Belt blancher

Description

Blanching (French blanchir) is a method of cooking vegetables, fruit or meat. Meat will remain more succulent for further heat treatment. Furthermore, this heat treatment method is used to facilitate easier removal of membranes. For fruit and vegetables, blanching is used to remove the skin on fruits and vegetables that are too stiff or too thick, such as tomatoes, peaches, apricots, and the like.

Due to the short-term exposure to higher temperatures, vitamins, taste and color will be retained in the food, but micro-organisms, which may cause deterioration of food during preservation, will be destroyed. This will preserve higher quality  of food, for example, frozen vegetables will have a fresher color and more pronounced taste. 

NORMIT CB conveyor type equipment for blanching, cooking and cooling is a high-quality professional equipment that operates continuously (without interuption) with low energy consumption.

The processed product is undamaged, retains all beneficial substances, vitamins and nutrients. The advantage of the device is its versatility with a wide range of applications. The device can be configured to process different products (depending on the type of processing and product type) .:

• Soft seafood such as mussels without shell or shrimps
• Many types of pasta
• Vegetables
• Mushrooms
• A many others

Processes:

• Disinfection (helps destroy germs)
• Softening
• Deactivation of enzymes
• Partial removal of air from the product
• Partial removal of water from the product

The device allows blanching, cooking and subsequent cooling of the product. The machine is equipped with a vibrating feeder for even product delivery.

Continuity of production and uniformity of cooking, blanching and cooling is achieved thanks to independent belt conveyors in each section: sections are designed cascaded, ie. each section is lower than the previous one which provides automatic rotation of the product as it moves along the conveyor belt from section to section.

Each section is equipped with a special system of direct steam / water injection to the product with continuous filtration and water circulation. The system is designed to minimize steam / water costs. The cooling of the product may be by water, air or a combination of both. 

Hybrid heating system, including steam and electric, allows you to select the most optimal technological way of processing each specific product and increase performance. The device allows to regulate vibrating feeder, conveyor speed, temperature and time setting. At customer’s request it is possible to add sections, eg for washing, preheating, additional cooling, etc.

Blanching/cooking method

Depending on the type of product and the desired temperature, the blanching process can be carried out using steam, hot water or a combination of steam and air. For some pure steam applications, the NORMIT CB Belt Blancher can be used as a steam sterilizer.

Heating system The NORMIT CB belt blancher is equipped with a steam, electric or gas heating system. When using the steam heating method, a highly efficient water heating system in the steam flow is used, which makes it possible to reduce heat losses practically to zero and to ensure maximum economic efficiency of the device. The heating temperature is regulated in this case by the steam temperature (pressure) and the water temperature.

If there is only a low pressure steam in the customer’s factory, the conveyor blancher can optionally be equipped with a special additional heating section to ensure efficient use of the device at a steam pressure of 1 bar. When using electricity, heating is provided through a heat exchanger.

Filtration system NORMIT CB belt blanchers are equipped with a highly efficient and convenient filtration system. The smallest parts of the product that are carried along with the water are captured by a filter system with replaceable stainless steel screens. The filter can be cleaned while the blancher is running.

NORMIT CB Belt Blancher Zones In the basic version, the Belt Blancher consists of the product loading zone, the working zone with heating and the unloading zone. It is recommended to load the product using a vibratory loader that ensures even distribution of the product on the conveyor belt in the desired layer.

Depending on the type of product, it can be blanched with the pouring of water or by the administration of steam / water through adjustable pressure nozzles. Optionally at the customer’s request, the blancher can be equipped with a single or multiple product turning section for uniform heat treatment from all sides. Alternatively, the blancher can be equipped with a steam / hot water delivery system from the bottom of the conveyor belt.

Optionally, the NORMIT CB belt blanchers are equipped with an integrated or extended cooling section. Effective cooling allows the processing process to be terminated immediately, to obtain the product of exactly the required degree of readiness and to prepare it for further processing or packaging. Cooling can be carried out by immersion in ice water or pouring with ice water or blowing cold air.

To remove excess water and fine product particles, it is possible (on request) to install after the cooling section the so-called. “Air knife” section.

Properties of the NORMIT CB Belt Blanchers The Belt Blanchers have a reliable common frame to ensure the stability of the entire structure, even with larger machine dimensions. The split lifting lid provides easy access to all internal parts of the blancher for maintenance. The blancher is cleaned using CIP heads connected to the CIP station system. NORMIT CB blanchers are made exclusively from food grade stainless steel AISI304. The conveyor belt is made of PVC or stainless steel, depending on the processing temperature and the sprinkling density of the product.

Versatility A wide range of configuration options of NORMIT CB belt blanchers allows you to choose the optimum device for any application. Possibility of blanching with steam and water in one device, which allows to process different products in one blancher. Any heat transfer medium, also low pressure steam. 

Stainless steel or PVC conveyor belt. Integrated or extended water or air cooling section. Possibility to install any optional equipment. The performance of the conveyor blancher is determined by the bulk density of the product on the belt and the processing time, changing depending on the product type. The standard model range includes blanchers with a belt width from 400 to 2000 mm.

Blanching unique culinary technology

Video