of Powders with Liquid Addition
After mixing, break up any soft agglomerates of wet powders that have formed and help evenly disperse them throughout the batch.
Check Sifting before Extruding
This is an extremely important Sifting process, to not only check the ingredients but also to protect the extruder from the entry of oversize powders. Through this method it is also possible to prevent expensive damage from hard or abrasive contaminants in the feed powders, etc.
Removal of Fines or Dust
Another Sifting point is the possible removal of fines or dust generated in the manufacturing process, but not wanted in the final product in the packaging. Often this is done through a gentle Flat-deck Sifter.
Check Sifting before Packaging
Check sifting is the final quality check before dry powdered products are packed and sent out to customers.

How Kemutec KEK Sifters Work

Whilst screening and de-risking material through high speed efficient size classification, the Kemutec Centrifugal Sifter simply removes any oversized material that are potential contaminants. These contaminants are then discharged from the process line. It’s reliable performance is capable of handling over 90 tonnes per hour, down to just a few kilograms.

As a market innovator, the Kemutec Sifter was the first Sifter to include a specialised ‘Cantilever’ design, offering Food Manufacturers unprecedented high levels of standards in hygiene. This is achieved through the machine’s easy access and rapid screen change functionality, averaging at just 30 seconds.

Food quality, de-risking and food safety have been a topics of importance for many years, but it is those who value their brands and wish to enhance profitability, that are proactively putting system-based precautions in place.

Kemutec is proudly recognised as a global, high quality brand, for solutions that allow for effective and efficient Food Powder Processing. Their technologies include Sifters for screening and size classification, Mixing Machines for flexible size reduction, as well as kemutec-Kek-centrifugal-sifters Milling Machines. The brand is part of the Schenck Process Group, a prominent manufacturer for the bulk material handling industries.

For more information on Kemutec, go to www.kemutec.com or email sales@kemutec.com