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Category Archive: Vegetable Processing Equipment

Tag Archive: Vegetable Processing Equipment

  1. Growing Demand for Frozen Vegetables Calls for Advanced Manufacturing Equipment

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    Vegetables are a key part of any healthy diet, providing essential nutrients that are hard to find in other foods. Whether paired with a meal or enjoyed on their own, they’re a delicious and versatile choice.

    However, fresh vegetables come with some challenges. They’re often seasonal, which means they can be expensive and less flavorful when bought out of season. Plus, they have a short shelf life, limiting how long you can enjoy them.

    Fortunately, frozen vegetables offer a great solution. Available year-round at almost any grocery store, frozen veggies are convenient, last longer, and are usually just as tasty and nutritious as fresh ones. They’re often more affordable too, making them a go-to option for many families.

    Consumers Like it Cold

    The frozen vegetable industry continues to grow. According to a 2024 report from Grand View Research, the global frozen food market (frozen fruits, vegetables, ready meals) was valued at over $194 billion in 2023, with a projected annual growth rate of 5.4% from 2024 to 2030. This surge is driven by consumers’ focus on healthy eating and the convenience of quick-prep meals, especially in today’s fast-paced world.

    Frozen veggies are a perfect fit for modern lifestyles. As more people aim to eat healthier, they’re seeking out time-saving options that don’t compromise nutrition. The rise of home cooking trends, including meal-prep and freezer-friendly recipes, has made frozen vegetables a pantry essential. Additionally, improved access to refrigeration and freezing technology across the globe has opened up the market to more consumers, particularly in developing countries.

    How Frozen Vegetables are Made

    Have you ever noticed labels boasting that veggies were frozen just hours after harvesting? It’s true, but there’s more to the story. Before vegetables are frozen, they go through a crucial step called blanching.

    Blanching involves briefly heating the vegetables in hot water or steam, which helps to kill bacteria and deactivate enzymes that could spoil the food. This process also preserves the color, flavor, and texture, ensuring the veggies taste fresh when you cook them later. After blanching, the vegetables are quickly cooled, sorted, and frozen.

    Turning Up the Heat

    Blanching needs to be done precisely to ensure the vegetables maintain their quality. Typically, vegetables are heated to around 212°F for a quick blanch or 150°F for a warm blanch, depending on the vegetable. After blanching, they’re cooled to around 100°F.

    Manufacturers rely on efficient equipment to heat and cool the vegetables quickly while minimizing energy use. One of the best tools for this process is a shell and tube heat exchanger. These systems can be used to control the temperature of the heating medium for blanching and recover heat energy lost during the process. This heat recovery can reduce energy consumption, saving manufacturers money while keeping the process sustainable.

    Improving Your Vegetable Processing Operation

    Frozen vegetable manufacturers need to focus on efficiency, quality, and safety. At Enerquip, we specialize in designing and fabricating shell and tube heat exchangers for almost any process. Talk to our team of engineers today to find the perfect solution for your vegetable processing operation.

     

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  2. Why floor space is vital for food processing facilities

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    Food processing facilities have to ensure the highest safety standards while handling food products for consumption. Bacteria can grow in damp areas or on equipment if it is not properly cleaned. While this all might sound simple and basic enough, floor space is actually very critical to a processing plant’s operations.

    Easily cleanable materials

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Guidance Regulation report for Retail Food Protection explained that surface characteristics for indoor areas have to be both smooth and cleanable. The report added that areas that are highly prone to moisture such as food preparation areas, walk-in refrigerators, bathrooms or washing areas should have nonabsorbent surfaces for easier cleaning.

    “Walls and ceilings may be constructed of a material that protects the interior from the weather and windblown dust and debris,” the FDA report stated.

    Flooring and spacing

    The factory floor material should be smooth, waterproof and hard with an anti-slip finishing preventing injuries, the Food and Beverage Reporter stated. Additionally, some processing facilities that work with meat cutting should have cutting done in separate rooms to prevent any cross contamination on the facility’s other products.

    “In open food areas in particular, a high performance and functional floor which fulfills the requirements of the HACCP International Food Standard (IFS), those for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and also workplace safety, forms the basis for quality and high-value products in the meat industry,” said Gary Johnson, business section manager for Performance Flooring, according to the source.

    The spaces in these areas have to be open so workers are able to move around heavy machinery and other large pieces of equipment, comfortably and safely. The open spaces also allow for easier cleaning so stray food products don’t get lost or avoided during cleaning periods.

    Certain pieces of equipment can take up large amounts of space in food processing facilities. However, larger critical pieces of equipment like shell and tube heat exchangers can be customized specifically to the facility to create more floor space throughout a manufacturing facility. They can also be mounted vertically, overhead, or in a mezzanine area.

    Handling multiple cleanings

    Flooring and process equipment has to be able to withstand numerous cleanings since sanitary practices are followed each and every day, since food processing facilities are able to build up bacteria quickly.

    “Puddling of cleaning solutions, if allowed to evaporate, may lead to deposits on the surface and ‘water marks’ which can be hard to remove subsequently,” Johnson said, according to Food and Beverage Reporter. “It follows that removal of cleaning solutions and adequate rinsing is required to keep your floor looking its best. Contaminants that could quickly spoil food must be removed with suitable processes in defined cleaning cycles.”

    Proper walkways and spaces

    For food processing facilities, finished food products could be contaminated when exposed to raw products nearby. According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, facilities have to create appropriate walkways for unpackaged food and finished products so they do not rest or move around one another.

    To create these types of spaces, customizing heat exchangers to fit appropriately in the facility could clear enough room to make necessary walkways. When it comes to food preparation, sanitation, cleaning and efficient use of floor space are all necessary.

    Editor’s note: This content was originally published in 2015 but was updated in 2024.

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