Mechanically separated meat (MSM) and emulsions are essential ingredients in various food products, such as sausages, chicken nuggets, and minced meats. The processing and cooking of these products must be energy-efficient to save costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While different meat sources and products have varying processing requirements, choosing methods to minimise energy use is crucial.
Traditional methods involve cooking in batches using large steam-powered kettles or pressure vessels. However, this approach is highly inefficient, as each vessel must be heated from scratch for every new batch, resulting in significant heat loss when emptying the vessel.
Continuous processing using a scraped surface heat exchanger, such as the HRS R Series or Unicus Series, is a more energy-efficient alternative. The HRS R Series employs a rotating action to scrape the tube surface and a helix to push material through the heat exchanger, ensuring thorough mixing and heat distribution. This method suits products like MSM, meat emulsions, and co-products destined for the pet food market.
For products where the robust mixing action of the R Series may damage the product, the HRS Unicus Series is preferred. This design uses a reciprocal action to prevent fouling of the heat exchanger and ensure thorough product heating. Once the unit reaches the required temperature, only the heating medium is needed to maintain the temperature, saving energy compared to batch processing.
Continuous processing is also advantageous in the cooling process, allowing for heat generation where the heat removed during cooling can be returned to pre-heat the product, reducing the need for additional energy for heating. Economic savings are achieved by eliminating the need to fill and empty separate cooking vessels, and cleaning-in-place (CIP) can be performed when needed rather than between each smaller batch.
HRS has successfully implemented continuous processing solutions to replace batch-cooking and cooling systems. One example is a Colorado-based manufacturer of sauces and soups that increased manufacturing capacity by transitioning to a continuous process using HRS products.
HRS complete systems include scraped surface heat exchangers, transfer pumps, balance tanks, additional heat exchangers for pre-heating and pre-cooling, and auxiliary equipment like CIP systems and steam-powered hot water sets. These systems feature simple controls and a compact footprint to integrate seamlessly into existing production facilities.
