Cryogenic Solutions for Bakeries
Addressing the challenges of bakery production, Linde LLC recently highlighted proprietary cryogenic solutions at IBIE 2016 that can simultaneously boost throughput, improve product quality and help extend shelf-life for a range of baked goods from par-baked artisan breads to chilled cookie dough and quick-frozen pizzas. Featured solutions included the family of CRYOLINE® MT modular tunnel freezers, the CRYOLINE® XF cross-flow spiral freezer, the ACCU-CHILL® dry ingredient chilling system, and the Linde impingement freezer.
Controlled Temperature Reduction
Linde cryogenic solutions use liquid nitrogen (N2) or carbon dioxide (CO2) to effectively reduce temperature and chill, crust freeze, or fully freeze baked items with a high degree of temperature control.
“Linde offers the broadest portfolio of sophisticated technologies, which can help assure optimal output quality on a proven consistent basis,” said Erik Fihlman, Program Manager, Bakery and Prepared Foods, Linde LLC. “Our cryogenic freezers and on-demand CO2 chilling systems can boost production in a smaller footprint and with a much lower investment than mechanical systems, and give bakeries the flexibility they need for innovation, expansion and growth.”
- ACCU-CHILL® dry ingredient chilling system – Rapidly chill dry ingredients as they flow from the storage silo to the mixer. The in-line system controls ingredient temperature within 1 oF of the setpoint at the mixer for more consistent cycle times and high process repeatability. Ideal for: Flour, sugar, spices and other dry ingredients.
- CRYOLINE® MT modular tunnel freezers – These in-line cryogenic tunnel freezers are designed for flexibility, efficiency, and clean-ability — and modules can be easily added to expand capacity. Ideal for: Pizzas, cookies, dough, par-baked breads and other items.
- CRYOLINE® XF cross-flow spiral freezer – The patented cross-flow design produces more uniform temperatures across the width of the conveyor belt for high-quality output at high production rates and lowest operating cost. Ideal for: Par-baked goods, artisan breads, rolls, pastries, cookies, dough products, pizzas, trayed foods and ready meals.
Linde impingement freezer – This patented freezer can typically process about 30 percent more than a cryogenic tunnel freezer in the same linear space. The process uses an initial blast of N2 to crust freeze the surface, then impinges food items with a controlled flow of N2 from above and below the conveyor belt. Ideal for: Pizzas, cookie dough, waffles, pancakes, garlic breads and other baked items.
“Cryogenic technology is the ideal solution for efficient temperature reduction to help maintain freshness and improve the quality of baked goods while optimizing production.”
*Erik Fihlman, Program Manager, Bakery and Prepared Foods
Other Linde technology for growing bakeries includes high-efficiency CO2 snow horns and on-demand CO2 snow generation systems that can eliminate the time and labor associated with storing and handling dry ice pellets, as well as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) gases that help extend the shelf-life of packaged baked goods.
The Linde food team performs in-plant assessments, conducts trial production runs at the Linde Technology Center, and works with processors to develop optimal process solutions.