commissary INSIDER - May 2017 - 6

Equipment:

Keeping freezing
operations eﬃcient
by Joanie Spencer

he science of baking is all about
changing something from one
state to another. In that respect,
freezing can play a critical role in the
baking process, in a variety of ways
and for a variety of reasons. In essence, freezing stops time.

them. Regardless of the purpose -
whether to halt a par-baked product
or preserve the shelf life of a finished
one - freezers must remain in tip-top
working condition to do their jobs efficiently and keep the rest of the line
moving as it should.

It can also speed up the process for many
customers. Foodservice and in-store bakeries want quick solutions such as thawand-sell or par-baked products when
time, labor and equipment are on limited
supply. In some cases, freezing could
even be used as a distribution strategy,
as when a soft product like sliced bread
needs to retain its shape and freshness
during the shipping process.

Balance is everything

Freezers work continuously in an
extreme, often unforgiving, climate
and with high production levels, and
should something go wrong, it affects not only the process but also the
people responsible for maintaining

In the spirit of efficiency, a baker should
consider certain variables to achieve optimal freezing.
First, there is setting the right temperature for the product being frozen, and
second is freezing in the right amount of
time. Freezing too slowly will potentially dry out the product or too quickly at
very low temperatures can kill the yeast,
according to Peter White, president, IJ
White Systems. The third variable, he
suggested, is the system's air flow design.
"The proper control of the air moving
through the product zone is essential

A GOOD DEFROSTING SYSTEM CAN BOOST UPTIME.
PHOTO: KAAK GROUP

for uniform freezing." With hundreds of
freezers in operation, IJ White has the experience and database to guide bakers in
finding the right balance between these
three critical factors.
Ashley Morris, sales manager, the Kaak
Group, agreed that these critical factors
require careful consideration in freezing.
"It takes much time, as well as a very efficient airflow, to take that heat out of the
center of products," he said.
Of course, the harder a product is to
freeze, the longer it will take. This is
something Jon Hocker, director of technology and product line management,
JBT Corp., explained as a matter of
conduction (heat movement within the
product) vs. convection (air movement
around the product), thus, bringing time
and airflow together.
Timing can also affect the economics
of running a freezer, according to Mr.
Hocker, and it, too, involves a balancing
act. While slow freezing at a higher temperature may result in a lower monthly
power cost, it also might require a larger
equipment footprint. Faster freezing isn't
always better, and it's all about that balance. "Timely freezing for JBT means
that all factors are weighed and the freezing solution achieves the lowest all-in
cost of freezing," he said.

Planning ahead
LINDE'S DESIGN ALLOWS WORKERS TO SEE, FEEL OR TOUCH COMPONENTS TO KNOW IF THEY'RE WORKING.
PHOTO: LINDE

6 * MAY 2017

commissary INSIDER

The goal is always - aside from periodic
maintenance - to keep freezers working
in optimal condition at all times. But let's
face it: Sometimes, things break ... and

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of commissary INSIDER - May 2017