Hammer Mills in Juice Processing for Enhanced Juice Extraction

In recent years, the use of hammer mills in food processing has become increasingly prevalent, particularly in the juice industry. These powerful machines have revolutionized the way food materials are broken down, resulting in enhanced juice extraction and improved product quality. However, their impact goes beyond the processing stage, with economic and environmental considerations coming into play as well.

Understanding Hammer Mills and Their Function

Before delving into the impact of hammer mills on food processing, it is crucial to understand how these machines operate. Hammer mills are mechanical devices used to grind or crush various materials, such as grains, fruits, or vegetables, into smaller particles. They consist of a rotating shaft with free-swinging hammers that pulverize the feed material upon contact.

Hammer mills have been an integral part of food processing for centuries, evolving from simple hand-operated devices to highly efficient and automated machines. Their ability to reduce the size of materials plays a vital role in various industries, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing.

Basic Principles of Hammer Mills

The efficiency of hammer mills lies in their ability to generate high-speed impact forces. As the feed material enters the grinding chamber, the rotating hammers strike it with substantial force, breaking it down into smaller particles. The size reduction occurs through a combination of impact, shear, and attrition forces.

The impact force is the primary mechanism responsible for breaking the material into smaller pieces. The hammers, moving at high speed, collide with the feed material, transferring their kinetic energy and causing fractures. Shear forces come into play when the material is caught between the hammers and the grinding chamber’s walls, resulting in further fragmentation. Attrition forces, on the other hand, occur due to the rubbing and grinding action between the particles themselves.

Key Components of Hammer Mills

Hammer mills comprise several essential components that facilitate their function. These include the feed hopper, the grinding chamber, the rotor, and the screens. The feed material is introduced through the hopper and distributed evenly across the grinding chamber. The rotating rotor, equipped with hammers, applies the necessary force to break down the material, while the screens control the size of the final product.

The feed hopper is designed to ensure a steady and controlled flow of material into the grinding chamber. It prevents overloading and ensures that the material is evenly distributed, maximizing the efficiency of the grinding process. The size and shape of the hopper may vary depending on the specific application and the type of material being processed.

The grinding chamber is where the actual size reduction takes place. It is a cylindrical or rectangular space enclosed by sturdy walls that can withstand the impact forces generated during operation. The walls of the grinding chamber are often lined with replaceable wear-resistant plates to prolong the machine’s lifespan and maintain optimal performance.

The rotor, a central component of the hammer mill, is responsible for the rotational motion that drives the hammers. It is usually made of high-strength steel and designed to withstand the repetitive impact forces. The number, size, and arrangement of the hammers on the rotor can vary, depending on the desired particle size and the characteristics of the material being processed.

The screens in a hammer mill play a crucial role in controlling the size of the final product. They are perforated plates or wire mesh screens that allow particles of a certain size to pass through while retaining larger particles for further grinding. By selecting the appropriate screen size, operators can achieve the desired particle size distribution and ensure consistent product quality.

In conclusion, hammer mills are versatile machines that have revolutionized the food processing industry. Their ability to grind and crush various materials into smaller particles has made them indispensable in a wide range of applications. Understanding the basic principles and key components of hammer mills is essential for optimizing their performance and achieving desired outcomes.

The Role of Hammer Mills in Food Processing

Hammer mills play a crucial role in the food processing industry, particularly in the juice production process. Their impact can be seen in two main aspects: breaking down the food materials and enhancing juice extraction.

Breaking Down the Food Materials

Food materials used in juice production often have a fibrous or tough structure, such as fruits or vegetables. Hammer mills efficiently break down these materials, reducing their size and softening their texture. This process not only facilitates subsequent juice extraction but also improves the overall product consistency and quality.

When it comes to breaking down food materials, hammer mills are designed with precision and efficiency in mind. The hammers inside the mill rotate at high speeds, striking the food materials with force. This impact breaks down the fibers and tough structures, transforming them into smaller particles that are easier to handle and process.

Moreover, hammer mills offer versatility in terms of the desired particle size. By adjusting the speed and screen size of the mill, operators can control the final product’s texture and consistency. This flexibility allows food processors to tailor their products to meet specific market demands and consumer preferences.

Additionally, the breaking down of food materials by hammer mills helps to unlock the full potential of the ingredients. By breaking down the cellular structure, the nutrients and flavors are released, enhancing the overall taste and nutritional value of the juice.

Enhancing Juice Extraction

The size reduction achieved by hammer mills significantly increases the surface area of the food particles. This enlarged surface area allows for better extraction of juice during the subsequent pressing or squeezing processes. As a result, hammer mills contribute to higher juice yields and improve overall production efficiency.

