Interfood meets the bacon slicing challenge

28-Mar-2019 - Last updated on 28-Mar-2019 at 12:02 GMT

Interfood Technology's Textor slicers are designed to "withstand high capacity bacon processing"

Two models in the Textor range can overcome the challenge of effective bacon slicing in a high-capacity environment, supplier Interfood Technology has claimed.

The Textor TS700 and Textor TS750 slicers were “built to withstand the demands of high-capacity bacon processing”, the Buckinghamshire-based supplier said. Both Weber-made machines were geared towards fast changeover and hygiene to ensure maximum uptime and operational efficiency, Interfood added.

They can be supplied as application-specific for either retail or bulk production or, if required, as flexible lines to carry out a combination of both tasks. For bulk bacon applications, a capacity of up to 4,000kg an hour was possible in a compact footprint, it claimed.

In addition, the Textor machines can slice two products simultaneously – an advantage during high capacity bacon production.

The company said the Textor machines matched the performance of the “industry-proven” Weber 904 series twin log retail bacon slicers. Interfood also offers the Weber 804 and 604 series for lower-capacity retail and high-quality premium bacon lines. These have Involute or round blade systems optimised to a product operating in a single log format.

Interfood’s Alco ACB cordon-bleu slicer can handle products made from a variety of raw materials. These include cordon-bleu, Kiev cutlets, butterfly steaks and grill pockets. The ACB comes with stationary knives that cut into products as they pass along two tracks, guided by an upper and lower belt.

Meanwhile, Emerson Automation Solutions has debuted its cleaner cutting technology.

The business has been demonstrating how its ultrasonic cutting technology can help food manufacturers deliver what it claims is a cleaner and better-quality cut.

The Peterlee, County Durham-based company said its Branson ultrasonic cutting systems used a vibrating blade to enable “smoother presentation” of the item being cut. This reduced breakage and product deformation, it claimed, resulting in less waste.

Unlike traditional blades, which could clog when cutting sticky foodstuffs such as caramel or fats, the ultrasonic blade kept cutting cleanly, eliminating the need for release agents, added the firm.

Depending on the product being cut, the blade’s high-frequency electrical energy can be at 20kHz, 30kHz or 40kHz. At 20kHz, the blade vibrates at 20,000 times a second, and can cut as deep as 5.5 inches and 14 inches in width.

The system is built from stainless steel and titanium and can be designed from one blade up to 15 blades depending on the customer’s cutting needs and yield requirements.

“Ultrasonic cutting is a cleaner and more efficient process compared with traditional cutting techniques,” said a company spokesperson. “This reduces the number of machine stops required for cleaning, which can improve productivity.”

Emerson said its systems could handle products that are soft, warm, hard, frozen and multi-layered. Food manufacturing customers were using its equipment to cut cakes, pies, granola bars, cheese and pizza dough, among other products, the company added.