GEA to debut and showcase incredible range of technology at Foodex

Leading technology specialist GEA has great ambitions for this year’s Foodex Manufacturing Solutions, taking place on April 24-26 at the NEC in Birmingham. The global group will be showcasing on Stand K50 an impressive range of technology solutions, including award-winning processing equipment as well as the latest complete slicing and packaging lines – and debuting more than one innovative solution.

As GEA celebrates its diamond anniversary in food processing this year, visitors to its stand will be treated to the official debut of the CrumbMaster Gen 2. This is the latest evolution of GEA’s trusted in-line crumb coating/ breading system for highly-accurate spreading on poultry, pork, fish, meat, vegetables, or meat-replacement products and with fine, coarse, J-crumbs or specialty crumbs. The new machine shows exceptional performance in terms of keeping the crumb specifications throughout the process without crumb breaks and offers higher flexibility, hygiene, and dust-free production. Get there early to discover how this revolutionary new machine will continue the established 25-year legacy of the first CrumbMaster.

The growing demand for less waste and increasing sustainability in the food supply chain is driving manufacturers to seek out ways to change their production methods for the better. GEA will be demonstrating a range of high-performance, energy-saving products – some designed especially for the new food sector – from a wide cross-section of GEA’s specialist business units from Food Processing and Slicing & Packaging to Bakery, Pasta, and Snacks – and more.

GEA’s engineers will be demonstrating the Panda Triplex Homogenizer and the plug-and-play features on decanter and scout separator skids, allowing potential customers to see in action this state-of-the-art equipment for dairy products like yoghurt and fresh cheese.

Making its UK show debut at Foodex will be packaging favorite PowerPak PLUS, which offers customers the ultimate in thermoforming technology, improved productivity, and sustainability. It will be joined by the SmartPacker Twin Tube continuous motion vertical packaging machine, which boasts a future-proof modular system with increased functional efficiency promoting higher operational uptime and ease of use. The SmartPacker is suitable for packaging small-sized food products such as confectionery, dried fruits and nuts, and other on-the-go products in pillow bags of different sizes.

GEA boasts a huge product portfolio spanning the entire food chain, including complete packaging and slicing lines with the GEA OxyCheck and DualSlicer. OxyCheck is an in-line quality control system that checks the oxygen content and seal integrity of every single Modified Atmosphere Pack (MAP). The DualSlicer, was developed by GEA for integration into fully automated lines. It consecutively slices two calibrated logs, such as round sausage, or two uncalibrated logs, such as cheese, cooked ham, or raw ham, delivering consistent slice quality and constant slice thicknesses – even with softer products – at an output of up to 1,600 kilograms per hour.

Visitors, will also be able to get their teeth into GEA’s snack format. Cinderella’s Slipper is a snack that could be dipped into any sauce – spicy, sweet, or savory - without fingers getting coated. The slipper-shaped treat can be made from a wide variety of raw materials to suit any taste, thanks to the versatility of GEA’s xTru Twin Extruders.

To meet the growing demand for automation in the bakery sector, GEA will be promoting the DFI volumetric piston depositor, an ideal solution for depositing muffin, cake, and cupcake mixes. Highly accurate, the DFI machine has been designed to operate on continuous-running conveyors or with electric tunnel ovens. Last but not least for bakers is GEA’s electric oven. This is a carbon-neutral solution, which features a radiant, convective, or hybrid electric system. By combining these systems, it is possible to produce rotary molded, extruded, deposited soft dough cookies as well as cakes, pies, tarts, and many other products.

GEA Frozen Foods will be showcasing CALLIFREEZE, a unique new energy-saving freezer control system developed for use with the GEA range of freezers for the food industry. The new system can be configured for freezers handling a wide range of food products, including meat, poultry, fish, ready meals, bakery, and dairy products. It monitors the condition of products exiting the freezer and then automatically calibrates the freezer parameters to ensure that every product is frozen according to optimum requirements. CALLIFREEZE automatically adjusts product retention time in the freezer, air temperature, and fan speed to achieve the precise level of freezing required with minimum energy consumption.

Greg Austin, director - Sales (Food & Healthcare Technologies UK), GEA, says, “Foodex is undoubtedly one of the premier food shows in Western Europe, and we’re delighted to have such a powerful offering this year for every application within the food processing and beyond. We’ve got well-established solutions that have proven their worth over decades, alongside unique and innovative new developments that can only help our customers to improve their productivity and lower costs. Sustainability is at the heart of what we do, and we’re very proud to lead the way in providing class-leading solutions to the food industry as a whole.”

Businesses are facing increasing pressure to be more sustainable. Foodex is an ideal opportunity for food processors to tap into GEA’s engineering expertise along with highly innovative solutions, which can help companies improve their profitability and achieve their carbon reduction targets.