During the juice extraction process, the broken down food materials are subjected to pressure, either through pressing or squeezing. The increased surface area resulting from the hammer mill’s size reduction process allows for more efficient extraction of the juice. This means that a larger volume of juice can be obtained from the same amount of food materials, maximizing the yield and reducing waste.

Furthermore, the enhanced juice extraction achieved by hammer mills leads to improved product quality. The extracted juice contains a higher concentration of flavors, nutrients, and natural colors, resulting in a more vibrant and flavorful final product. This is particularly important in the juice industry, where consumers seek products that are not only delicious but also packed with essential vitamins and minerals.

Moreover, the efficiency of hammer mills in enhancing juice extraction contributes to overall production efficiency. By obtaining higher juice yields, food processors can optimize their production processes and reduce costs. This increased efficiency allows for higher output and faster production cycles, meeting the growing demand for juice products in a timely manner.

In conclusion, hammer mills are indispensable in the food processing industry, specifically in juice production. Their ability to break down food materials and enhance juice extraction plays a vital role in improving product consistency, quality, and overall production efficiency. With their precision and versatility, hammer mills continue to revolutionize the way food materials are processed and juice is extracted, ensuring that consumers can enjoy delicious and nutritious juice products.

The Influence of Hammer Mills on Juice Quality

Hammer mills have long been recognized for their undeniable benefits in food processing. These versatile machines are capable of efficiently grinding a wide range of materials, making them a popular choice in the industry. However, concerns regarding their impact on juice quality have been raised, prompting further investigation into their effects.

Two main aspects warrant consideration when evaluating the influence of hammer mills in juice processing: the effect on nutrient retention and the impact on juice clarity and color.

Impact on Nutrient Retention

One potential concern is the loss of nutrients during the grinding process. Hammer mills generate heat due to friction, which may lead to the degradation of certain heat-sensitive nutrients. However, it is important to note that the extent of nutrient loss can be minimized through careful control of the grinding parameters and processing conditions.

By adjusting factors such as the speed of the hammer mill, the size of the screen, and the duration of the grinding process, operators can optimize nutrient retention. Additionally, implementing cooling mechanisms during the grinding process can help mitigate the heat generated, further preserving the nutritional value of the juice.

Furthermore, advancements in technology have led to the development of innovative hammer mill designs that incorporate features specifically aimed at minimizing nutrient loss. These designs prioritize efficient grinding while also prioritizing the preservation of vital nutrients, ensuring that the final product retains its nutritional value.

Effect on Juice Clarity and Color

Another consideration is the potential alteration of juice clarity and color caused by the grinding process. Hammer mills, by their nature, can introduce fine particles and suspended solids into the juice, which may affect its appearance.

However, it is important to note that modern hammer mills are equipped with advanced filtration systems that effectively remove these unwanted particles. By employing appropriate filtration techniques, such as centrifugation or sedimentation, operators can ensure that the juice maintains its pristine clarity.

Furthermore, optimizing process parameters, such as the speed and duration of the grinding process, can help minimize the introduction of fine particles into the juice. By carefully controlling these variables, operators can achieve a balance between efficient grinding and maintaining the desired clarity and color of the juice.

Additionally, advancements in hammer mill technology have led to the development of specialized screens and sieves that further enhance the clarity and color of the juice. These screens are designed to efficiently separate the desired juice from any unwanted particles, resulting in a visually appealing final product.

In conclusion, while concerns regarding the impact of hammer mills on juice quality are valid, it is important to recognize that these concerns can be effectively addressed through proper control of grinding parameters, the use of advanced filtration techniques, and the implementation of innovative hammer mill designs. By employing these strategies, operators can ensure that the juice retains its nutritional value and maintains its desired clarity and color, making hammer mills a valuable tool in the food processing industry.

The Economic Implications of Using Hammer Mills

When evaluating the impact of hammer mills on food processing, it is essential to consider the economic implications. Two key factors come into play: cost-benefit analysis and efficiency and productivity gains.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Implementing hammer mills in food processing operations involves initial capital investment. However, the cost can be justified by considering long-term benefits, such as improved juice extraction, enhanced product quality, and reduced manual labor requirements. Conducting a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis enables juice producers to make informed decisions regarding the adoption of hammer mills.

Efficiency and Productivity Gains

Hammer mills offer significant efficiency and productivity gains in food processing. Their ability to process larger volumes of feed material in a shorter time enhances overall productivity. Additionally, the consistent and homogeneous size reduction achieved by hammer mills improves the downstream processes, resulting in a streamlined production line and enhanced operational efficiency.

Safety and Environmental Considerations

Alongside the technical and economic aspects, safety and environmental considerations play a crucial role in the utilization of hammer mills in food processing.

