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Rolls, bagels and buns: Industrial-scale challenges and new solutions
Buns, rolls and bagels made easy
(part I) Replicating traditional methods of preparing buns, bagels and rolls on an industrial scale is a task with an extensive list of challenges, to achieve high-volume, consistent results. Flexibility and innovation joined in dedicated production lines help provide the answers for endless product variations.
+Over-night fermentation, the perfect round shape, a crusty, shiny appearance or topped with sesame seeds – the most prized characteristics of buns, bagels, or rolls can quickly become the challenges in industrial manufacturing, either in the case of traditional products and processes or when introducing new, hybrid product innovations. New and updated technology solutions also provide the best answers to all challenges for the processes involved, and help improve overall efficiency. Notable examples we looked into include Koenig’s new generation of roll lines – the KGV Plus, and the latest addition, KGV EC that was just launched at iba. CONNECTING EXPERTS mid-March, the MECABAGEL – recently developed by Mecatherm and partner-turned-groupcolleague ABI Ltd., and the Multipurpose Line for specialty breads developed by Minipan.
Koenig: the very latest in roll lines
The new KGV EC has taken cleaning and accessibility of this technology range one step further, with features incorporated in what is now one of the most powerful lines built by Koenig. Its default configuration includes a choice of 26 products, including Kaiser rolls, rose rolls, pretzel rolls, as well as cut or convoluted rolls, with other customizations also possible. The line can be built in various working widths and has a capacity of 46,800 pieces per hour in a 1,200mm working width and a 12-row operation. The ‘Easy Clean’ design is reflected in a new type of frame structure, with sloping surfaces at a 45° angle, to prevent residue build up. The drives are completely encapsulated from the dough area and large door elements offer easy access for cleaning and maintenance. The line has a floor clearance of at least 200mm and pull-out drawers under the entire system allow easy cleaning. When designing the line, welded constructions were largely preferred to screw connections. “The new KGV EC bun line features high performance with up to 65 strokes/minute in Easy Clean Design. Bakeries save precious time on cleaning and maintenance and have maximum line availability and the highest production output,” highlights Wolfgang Staufer, Koenig’s CEO. Its open design and accessibility also allow faster changeovers. Even the stamping station of the KGV EC follows this design principle and favors easy accessibility. One person can easily change the stamping tools, no tools needed.
König: The KGV-EC line
+Various working widths + 50 to 65 strokes/min, depending on the product + 46,800 pieces per hour in 1,200mm working width and 12-row operation + Configurable pre-proofer with, for example, 750 usable swings at 50 strokes/min (proofing time of 15 minutes) or at 60 strokes/min (proofing time of 12.5 minutes).
ABI-Mecatherm: The MECABAGEL line
+Floor area: 1,800m² (excluding packaging) - 90m x 20m + Reference production capacity: 28,000 bagels per hour + Reference rate of production: 320 trays per hour + Dimensions of fermentation and cooling trays: 2,000mm x 800mm
© ABI-Mecatherm
The KGV plus line, the predecessor in this family, features the highest performance for a Koenig bun line. Also, the line can process doughs with chunks (chocolate, nuts, etc.), which extruder lines often cannot handle, adds the specialist. KGV plus bun line offers an hourly output of approx. 60,000 pieces in 12-row operation; it was awarded with the ASB Innovation Award 2019 and with the iba Award 2018. It consists of the new T-Rex AW high-performance dough divider and rounder, pre-proofer, forming station and an innovative belt stamping station for bagel and donut production, the company details. With specially designed rounding ledges, the T-Rex AW achieves an output of 100 strokes/min. for gentle and smooth dough piece rounding. For this high performance, the line has a relatively small footprint. For efficiency optimization, “The entire process needs to be coordinated for high-performance lines to guarantee consistent quality. For such high volumes, dough mixing is particularly important and must be timed precisely. Whether customers use continuous mixing systems or stand-alone mixers, the batch production must be coordinated with processing on the make-up line,” explains Staufer.
