Processing of powder and dry products presents challenges and specific solutions, which require comprehensive knowledge of the characteristics of the product and its great variability

Food poisoning can be the ruin for a company of processing food, poisoning which in some cases have resulted from poor maintenance, but in many others, teams with no hygienic designs. solids components migsa as the particulate dry food management specialist, It has developed a wide range of solutions and hygiene equipment, which enable to avoid rejection of products and quality defects, and save many man hours in prevention of the contamination of the product. Processing of powder and dry products presents challenges and specific solutions, which require thorough knowledge of the characteristics of the product and its great variability, and only a close collaboration between the food, Installer and manufacturer of equipment allows for optimal and efficient solutions.

One of the situations most feared by all brands of food is an outbreak of food poisoning. For Snow Brand, important Japanese dairy food company, the 2000 was the year in which that nightmare became reality. 14,800 people were intoxicated by ' Staphylococcus aureus', after consuming dairy products.

Food contaminated by processing teams have been responsible for some of the major outbreaks of food poisoning in recent years, in addition to countless cases of rejection of products and quality defects. In some cases, these incidents have resulted from a maintenance of poor cleaning or not hygienic management of teams, but in many others, the cause is the design of the team. As the valve, which together with poor hygiene practices, he gave as a result one of the major outbreaks of food poisoning of history in Japan.

Food contaminated by processing teams have been responsible for some of the major outbreaks of food poisoning in recent years

Ésto Is an example of how an alone valve, can be a cause of problems of pollution potentially catastrophic for a manufacturer of foods. The dilapidated situations can warn partially, with the responsible and effective application of the APPCC (Analysis of Dangers and Critical Checkpoints) in the process, but when the equipment have not been designed with hygienic criteria, confront us to a very difficult work in the prevention of the pollution of the product, that suppose a lot of hours.

As in the majority of the questions, in the alimentary hygiene, the legislation of the EU has something that say on the subject of hygienic design of equipment that goes in in contact with foods. The new legislation on hygiene of the foods, that went in in force in January of 2006, defines that the design and the materials of manufacture employed, have to avoid the learning of zones inactivas, impurities, layers deposited, costras etc., that later can contaminate the product handled and besides the machine has to be designed for his easy cleaning.

Still being quite clear, as a general principle, is open to different interpretations, and associations as European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG), of which Migsa is a member, mark guidelines and guides to good practices for the attainment of hygienic designs.

Solids Components Migsa, with the aim of responding to increasingly demanding and the food industry-specific needs, introduced to the market a hygienic range of equipment. This new range is the result of the way begun several years ago in its bid to remain a point of reference in the market in regards to the design and manufacture of equipment for the handling of solid bulk and powder, with the r & d as the main axis of its strategic approach.

Bulk products have properties which vary extremely depending on the size and distribution of grain, angle of slope, humidity, temperature, and resistance to friction. To describe them also defines various characteristics such as "abrasive", "cohesive", "delicate", "hot", "wet", "does not flow", etc., and if Furthermore takes into account the great diversity of sources of raw materials at the international level, motivated by the globalization of the marketIt happens that products of the same name, with the same grain size and as chemical composition, show very mixed flow behavior, so that facilities that had been functioning properly, start having problems. It can not be defined easily a dry product within the meaning of the microbial stability, since this can slightly change from a product to another. As a general rule, it can be said that when the water activity is below 60%, it will be little or no microbial growth, which leads to the cleaning procedure preferred for dry particulate food processing as a dry cleaning.

Particulate dry food.

Consequently the requirements for individualized management of products in bulk and the development of appropriate procedures are especially high. The different properties of bulk materials were of critical importance when selecting the appropriate procedure process, both for cleaning and maintenance.

As a specialist in equipment designed for the management of solid bulk and powder, response to the major challenges of food industry for the processing of dry particulate food, has been developing equipment for the various stages of the processing of fooddischarge, dosing, transport, closure, etc., both General and specific criteria applying to solve food dry particulate handling, to prevent microbial contamination of food products, serving also the requirements of the food security of the corresponding rules of hygiene (EC machinery directive 2006/42/EC)(, In 1672-2 and EN ISO 14159 hygiene requirement) and the guidelines of the EHEDG.