Safety Measures in Operating Hammer Mills

Due to their mechanical nature, hammer mills require appropriate safety measures to ensure operator and equipment safety. These measures may include protective guarding, emergency stop systems, and regular maintenance and inspection procedures. Implementing these safety protocols is essential to safeguard personnel and prevent accidents during the operation of hammer mills.

Environmental Impact of Hammer Mill Operations

It is imperative to assess the environmental impact associated with the use of hammer mills. Factors such as noise pollution, energy consumption, and waste generation should be considered. Implementing energy-efficient systems, noise reduction measures, and proper waste management practices can minimize the environmental footprint of hammer mill operations, aligning with sustainable and responsible business practices.

The Impact of Hammer Mills in the Juice Industry is Undeniable

These powerful machines have transformed the way food materials are broken down, leading to enhanced juice extraction and improved product quality. Furthermore, the economic implications, safety considerations, and environmental aspects associated with hammer mill operations cannot be overlooked. By understanding and addressing these aspects, juice producers can harness the full potential of hammer mills, achieving efficient and sustainable food processing in the juice industry.

Industrial food grinders for the food processing industry – there’s a lot of confusion around these unique pieces of equipment. Specifically, many people don’t understand what they are and what they’re not, and how to tell whether using one would benefit an organization. This is especially true for organizations that have since relied on batch equipment and aren’t sure when they should make the switch to industrial machinery. With that in mind, we’re going to spend this blog talking about what commercial food grinders are and what they’re not, and how to decide when you need to purchase one.

What an Industrial Grinder is Not

An industrial food grinder is not a piece of equipment used for short-batch processes that are manually intensive. You would not find one in the home kitchen, for example. These are large, industrial-grade pieces of machinery that deliver output and uniformity. As a general rule, these grinders tend to exist in highly automated and controlled processes. They’re popular in settings where companies are trying to create uniform products in uniform batches. This makes them perfect for commercial food production, for example. They’re also a popular go-to in the world of continuous processing, where they stand to enhance productivity. While not everyone needs an industrial grinder, most operations reach a point where their old batch-style machines can’t keep up, so they decide to introduce some more powerful equipment.

When to Invest in an Industrial Grinder for Your Operation

How do you know when it’s time to purchase an industrial grinder? How can you tell when this equipment would benefit your organization? Here are a few signs it’s time to make the change:

You’re running multiple commercial pieces of equipment. If you want to consolidate your size reduction operation, adding a single commercial food grinder can be a great option. In many cases, this industrial system does the job of several pieces of equipment in one. By improving the versatility of your operation, you stand to save time, money, and effort.
You’re wearing out your commercial equipment and have begun buying more batch-style equipment. Batch-style food processing equipment is an excellent option, up to a point. Eventually, however, most commercial food production operations start to outgrow their batch equipment. When you realize you’ve started adding additional equipment to meet production requirements, it’s a great time to add an industrial grinder. Adding industrial equipment, rather than duplicating your existing batch equipment, will help level up your output, while also mitigating issues like a lack of uniformity.
Your rate is too slow. If you need to go from hundreds of pounds of production an hour to thousands of pounds of production an hour, it’s time to invest in an industrial food grinder. Not only will this machine increase your output, but it will result in a higher-quality product that can also increase your sales.
You need more sanitary equipment. Sanitation is an ongoing concern in the food processing industry. If you need more sanitary food production equipment, an industrial grinder is a great option. Designed not only for efficiency but also for sanitation and ease of use, these pieces of equipment make compliance easy.
You need a higher quality product. Industrial grinders can enhance the quality of your product and generate more sales for your company. This, in turn, builds your bottom line and makes it easier to grow your operation accordingly.

Choosing the Right Industrial Grinder for Your Needs

If you’re going to invest in an industrial grinder, quality is essential. After all, the point of an industrial mill is to streamline and simplify your operations. You don’t want a piece of machinery that’s going to break down or require lots of expensive upkeep. Additionally, the size and variety of grinder you choose will depend on the ingredients your operation processes, and what you want to achieve in terms of output. While many people believe bigger is better, a too-large grinder will be just as problematic as one that’s too small for your operation to use effectively. As such, it’s smart to work with a company that has a reputation for producing high-quality commercial grinders and industrial food processing equipment. That’s where Corenco comes in. Since every company’s food production equipment needs are different, our customized service is here to help you find the option that works best for you. Contact us today to learn more about our equipment, or to speak with a skilled tech who can help you find the perfect piece of equipment for you. Wet grinding is a critical part of commercial food production in the United States. Unlike dry processing, which involves no moisture, wet processing requires water activity, both in the products and during the processing of them. This water activity may come in the form of water circulation, steam, pasteurization, or sterilization. Utilized to develop pet foods, as well as foods for human consumption, wet processing involves mixing ingredients and packaging them in a can, pouch, or tray, where they will later be cooked before distribution. While wet food processing has many benefits, one of the largest is that it allows materials to remain shelf-stable for the entire life of the product or until the container is opened.

