The transition from fresh produce to frozen end product requires a lot of steps, so for a manufacturer, making sure that all the right machines and systems are in place has become the norm.
To ease that entire process, major players in the food processing industry constantly bring new, more advanced machines to the market.
Urschel machinery is equipped to process a wide range of product characteristics. When discussing frozen products, very few food processors are cutting solidly frozen products. Urschel customers cut such products when fresh, cooked, or frozen tempered to a temperature that allows stiffening of the product, for example a crust frozen chicken breast or a hardened strawberry or soft cheese, so a slicer or dicer with sharp knives can effectively cut the product without damaging the knives or other parts. The products may then be fully frozen.
Tempering of product requires the customer to have good systems for controlled freezing and warming up slowly to specific temperatures to ensure an accuracy of +/- 1° C on some products. “Processing a product at the ideal temperature for that particular product can make a tremendous difference which can lead to increased yield and cost-savings.
Urschel expertise is here to assist customers troubleshoot ideal temperatures for their products with test cutting services,” according to Alan Major, chief sales officer, Urschel. Most frozen products are processed, size reduced first, and then frozen.
“Urschel machines fit the job with the DiversaCut 2110A Dicer (DCA) for veggies, fruits, and certain meats as the favorite/best-selling for dicing. The Sprint 2 Dicer (SPR2), Urschel’s lower capacity version of the DCA, offers cutting solutions for smaller processors. The E TranSlicer Cutter (ETRS) is the answer when slicing carrots, celery, leek, or green beans at frozen vegetable processors. The machines mentioned, may also be equipped with a built-in conveyor discharge to easily dispatch into totes and be able to maintain the machine at floor level for convenient maintenance,” Alan Major adds.
According to him, the most important part of each machine is the cutting zone. The feeding method and discharge method is crucial in maintaining the integrity of the product being processed. Knives, cutting components, spacers, and speed work with the patented, carefully designed operating principle to navigate product effectively through the cutting stations to deliver precision, consistent cuts at high yields. When determining the best Urschel cutter for the job, each cutting application is unique.
Feeding method and effective delivery of the product into the cutting area should be considered. While one machine may be able to process meats, poultry, vegetables (including potatoes), fruits, and other products, the machine set-up and required feeding method need to be taken into consideration. Machines may overlap in types and size of cut available.
Product characteristics and best delivery method to the cutting area is a strong consideration when choosing the right Urschel machine for the job. There are many factors in the machine set-up depending on types of components available for the machine, Alan Major points out.
“Specific to cutting, some machines operate using a 3-dimensional cut incorporating different styles of spindles, feeding discs, and a slicing knife area. Depending on the targeted style of cut, not all the 3 designated cutting stations may be equipped with knives. This flexible Urschel design lends one machine to be able to process different products and cut sizes/styles as desired by the food processor. After determining the Urschel cutting station set-up, concentrating on the knives on each related station is another important step. Knife edges and types should be paired with specific products to deliver optimum results. Details matter in the set-up of the machine. Power and gearing options also need to be clearly defined. Some products require more power or higher gearing versus others.”
Designed for continuous operation
Every Urschel cutting machine is designed for continuous operation for uninterrupted production to promote industrial level, high capacities. As production volumes fluctuate, Urschel equipment may be run at lower volumes to promote batch processing operations. Additional lines of Urschel cutting machinery or higher capacity models are also available to grow with a processor’s needs.
The CCL (Chip Cutter Lattice) compared to the new, larger CCLL (Chip Cutter Large Lattice) is an example of this, Major explains. “Although every Urschel cutting application is unique, there may be correlations between products that share characteristics, especially when creating a similar end-product. It comes down to considering such items as density, rigidity, size, shape, temperature, and several other factors when identifying the product entering the dicer or slicer. Depending on the product characteristics, Urschel may recommend preconditioning of product or additional steps prior to feeding into the dicer.”
To read the entire article, please access your complimentary e-copy of Frozen Food Europe September-October 2024 issue here.