Food Blanching System
Saves Energy,
Produces Better Food
Key Technology, Inc., of
Walla Walla, Washington, under a U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) National $153,000 (US dollars) and with the help of the Washington
State University Cooperative Extension Energy Program, has demonstrated a
new energy-saving, waste-reducing blanching/cooking process to neutralize
enzymes and bacteria in processed foods.
Standard blanching equipment
uses large amounts of steam or hot water 93-100ēC to blanch food in a very
energy intensive process that often leaves food overcooked. The new blanching
equipment demonstrated by Key Technology, called Turbo-Flo
reduces the energy intensity by 70%, involves shorting cook and blanch times,
and produces food better in taste, appearance, and nutrient value. In addition,
it reduces effluent waste water by as much as 80%.
After the DOE demonstration
project using a small-scale blancher/cooker realized significant savings,
some 40 blancher/cookers have been sold worldwide by the end of 2000. According
to DOE analysis, average simply payback for the Turbo-Flo
system should be less than two years.
Technical data
The Turbo-Flo blancher/cooker
consists of an insulated hood through which food passes via a conveyer belt.
Steam/hot water is injected into the hood through a circulation system. The
blancher/cooker's footprint is 40% smaller than conventional blancher/cookers
and reduces blanch/cook times by up to 33%. The length and width of the blancher/cooker
varies depending upon configuration from about 4.3 m by 2.1 m to 11.9 m by
2.7 m. Its height is about 3 m. It uses a 15 hp motor, achieves 77
kgf/cm2 and has a 227 liter water reservoir.
Energy data
Data evaluated by the DOE
indicates a single Turbo-Flo(r) system reduces energy
consumption by up to 70% and waste water generation by as much as 80%, based
on a typical food processor blanching 15 tons of product
an hour for 1,560 hours per year and on a steam pound to product pound ratio
of 1/9.6.
With improved steam-to-product
ratios, the Turbo-Flo system saves about 4 x 10(6)kWh/year
in steam production.
Contacts:
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Ms Kelly Barton 925 Plum Street, SE Bldg 4 Olympia, WA 98504-3165 360-956-2178 360-956-2217 (fax) |
Key Technology Inc. Randy Unterseher 150 Avery Stret Walla Walls, WA 99352 509-529-2161 509-527-1331 (fax) |
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See also: The
Turbo-Flo blancher/cooker saves energy and improves
product quality