What Do You Need to Begin Wet Grinding?

If your organization is considering expanding or entering the wet food grinding industry, you may be wondering what kind of equipment you need to begin. Here’s a breakdown of the five pieces of wet food processing equipment we recommend every manufacturing operation should have:

1. Dicers

2 whole carrots and shredded carrots in black plate on display

Dicers are commonly used to make prepared foods, such as veggies and toppings. Take prepared, pre-chopped chicken, for example – it goes through a commercial-grade dicer outfitted with circular blades. This system offers outstanding precision, high output, and less waste. Dicers also produce visually appealing food products, which can help increase a company’s sales. By supporting faster, more sanitary food production, dicers have quickly become a favorite tool in the commercial food production industry.

2. Shredders

Shredders are a critical part of size reduction equipment. Used to produce materials with uniform thickness, shredders are particularly popular in manufacturing the ingredients for pre-packaged salads and the like. Designed to grate vegetables and other food products rapidly and at scale, shredders can take large blocks of material and quickly reduce them to a size that’s easy to process further. One of their primary applications is in the production of MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat. Shredders make quick work of the various wet ingredients so they can then be packaged and prepared for further production.

3. Slicers

Slicers are used to reduce vegetables like whole carrots. A critical part of the wet food production industry, slicers are some of the most flexible types of food production equipment and can go a long way toward increasing the output of your processing program.

4. Comminution equipment

Today, many wet food products are pureed. This puree process requires the inclusion of Comminution equipment. Today, comminution equipment is prevalent in the tomato processing industry, for example, and is an integral part of the production of tomato paste, tomato puree, tomato sauce, and more.

5. Homogenizers

In America, food is homogenized to make it shelf-stable for human consumption. Here’s how the Encyclopedia Britannica defines homogenization: Homogenization is the process of reducing a substance, such as the fat globules in milk, to tiny particles and distributing it uniformly throughout a fluid, such as milk. When milk is homogenized correctly, the cream will not rise to the top. The process involves forcing the milk through small openings under high pressure, thus breaking up the fat globules. Cream and other food products, such as peanut butter, may also be homogenized to produce a stable emulsion, i.e., one in which fats or oils will not separate from other elements. A similar process is used in the manufacture of some cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. As you can see, homogenization is a complex process, and it requires a complex piece of equipment. This is where the role of commercial homogenizers comes in. Designed to serve as the final step in the production process of liquids, including milk, ketchup, mayonnaise, and baby food, homogenizers help protect foods, extend their shelf-life, and deliver value – both to the producer and the consumer.

Putting Together a Functional Wet Grinding Operation

Wet grinding is a critical part of the overall food production industry. If you’re interested in enhancing your wet food processing equipment, these five crucial pieces of machinery are here to help. Designed to provide a high-quality finished product, improve output, and more, these five pieces of wet food processing equipment are a must-have for any operation. Not sure what you need for your wet food processing operation? Contact Corenco’s reps. Our team specializes in helping operations identify the most useful pieces of equipment for them, and will be happy to walk you through our selection of products. Let us help you build the wet food processing lineup you need to grow your business. The disintegrator machine: it’s durable, strong, and meant to process tough material easily and efficiently. Because of these traits, most people think they can buy size reduction equipment, dump material into it, and just walk away. In some cases, this assumption isn’t unfounded – many food processing experts are familiar with batch equipment which allows you to do just that. For continuous food processing, though, like the processing of cheese for pizza toppings, that’s not the case. Instead, you need a metered feed. In this piece, we’ll dive into the importance of a metered feed, and how to create it for your size reduction equipment.

Two Primary Benefits of a Food Disintegrator Metered Feed

Generally speaking. Most pieces of size reduction equipment require a metered feed. This is true for the following reasons:

More efficient material processing. If you dump material into a food disintegrator, the grinder will consume as much product as it has the horsepower to consume. If you drop a barrel of onions into the disintegrator, for example, it will try to process all of those onions in a millisecond. However, usually the machine doesn’t have sufficient HP to do that, so it will typically jam, causing it to stall completely. Metered feeds, on the other hand, allow the food disintegrator to process material entirely and efficiently at a prescribed or ‘metered’ rate, rather than becoming overwhelmed by a large batch of material all at once.
Improved consistency. Metered feeds improve product consistency. Instead of creating product-on-product grinding, metered feeding results in consistency and diminishes product kickback and heat-related issues.

