The Mepaco team engineers equipment and systems specific to the processing
application in each thermal processing project. In mixing and blending operations,
application engineering is especially important because product quality and efficiencies are
at stake. The food product, viscosity, texture, cycle times, and thermal processing
technology including agitator designs are considered in the best cooking equipment
solution. Here are a few examples of challenges that were solved by cooking solutions
customized to the processing application.
Challenge: A mega prepared foods processor needed to
accumulate flowable product after the cooking cycle, while waiting for downstream
operations.
Solution: Mepaco engineered heated Buffering Mixers which kept the
particulates in various densities in suspension until downstream operations signaled for
more product. A single agitator with an inner/outer ribbon was utilized to meet the
products’ homogeneous state required for quality targets for downstream filling
operations.
Challenge: A chicken processor required a scaled
tempering, tenderizing, cooking, and shredding solution to replace manual
processes.
Solution: Mepaco provided a 75 gallon double agitated
ThermaBlend Cooker with ribbon agitators that performed well in each processing stage. The
cooker was controlled to temper the meat, massage, tenderize, cook, shred, and finally blend
with a thickening sauce. All five processes were completed in the ThermBlend Cooker
solution, removing manual operations.
Challenge: A fruit pie filling manufacturer wanted to
streamline pie filling cooking and blending operations while maintaining product
integrity.
Solution: Mepaco engineered a ThermaBlend Cooker that
cooked and blended the fruit, then continued cooking when the sauce compound was added, then
cooled the filling within a short cycle to maintain product integrity and increase
efficiency. The agitator design was a single shaft with dual paddles and a scraper system to
prevent product burn-on during the cooking cycle, and blended ingredients with minimal
shear.
CLICK HERE for a video
introduction to the ThermaBlend Cooker.
