Starfrost supplied a bespoke spiral chilling system for pizza bases at Bakkavor’s processing facility in Harrow, Middlesex. The fully automated in-line chiller features Starfrost’s innovative Frost Removal System for extended run times between defrosts.
The Helix spiral chiller has a processing capacity of 6,400 pizza bases an hour (1,900kg/h). It features a 81.3cm wide stainless steel conveyor belt around a single rotating stainless steel drum, with 32.5 spiralling tiers.
The system is designed to process 30.5cm pizza bases, at a rate of over 100 a minute. The freshly-baked product enters the in-line chiller at a temperature of 95°C and each individual pizza base is then chilled down to 3°C.
“The system enables Bakkavor to achieve significantly extended running times by maintaining evaporator efficiency, without the need to install complex and expensive sequentially defrosting evaporators,” says Starfrost sales director Robert Long.
Starfrost’s Helix spiral is suitable for freezing and chilling food that requires medium to long retention times, such as ready meals, poultry, pizza, potato products, fish, desserts, bakery products and ice cream.
The system is available in site built and compact assembled formats, with single drum, double-drum and twin-belt designs. It is available with a range of belt sizes and tier heights and can process from 500kg/h, to capacities over 6,000kg/h.
Contact: Starfrost