How to Create Metered Feeding

The traditional way to facilitate a metered feed is to have a person do it. To put this another way, to have someone hand-feed the machine from a five-gallon bucket is the easiest way to facilitate metered feeding. Unfortunately, it’s also not the most efficient, and it doesn’t scale well when production starts to increase. This approach won’t work in large factories, for example. As a result, most people use mechanical feeding options. You can pump into a machine, like an in-line or angle disintegrator, for example, or use belt conveyors, screw conveyors, or vibratory feeders to create a continuous feed. These feeding methods allow you to maintain a consistent feed rate and free your team up to do other things. When you find the right mechanical feed tool and run it at the right speed for your material, you can conduct your food processing operation at optimal efficiency. Even better, the inclusion of a feedback loop between the grinding equipment and the variable speed feeder drive allows you to modulate feeder rate with increases or decreases of the RPM of your grinding machine.

How Variable Frequency Models Work

Ideally, in a process line, you’d have feedback between the grinder and the feeder. This is particularly helpful in continuous situations. If you have a feeder that is set up on a programmable logic controller (PLC), for example, you can have a feedback loop in the mill that tells the feeder what the load is on the grinder. For example, if the grinder is running at 50%, the mill tells the feeder it can process more and that the feeder should speed up. Variable frequency models are the most efficient way to feed a disintegrator machine and have become much more widely deployed in the food processing industry. This variable frequency model allows your equipment to adapt intelligently to products, processing capacities, and production demands, creating a more efficient operation for you.

Corenco: Your Source for Metered Feeding for Your Disintegrator Machine

If you need help making decisions about how to feed your disintegrator machine, give us a call. We can help. Our team will provide individualized recommendations based on your specific product, need, and application. If you’re not feeding your machine fast enough or running at full load, you’re not getting the available capacity out of your equipment. We’ll help you use your machine to its full potential and avoid easily-avoidable production interruptions, both now and in the future. In the world of commercial food production, grinding is a critical part of many manufacturing processes. Single pass food grinding on it’s own is not enough to produce many of the products we know and love, here’s why: The amount of work you can do in a single pass on size reduction equipment is limited – both by the properties of what you’re feeding and by the target size of the material. Because of this, some material requires double pass grinding. In this post, we’ll discuss the benefits of double pass grinding; where it’s used in commercial food production, and which machines are best for companies who require double pass grinding. Let’s dive in.

First Things First: Why Double Pass Grinding?

Sometimes, food grinding can’t be a “one and done” process. When it comes to size reduction, the laws of physics dictate that you can only do so much work in a single pass. A classic example is in the reduction of a twenty-pound wheel of parmesan cheese. Say you need to grate this large wheel of cheese for pizza topping. Pizza topping requires a nice, fine grind with no chunks or large clumps of product. If you try to reduce the entire wheel in a single pass, though, you’ll end up with one of two outcomes: you’ll either overheat your material or destroy your machine. Instead, begin by reducing the wheel of cheese into small pieces via an initial grinding pass – chunks of 0.75”, for example. Once you’ve made a single pass and reduced the material to 0.75”, you can take this output and grind it once again, through a different machine, to create a smaller particle size. This is called double pass grinding. While double pass grinding is common in commercial uses, it’s also utilized by at-home chefs grinding meats and other products. The process of double pass grinding is essential for a few reasons. The first and most obvious is that it reduces the load on both machines during passes. The amount of load it takes to process a large product directly into its final form factor can be massive. For example, the rotating imbalance of flinging around a 20 pound block of material is enormous and potentially damaging. The objective for companies is to get the material through the mill as quickly as possible without negatively impacting the product or the machinery. Double pass grinding can greatly increase the efficiency of the size reduction operation. This consideration is especially critical for a product which will melt under high heat loads.

Which Foods Require Double Pass Grinding?

Double pass grinding is more widespread than you might imagine. Even machines that grind things to super-fine dimensions (think chemical and pharmaceutical processing, for example) requires a head start. As powerful as some machines are, they often can’t take a massive piece of material and grind it down to something superfine in a single pass. The flour industry is a perfect example of the need for multiple pass grinding. Some flour mills use seven-pass roller mills, for example. These mills process the same material again and again, at an increasingly finer particle size, until it reaches the desired granularity. Additionally, double pass grinding is exceptionally useful in reducing clumps, lumps, and leftover large particles in many different foods.

Can You Double Pass on the Same Machine?

It is possible to double pass a product on a single machine. The only consideration is that you cannot undergo the second pass with the same sized screen if you want a finer product. Instead, you must switch to a finer screen, which will effectively deliver the same results as a multiple pass machine, processing the material at an increasingly smaller particle size until it reaches the desired consistency.

