FDBusiness.com

Dramatically reduce cooking/processing time for soups, sauces and ready meals whilst at the same time improving quality. The PDX^TM reactor can mix, heat, induct powders, pump and homogenise simultaneously with unequalled performance. Since Olympus Automation’s acquisition of PDX^TM in April 2013, the results have been quite staggering:

• Greencore have been able to double sauce output, producing 10 batches in the same time it took to produce 5.
• RF Brookes have realised improved product quality, increased throughput and reduced energy costs.
• Larco Foods have reduced production time for their soups and sauce by more than 50%
• Health benefits are generated from the improved mixing process that allows certain ingredients such as salt to be reduced with zero taste difference.

How It Works

The PDX^TM Reactor is essentially an extremely advanced steam injector cooker. It can be used in the production of water based liquid food products such as soups, sauces and ready meals. For cooking sauce and soups in a vessel, a PDX^TM Reactor would be situated on a lance within the vessel and controlled via the Plc. Steam is injected into the reactor and due to the contouring of the reactor; a supersonic vortex is created that sucks ingredients through; heating and mixing simultaneously at incredible speeds. Using the PDX^TM Reactor 1000kg of bechamel sauce can be made in 17 minutes, or 1000kg of Tomato Sauce in 6 minutes with no requirement to pre-slurry ingredients such as starch or gum, there is also no requirement for external homogenisation. Other sauces such as sate and ready meal mixes can also be processed. The fast processing times and superior mixing leads to savings in a number of key areas for food producers.

Exceptional Efficiencies

Food producers are consistently searching for greater efficiencies because of the highly demanding nature of the food industry; the PDX^TM Reactor is a step change in the production of soups sauces and ready meals. Greencore have made substantial savings by using the PDX^TM reactor; 10 batches can be produced in the time it used to make 5 with significant labour savings. Furthermore, compared to traditional methods, the PDX^TM Reactor has a very high rate of energy transfer and energy consumption has been reduced by up to 40%, realised at R.F. Brookes in the production of ready meals and sauces.

“PDX^TM technology has made a substantial difference in improving our efficiency of sauce production. We are typically producing 10 batches in the time it used to take 5 with significant labour savings,” says Martin Tranmer, Group Engineering, Greencore.

Increased Quality

A major issue in traditional production methods is that meat and vegetables chunks in ready meals and sauces are damaged and become mashed and squashed. The PDX^TM Reactor has no moving parts so a superior particulate integrity is achieved for soups and sauces containing fruit, meat and vegetables. Additionally, with a PDX^TM Reactor there is no product burn on as there are no contact heat surfaces, meaning sauces taste better and cleaning time is significantly reduced. At one of the largest seafood companies in Japan producing bechamel sauce cleaning down-time was reduced to single figures thanks to the elimination of burn-on.

Ingredient Reduction

Superior mixing and direct entrainment into the In-Line PDX^TM reactor allows for the reduction of ingredients as all powders are fully integrated into the fluid and simultaneously mixed, heated and homogenised. Rather than having clumps of powders such as flour or gum, all are integrated evenly and fully homogenised. There are obvious economic benefits to ingredient reduction but health benefits can be achieved with reductions in ingredients such as salt. As high salt consumption has been recognised as a major world problem, because of its links to heart disease, this presents a major selling point for producers and retailers.

“We have also seen an increase in the flavour profile of our product which will lead us to the possibility of reducing ingredients such as salt, spices and flavour enhancers making our products healthier for our customers,” says Jan Kusters, Manufacturing Director, Larco Foods.

Health Benefits

Global health officials have called for a 30% salt reduction target, and given the increased consumer reliance on ready meals, soups and sauces, the food industry has been put under increased pressure to reduce salt content of products. The PDX^TM Reactor gives the opportunity to maintain the taste that consumers have come to expect whilst at the same time reducing the amount of certain ingredients. 

For further information on the innovative PDX™ Reactor and its applications in food, please visit www.olympus-automation.co.uk or call +44 (0)1733 394700.