Figure 1: Types of flow.

If you provide a download and storage with hygiene criteria it has developed a range of vibrant pumps that allow a flow mass for the unloading of silos and hoppers. With flow mass, at the time of downloading the entire product in bulk in the interior of the silo is on the move. On the contrary with the classic flow, central flow, only move partial sections of the product, which means that in the absence of a download complete silo or hopper is always stationary material of the first batch that will be mixing with the following, with a silo of flow mass problems are solved in a reasonable manner such as the of the "irregular flow of the product", of the "rapid flow of product", the "variable retention time" and the "lumping in time / inactive zones".

Figure 2: Extractor EVK Hygienic.

In addition the extractor has been designed with materials in contact with the product as GMP-/ FDA and surfaces polished with a standard Ra𕟨 roughness, 8μm. The design avoids the not drenables parties, to avoid possibility of bringing the product into voids, etc., where the dry material, with acute internal corners of (r) can accumulate<6>

One of the most contentious points of the vibrating extractor, elastic joints, have been developed to implement the latest recommendations of the various agencies and after research in our own test industrial plant, elastic joints are moored by means of double ring clampan of which is mounted on the end of the rigid part, to minimize dead zones that accumulate dry material.

Figure 3: Detail of elastic Union.

The rotary valves and gate valves are also widely used in food dry particulate handling processes.

Indeed, the rotary valves are probably the type of valve used in the industry. A hygienic design has been developed in response to the major challenges of these elements. In addition to proper selection of materials and surface qualities, has designed a rotary valve with a rotor of alveoli rounded of large radius of curvature and opened, passing through the axis of exclusive design, which through purging of gas (air)(, inert gas) keeps it clean.

Figure 4: Rotary valve RVP Hygienic.

Knowing that one of the most contentious points are flanged connections, we have responded to the Union of the valves, providing a few bottlenecks for welding, guided to the valve flanges and fitted with a hygienic design boards provide a completely secure Union clients.

In addition, the design incorporates guidance system to facilitate the disassembly that allows access to all parts of the valve through complete extraction of the rotor and guided the two lids open.

Figure 5: Connection embridada (Hygienic).

Figure 6: DKA gate Hygienic.

For the achievement of the hygienic gate valve, developed a gate with dishes and axes in one piece, thus eliminating one of the most contentious points, the Union between axis and dish to minimize risks. Other parties to contact the closing valve has covered with an inflatable Board, which incorporates, in itself, the closure of the passage of axes and eliminates the need for additional meetings between flanges, this board this made of a polyurethaneelastomer high abrasion resistance; with FDA certificate. Also it has provided the valve of a body split in two to facilitate maintenance and cleaning.

Figure 7: DKA party body.

For the transport of material processes, Migsa offers a range of solutions to the market, which is worth emphasising the pneumatic transport, which since 1970, with the apparent German of-PS-2-122858 of h. j. Linder, founder of Solids Components MigsaHe is described for the first time a procedure for the pneumatic transport by cartridges. The cartridge transport system has a special significance, since in addition to saving energy, it preserves both the products and the installation. It allows to carry large loads of product in the form of cartridges, up to 100 kilograms of product per each kilogram of air transport, at low speeds, from 0.5 up to five meters per second. Thus, prevents grain breakage and minimizing, abrasions of product, such as the wear in the installation. It has recently developed a new pneumatic pulsor toilet paper, which was presented at Powtech 2010 for the first time.

Figure 8: Pulsor (Hygienic).

The pulsor pneumatic of stainless steel, this designed to comply with the requirements of HACCP and GMP, a free from deadlocks, easy to clean design, suitable for cleaning in CIP, with Assembly connections free of the deadlocks, the cartridge seals approved by the FDA and surfaces polished with a defined surface roughness.

Hygienic processing dry food particulate, requires a specific study for each installation, which must have a close collaboration between user, the best connoisseur of the product to be processed, the installer and the equipment manufacturer, to thus give the safest solution to every need.