Double Pass Food Grinding: A Critical Addition to Size Reduction Processes

In the world of grinding, double passing is an important and common approach to creating a super fine finished product. By running material through several food grinding machines or using progressively finer screens on successive passes, manufacturers can create the particle size they want for their product without causing excessive heat or load on their machines during the process. If you’d like to learn more about double pass food grinding, or which machines are ideal for double pass food grinding, contact Corenco today. Our staff will be happy to help.

55-gallon drums are a convenient way to acquire frozen product, but can be a pain in the neck to deal with. Not only are these drums large and unwieldy to move around, but they take a long time to thaw. At most plants, food processing companies deal with this problem by leaving drums of material outdoors to thaw.

The big issues with that solution are that they don’t let them thaw out long enough and the center remains frozen. Alternatively, companies let them soften too long, risking spoilage. If you have a frozen kernel in the middle of the drum, the core will mostly be water.

Orange juice concentrate is a great example: the water freezes before the sugar, so you wind up with a frozen drum of juice that’s mostly sugar on the outside with a hard kernel of ice in the middle. To transform it back to orange juice, you then have to break up the ice ball, add water, and mix. Introducing size reduction equipment not only dramatically speeds up the thawing process, but also prevents damage from under-thawed material in downstream processes.

Thaw 55-gallon drums of Material

How to Quickly Thaw 55 gallon Drums of Frozen Product The easiest way to deal with these large drums of material is to conduct the entire process while the material is still frozen. Unfortunately, there’s not much equipment out there that can do it. Most rotary chippers designed for this are ineffective and slow. Other pieces of equipment, like the Reitz Extractor, for example, serve different purposes. The Extractor is a large, stainless steel, high-capacity, meat grinder. While the machinery is robust, it is too expensive or unsanitary for many companies.

Because of that, some companies use Crushers, which is what we manufacture here at Corenco. Crushers are a less costly method of processing large amounts of frozen material, from 5-gallon buckets to 55-gallon drums. Thaw 55-gallon Drums of Frozen Product – These Crushers reduce content down to softball-sized or smaller chunks. Many companies utilize a subsequent milling step to further reduce their material to a “snowcone,” or a pumpable, slurry.

Why Crushers Are So Helpful

Crushers are versatile machines that were designed specifically for reducing large bulk products to manageable sizes. This allows manufacturers much more flexibility in their downstream processes. By running your materials through a Crusher or Grinder, you can streamline production and increase capacity. For an example of these machines at work, check out this video of a Corenco C24 crusher grinding a 55-gallon drum of frozen juice. As you can see, running the ingredient through the size reduction equipment takes a process that would require hours to thaw naturally and reduces it to just a few seconds. The product will then thaw out evenly and be ready for additional processing.

Thaw Frozen Food the Easier Way

Size reduction improves the efficiency and productive capacity of processing lines that involve large bulk/frozen products. Corenco’s Crushers can be found all over the world tirelessly performing size reduction with minimal upkeep and maintenance. Our technology helps streamline the thawing process and ensures faster processing times for our customers, and Crushers by Corenco will go a long way to improve and enhance your product thawing efforts. If you’re interested in investing in machinery that could streamline your thawing or bulk product size reduction process, contact Corenco today. We manufacture many lines of durable, reliable size-reduction equipment meant for a wide variety of applications. We’re happy to help you navigate our selection and find the products that are perfect for you.

In the past several years, nut products have become all the rage. An excellent alternative to dairy products, nut milk, butter, and paste offers a higher nutrient content, less fat, and fewer allergens than standard milk products. And thanks to advanced nut processing equipment, they’ve become more popular than ever before. In fact, the global peanut butter market was worth a staggering $3 billion in 2017, and it’s only grown since then. What’s more, the average American consumes about 6 pounds of nut products each year, with about half of that being some form of nut butter. If you’ve ever wondered how nuts are processed, and whether it’s possible to make nut milk from butter or paste, here’s what you need to know:

Why People Love Nut Butters

A wide variety of nuts in assorted trays

When we process nuts by grinding them to make them into nut butters, we change the way people consume and interact with them. Grinding the nuts makes it easier for people to consume them, digest the nutrient content of the nuts, and incorporate them into their daily diets. In addition to being convenient and easy to consume, nut butters also pack a dense punch of nutrients. Nut butters are high in fiber, micronutrients, anti-inflammatory fatty acids, and omega-3 fatty acids, to name a few. They’re also excellent sources of protein, and are the perfect grab-and-go snack for people who need something healthy and filling in the middle of a busy day. Today, the average 2-tablespoon serving of nut butter typically contains about 190 calories, 16 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, and carbs between 0-8 grams. Whether it’s cashew butter, almond butter, or even hazelnut butter, a growing number of people enjoy these tasty treats.

What is Nut Milk?