Mecatherm & ABI Ltd. spells bagel mastery
A typical bagel line processes around 7,000 pieces per hour for each forming setup. ABI Ltd. has built machines that can feature six such forming setups, sustaining production of up to 40,000 bagels per hour on one line. ABI Ltd. provided the make-up and boiling solutions in its partnership with Mecatherm to develop this line. The French specialist brought expertise for the proofing, retarding, baking, cooling and freezing sections of the systems. The two engineering teams had the experience of working together to develop the MECABAGEL line, prior to becoming Group colleagues this year. The MECABAGEL line was built as a response to market trends they have been observing. “One of the major challenges in the automated production of bagels is forming it, because of the dough’s density, which for bagels is quite stiff, with a low hydration level. Traditionally, the dough had been cut manually into individual pieces, and rolled by hand. This method, however, cannot support mass production,” Alex Kuperman, ABI Ltd.’s CEO underlined. The hard dough influenced the mechanics of the forming device, in order to be able to pull the dough through the mandrel (as the dough gets sheeted, it is wrapped around the mandrel). Another challenge is in ensuring the ring is uniform, concentric. A slight misalignment will impact the shape of the bagel. Additionally, the bagel must maintain its consistent round shape throughout processing. Placing the bagels on a proofing board also poses challenges, a pattern must be identified that doesn’t allow the products to be too close to each other to prevent them from ‘kissing’. The molding process is by its nature unreliable, ABI’s CEO points out. As the reciprocator places the product onto the board, the bagels are monitored by sensors on each lane, with the signal received at this level compared to a master signal on the divider. If the timing is offset, speed adjustments will help correctly align the bagels. “We take substantial care in ensuring that we are in the correct position with our equipment,” he adds. To maintain their shape throughout processing, product transfers should be avoided as much as possible until they reach the oven – from belts to different kinds of bakeware. To do that, Mecatherm uses proofing boards or peelboards to convey the product through the proofer and retarder, and on its way to boiling and baking, as François Retailleau, product manager explains. Fermentation and retarding can also be challenging to perfect, in order to achieve a result similar to artisan-made bagels. Temperature control between warm and cold zones and homogeneity in the air distribution are key to this, and sensors in the proofing and retarding rooms help ensure the necessary settings are maintained. As the peelboards exit the retarder, the product
is picked up by a wing-shaped device called “scrabbler” to be sent to the boiler. As products tend to stick to the board, this is a crucial step, and and the appropriate design of the wing profile ensures the bagels will not change shape and positioning during this transfer. A top roller that is adjustable in height will help at this stage, as it applies very slight pressure at the top of the product to help it climb on the wing and not slide back. Next comes cooking or boiling the bagel, which with this line can be done either by submerging the product (the traditional method) or by exposing the lower side of the bagel to a bottom bath and the rest to multiple waterfalls (this impacts the heat needed to boil, with the added benefit of steam resulting in the boiling chamber). The new line eliminated a heat exchanger from inside the boiler to make equipment cleaning easier. “For automatic cleaning, there are Sweepers within the system that ensure automatic cleaning and also act as a filtration system for the water as it is running,” adds Nelson Leite, vice president of Sales and Marketing, ABI Ltd. The product requires a lot of energy from the start to ensure both a quality bake and the dough from sticking. For the baking process itself, “Depending on the kind of product you want to obtain, there are several hearth technologies, or baking can be done on a wire mesh belt. These will influence the choice in the oven technology as well,” Retailleau illustrates the various options of bringing heat to the product. The MECABAGEL line comes in two versions: the more traditional setup features a cyclothermic oven (plain hearth carrier), and the newer technology line includes the M-TA oven (precise control over the amount, location and type of heat – convection or radiation). Both allow setting up a tailor-made baking curve, with humidity control to give the product its shiny finish. This typically means convection from the bottom at the start of the baking process, usually followed by radiation. Some convection heating will help to bake the product faster, which counts towards the overall efficiency, the most important characteristic of any oven.
Minipan and Multipurpose versatility
With a Multipurpose line by Minipan, you can produce buns, bread rolls, hot dog buns, tin bread, bisnaguinha and many other types of products. It is the line the Italian specialist recommends to manufacturers looking for flexibility in production: in this case, with a single line they can achieve a great variety of products, maximizing their capital investment. Franco Fusari, co-owner and sales director, shared with us the concept of this line’s design: “Since the respect for the recipe is a cornerstone at Minipan, the customization of the line is just a consequence. Collaboration with expert technologists allows a deeper study of the customers’ recipes and methods, and it improves the creation of a tailor-made line.” Efficiency also influences the design of this versatile line. It has a high degree of flexibility packed in a small footprint. Fusari suggests that this “Makes the Multipurpose line a ‘future-proof’ investment.”
+Can shape many different breads, from hamburger buns to tin bread, hot dog rolls and molded breads + The RAFFINATORE: punch and fold technology is at the core of the line + Equipped with proprietary Scrap Free technology + High versatility, with respect for traditional recipes and baking methods
Besides, significant recipe cost savings are possible thanks to the RAFFINATORE technology it incorporates, which works to improve the gluten network naturally, without the use of any improvers while supporting the use of weaker (and cheaper) types of flour. Using fewer ingredients means cleaner-label claims can be achieved, a very valuable selling point for cutting-edge bakers,” he underlines. At the core of the line is the RAFFINATORE: punch and fold technology used as a sheet generator to homogenize the air cells distribution inside the crumb. The “RAFFINATORE brings back the process used by ancient bakers. This machine generates a sheet of dough, folds it, and after rotating the folded sheet, restarts the process for a defined number of times,” explains Fusari. It provides a more uniform structure to the dough, while homogenizing the dimensions and the distribution of the air cells. Since the speed of a single RAFFINATORE is fixed, industrial capacities can be achieved (up to 6 tons per hour) by installing an incremental number of machines. Read the second part of this article in baking + biscuit international, issue 3, including challenges and solutions embedded in technology, product trends and versatility in this segment.
