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COOLING AND FREEZING
CRACKERS
Gentle and fast product cooling As crackers exit the oven, the cooling process is important to guarantee product quality and a long shelf life. A gentle cooling process will ensure the delicate product’s integrity until it is ready to be consumed.
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Prior to entering packaging, crackers must be cooled down to a specific temperature. If the crackers are too warm, condensation can occur in the sealed package. Alternatively, if they are too cool, the crackers will be brittle and become stale faster. The moisture level of the final product is critical to achieving and preserving the desired texture, which also results in a long shelf life of the snack. Crackers are baked to a low moisture content, usually between 1.52.5%. This doesn’t leave room for errors. Any form of stress on the product needs to be carefully avoided, including from the product’s cooling process. New improvements A decrease in both moisture and temperature occurs as the crackers are transferred to the cooling conveyor. If these values change too quickly, cracks can appear on the product surface. The new cooling tunnel system from Reading Bakery Systems (RBS), however, can handle the process quickly and efficiently, while avoiding product distortion or checking. This new machine is designed in modular form to flexibly meet any space and capacity requirements. “Customers can add multiple sections to suit their plant or process needs. The modules are equipped with upper and lower fans, each with individual speed control. This allows operators to adjust the amount of air blown across the top and bottom of the crackers,” Reading Bakery Systems details. Operators have access to make the adjustments they need on the touchscreen control interfaces for quick and easy changes.
www.bakingbiscuit.com 06/2021
The goal of the newly designed equipment was efficient cooling in a smaller footprint. This was achieved by directing the air onto the product, and adding independent upper and lower speed differentials for the air moving across the crackers. This cooling conveyor is also designed with access doors along the entire chamber. This allows for easy cleaning and maintenance. Operators can use either brushes or vacuums for cleaning out cracker fines. The temperature of the environment is taken into consideration and even channeled to help the process: the equipment features fresh air intakes on the top of the cooling chamber to provide adjustable flow over the products. Compared to a previous design, the air in this new ambient cooling conveyor is more directed towards the product, and access to the air filtration cartridges and air handling blowers can be handled without ladders. Cartridges can now be changed or cleaned without the use of tools. “The modular sections also greatly improve the time required for installation,” RBS underlines. A new lineup The cooling technology it incorporates uses direct impingement air nozzles with independently controlled air handling blowers; a makeup that also helps achieve space savings on the production floor. By adding forced ambient air cooling, the amount of cooling space needed is minimized. “Reducing the equipment’s footprint means the space in the plant can be utilized for other items, or the plant, in general, can