Nut milk is, in essence, exactly what it sounds like: milk made from nuts instead of dairy products. Today, most commercial nut milk contains about 5%-15% almonds, soy, or cashew matter, with the rest of the mixture water, sweeteners, binding agents, and thickeners added. Homemade nut milks generally have a slightly higher concentration of nut products. Usually, homemade nut milks are made up of about 30% nut products. These mixtures have no additives unless the home cook has included them. Home cooks can make nut milks with a mixture of 1 1/2 cups water and three tablespoons nut paste. The resulting drink will have about 12% nut matter, if the cook leaves it unstrained.

Dry Roasting: Batch vs. Continuous

Before nuts can be processed, they must be roasted. Dry roasting is either done by the batch, or via a continuous method. Here’s a breakdown of each:

In the batch method, peanuts are roasted in massive lots in a large, moving oven that reaches temperatures of 800 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. The amount of time the peanuts are roasted depends on the size of the batch and the desired purpose.
In the continuous method, peanuts are fed into a hopper, where they’re roasted, cooled, and ground into peanut butter. This method is quick and less labor-intensive. It also creates a more uniform roasting.
The batch method allows for the different kinds of nuts or nuts meant for separate applications to be roasted separately, which is a positive for companies making nut blends. Batch roasting is also popular since peanuts and other nuts include lots of different moisture levels and may need special consideration throughout the roasting process, which batch roasting can deliver.

While batch roasting may work for some production goals, continuous roasting is better for others.

A Note on Granulating

Granulating is another important niche method of nut processing. Granulating refers to the process of making nuts into an ingredient which most people have seen used for the top of ice cream cones. It involves grinding nuts to uniform size and not making a paste. The key to granulation is not producing a lot of fine material. While that seems straightforward, there are not many nut processing equipment technologies available for this. While dicers are applicable and practical, companies also use Angle disintegrators.

Investing in the Right Nut Processing Equipment

Nut processing equipment is critical to ensuring proper nut processing. Investing in the right materials is also essential. When you partner with a company like Corenco, you know you’ll get high-quality, durable nut processing equipment you can rely on. When it comes to food grinding, there are dozens of different methods to choose from, and dozens of food grinding machines to do it on. Whether you’re grinding material for food production or preparing ingredients, these types of food grinding are most popular:

Juice Processing

Apple, Kiwi and Orange fruit and Fruit Juices in Glasses

Juice processing is one of the most common applications in fruit and vegetables industries. While many people imagine that juice production involves the juicing of whole food items, that’s not always the case. In fact, many whole food products must be ground or crushed before they can be juiced. This, of course, requires the assistance of food grinding machines, specifically crushers and angle disintegrators, even for large, difficult-to-move items like apples or pineapples.

Food Powder Production

Dehydrated powdered material is a major product for the food industry. Food powders are used as baking additives, drink additives, supplements, nutraceutical supplements (any food supplement that doesn’t require FDA approval), whey powder, potato starch, and more. Food powders and dehydrated ingredients are also popular in certain military and survival applications. Powdered and dehydrated foods are common in Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), which are widespread throughout the military and backpacking communities. Because the food powders are so diverse, the methods of producing them are equally diverse. The machines used to create these items include roller mills, pin mills, and hammer mills for milling powders and flour. It all comes down to product characteristics and demands of the system.

Flour Milling

Flour is a critical ingredient in baking, cooking, and more throughout the U.S. and the world. When it comes to ready made baking mixes, deglomeration of ingredients is an important consideration. Deglomeration refers to the process of breaking up oil chunks in things like baking mixes that include oil sometimes called “prills”. Deglomeration breaks up the combination of oil and flour and makes for a consistent mixture.

Food Preparation

Aside from juice production, grinding is also used to prepare ingredients to be made into a paste, to produce products like canned baby food, and to process certain food additives and ingredients. Finally, grinding is an important part of oil production. Before they can be made into oil, olives, avocado flesh, and seeds must be crushed to release and extract the natural oils within the casing of the ingredient. This second process is sometimes called “expelling”.

Additional Types of Food Grinding

Granulated Sugar into Powdered Sugar
Chickpeas for Hummus
Soybeans for Tofu (This is a pureeing process but remains very common)
Guacamole, which is a grinding process
Sauces – cooked salsa, horseradish sauce, ginger puree, etc.

Choosing the Right Kind of Food Grinding Machine

Choosing the right type of food grinding machine depends substantially on your budget, process, and production needs. No two applications are created quite the same, and no two setups should be, either. Here are a few tips for finding the right fit for you:

Think about output. What do you need in terms of production? Organizations that need larger output quantities will benefit from choosing a machine that can keep up with performance requirements. Smaller operations, meanwhile, may benefit from smaller equipment that doesn’t provide the same level of capacity. Since this equipment is also likely to be less expensive, it’s more affordable for small companies.
Consider your budget. Budget is, of course, a significant consideration when it comes to finding an excellent grinding machine. While you can find a wide selection of food grinding machines, they’ll come at prices ranging from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. Make sure you’re shopping machines that work for both your application and your pocketbook.
Grind needs. Do you need to grind your items once or take two passes at the material? If you need to make two passes, you’ll need to find a machine that can suit this. Generally, it’s possible to make two passes through most devices, although you may need to change out screens to do so.

