Baking & Snack - November 2019 - 66

DONUT TECHNOLOGY

Yeast-raised dough
is always developing
throughout the production
process until fried, which
halts the yeast activity.
entire system is designed for consistent and accurate
donut weights and minimum re-worked dough.

Automation and control
Yeast-raised dough is always developing throughout
the production process until fried, which halts the
yeast activity. To maintain consistency in the donuts'
size and quality - and avoid human errors - automatic controls monitor production and maintain
constant conditions throughout the process. "Due to
the full automation and having a constant process,
the products are equal in shape, size and color," said
Ken Weekes, international sales manager and product
manager, roll lines, WP Kemper.
This is particularly important at the proofer and fryer,
which are linked on high-capacity donut systems. When
a change is made in one system, it's going to affect the
other. "The ratio of proofing time to frying time becomes
fixed," Mr. Moline said. "Having extremely precise heat
and humidity control in your proofer is critical."

Dual-zoned proofers grant operators some of that
control in large systems. Each zone can be set up for
different temperatures, humidity levels and proofing
time to meet the product's needs. "We're able to offer
accurate and flexible climate control with dual zone
proofers that have completely independent heat and
humidity control," Mr. Moline said.
Topos Mondial's dual-zone donut proofers can be
powered with steam or electric heat and atomized water for the humidity. "We have very close temperature
sensing in the box to ensure we maintain the proper temperature by zone, and humidity control with
proper circulation is very key in a yeast-raised donut
proof box," said Damian Morabito, president, Topos
Mondial. The proof boxes also circulate the air using
variable speed rather than fixed. This also aids operators in controlling temperatures in both zones.
Temperature and humidity control are critical not
only for a consistent proof but also for accommodating fryer adjustments. As fry temperatures or times
change, so will the proof times, temperatures and
humidity levels. An automated system makes those
adjustments. "If there's an adjustment that has to be
made like frying or proofing time, the entire system
reacts in time," Mr. Moline said. "For example, if the
frying time is adjusted to be a bit shorter, the system
is going to run a little bit faster, so everything from
the very beginning of the dough former is going to
speed up accordingly."
Moline Machinery does this efficiently by supplying a single donut system. The sheeting, proofing and
frying are all on the same PLC rather than integrating

Finishing strong on donuts
Temperature is critical to the success
of yeast-raised donut production, and
the finishing and toppings are no exception. Donuts need to be cooled to
the right temperature, and icings and
glazes need to be kept at the optimal
temperature for processability.
"You want the proper amount
of adherence," said David Moline,
vice-president, sales and marketing, Moline Machinery. "You want to
maintain the glaze's proper color and
make sure you're getting the right
amount on the donut."
For a perfectly cooled donut,
conveyor length is critical. Donuts
cool as they travel between fryer

and finishing equipment, and bakers
need space to give product enough
time to cool down.
"We're able to supply the full system and therefore have full control
over the system design," Mr. Moline
said of Moline Machinery's capabilities. "We know it can be delivered
with the proper temperature, so
we can also supply all the handling
equipment so we're able to control
equipment process and ingredient
process because they need to work
together." Moline Machinery offers
glazing, half-icing and topping systems for donuts.
Belshaw developed systems for

66 Baking & Snack November 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

industrial heated icers and glazers to
provide effective temperature control
as well as a sequence of conveyor
belts that adjust to manage the flow
of icing or glazes.
Topos Mondial's glazers feature a
water-heated jacketed holding tank.
Bakers can also use an air curtain
after the glaze to remove excess
glaze. "In designing a good glazer,
you want to recirculate and maintain a good temperature, variable
speed and maintain a good curtain
quality," said Damian Morabito,
president, Topos Mondial. The
company also offers half-icing and
sugaring systems.

http://www.bakingandsnack.com

Baking & Snack - November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - November 2019