Finding Your Ideal Food Grinding Machine

Once You know what type of food grinding you’ll be doing, you can invest in a food grinding machine that will support it. By shopping with a reputable manufacturer, you can secure high-quality equipment that will serve your company and your needs for many years to come. Need some additional assistance finding the food processing machine of your dreams? Contact Corenco today. If you’ve ever thought about food processing, you’ve probably considered food size reduction equipment. While it doesn’t get nearly as much recognition as it deserves, food size reduction equipment plays a critical role in food processing of all kinds. By grinding, pulverizing, and modifying food and other materials, size reduction equipment makes it possible for companies to process food and produce finished products. Here’s what you need to know:

What is Food Size Reduction Equipment?

Size reduction equipment comes in all shapes and sizes. There are choppers, grinders, screw-fed mills, and disintegrators all designed to suit different needs and objectives. Here are a few of the most common types of size reduction equipment:

Gravity-Fed Mills. Gravity-fed mills, also known as angel disintegrators, are mounted on a 30-degree angle base. They have large inlets designed to accept oddly-shaped whole materials like carrots, apples, meats, and more.
Screw-Fed Mills. Screw-fed disintegrators are ideal for ingredients that are too difficult to feed into gravity-fed mills. They’re great for bulky products like dried fruit, paper, leafy greens, and more.
Pump-Fed Mills. Pump-fed disintegrators reduce agglomerates and oversized material in pump-able liquids. They’re common for processing tomato paste, water, and other agglomerates.
Crushers. Designed initially to crush whole melons, these machines use gravity to feed heavy items through a milling chute, wherever they’re prepared for further reduction.
Shredders. Shredders are mostly used in milling cheese for pizza toppings. These machines are capable of processing 5-gallon pails of material and more.

Each type of machine serves a different purpose and processes particular kinds of whole foods more effectively than others. Common in commercial kitchens, production facilities, hospitals, and more, size reduction equipment plays a variety of roles many of us have never considered.

The Role of Size Reduction Equipment in Nutrient Absorption

One thing many people don’t think of when it comes to food size reduction equipment is how making food smaller improves nutrient absorption of food. When you consume food, you aren’t technically absorbing the nutrients until they’re taken into your GI tract. This means that the way we deliver food to our GI tracts matters. If you’ve ever heard that you should chew each bite of food 32 times before you swallow it, you’ll have some background in this. While chewing 32 times might seem excessive, it serves an essential purpose: for your stomach to absorb your food correctly, the food must be thoroughly disintegrated by your teeth and steeped in saliva. Sound appetizing? That combination makes nutrients more readily available for your body. If you’re not interested in excessive mastication, there’s another way: food size reduction. When food is reduced in size before it passes your lips, it’s much easier for your body to enact the processes it needs to undertake in order to digest the food. Small particles of fruits and veggies, for example, are easier to break down than huge chunks. Meanwhile, certain types of food, like wheatgrass and barley, are virtually impossible to digest until their tough cellulose outer layers have been broken down by size reduction equipment – either through grinding or juicing.

From Whole Foods to Finished Products

Whole foods are a great way to ship and put things on grocery shelves. Unfortunately, they’re not a great way to support people making recipes. For that, you need processed foods. Smoothies are a great example. Smoothies take whole foods (whole fruits, vegetables, and grains, for example), reduce them to different forms, combine them into another way, and make them something people want to consume. Baby food and soup are two additional examples. Food processing makes food easier to consume, easier to absorb on a nutritional level, and easier to prepare. Hospitals, meanwhile, use food reduction to equipment to grind up materials to feed people through feeding tubes.

Processed Food is Becoming Less Processed

Today, people want to particulate in their food and food production. While the U.S. as a whole is consuming more processed foods, consumers are also looking for processed foods that feel decidedly less processed. Take particulates in juice, for example. Unheard of eleven twenty years ago, sediment-filled extracts indicate quality and health today. While the goal of food production used to be a homogeneous product, that objective has since shifted. Today, people want high-quality products that look and feel homemade. It’s food processing differently, and it’s changing the way manufacturers approach food size reduction. To access efficient, effective food size reduction, having the right equipment is critical. Here at Corenco, we specialize in producing high-quality, reliable food size reduction equipment you can count on. To find your perfect match today, contact our team or browse our selection.