Laitram Machinery's latest development CoolSteam® Black Nut Pasteurizer and Precision Roasting: A continuous-flow, first-in, first-out 4-step process with an integrated brine applicator

Laitram Machinery, a US-based pioneering leader in industrial equipment innovation, has reshaped the landscape of nut processing with its groundbreaking modular design pasteurization and roasting equipment. The cutting-edge technology, named Laitram CoolSteam® Black, presents a game-changing solution for continuous pasteurization, roasting, and brining of various tree nuts. This article delves into the unique features of CoolSteam® Black, its benefits, and how it ensures optimal food safety and quality.

CoolSteam® Black: The ultimate all-in-one nut processing system

CoolSteam® Black stands out as an innovative all-in-one system that seamlessly integrates the acclaimed CoolSteam® Blue Pasteurizer, Precision Roaster, and an in-line brining mechanism. This integrated solution guarantees food processors a validated kill step, enabling customizable brining and roasting to meet specific product requirements. Notably, the system's design eliminates the need for product handling between processing stages, ensuring absolute contamination prevention.

Supported tree nuts and packaging readiness

Designed to cater to a wide range of tree nuts, including almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, and macadamias, CoolSteam® Black's enclosed process discharges ready-to-pack products. This year alone, 9 processing lines have been successfully installed in California, attesting to the system's widespread popularity.

The Science Behind CoolSteam® Black's Success

CoolSteam® harnesses Forced Convection, a principle akin to the rapid hot air circulation in an air fryer, to achieve efficient nut pasteurization and roasting. This approach ensures uniform temperature distribution, minimizing cold spots and enhancing heat absorption. The benefits are numerous:

• Consistency: Forced convection guarantees even cooking throughout the product bed, producing uniformly pasteurized and roasted product. The CoolSteam design team utilizes computational software to optimize fan-generated airflow, ensuring comprehensive coverage and a crispy outer layer.

• Faster Processing: The continuous hot air circulation accelerates both pasteurization and roasting processes, significantly reducing processing time compared to traditional methods.

• Crisp, Moisture Neutral Texture: Forced convection aids rapid moisture evaporation, leading to the coveted crispy texture vital for achieving ideal crunchiness and flavor.

CoolSteam® Black boasts distinctive steps that make it the preferred choice for tree nuts pasteurizing and roasting:

• Preheating: A critical pre-conditioning step ensures tree nuts maintain their natural crunch and texture by gradually increasing product temperature, preventing internal or external condensation.

• Pasteurization: Utilizing all-natural low-temperature steam. The CoolSteam pasteurization technology achieves a 5-Log Reduction of pathogens for a validated kill-step, rendering tree nuts safe for consumption.

• Infraflow Briner: The integrated CoolSteam® Black Intraflow Briner, a one-of-a-kind briner uniformly applies salt brine continuously, easily accommodating salted or unsalted products during the same process with no external product handling.

• Precision Roaster: CoolSteam® Black's Precision Roaster utilizes forced convection for accurate drying or roasting, maintaining consistent results without over- or under-roasting.

• Cooling stage ensures nuts are brought below 80°F, facilitating seamless retail or bulk distribution packaging.

Infraflow Briner – an integrated Salt applicator ensures evenly distribution of salt solutions for all kinds of nuts (Cashew, Almond, Walnuts, Pistachios, Hazelnuts, Pecan, Macadamia, and Peanuts)

Unmatched control and consistency

Incorporating CoolSteam® Black empowers food processors with precise control and standardized results. Whether pasteurizing, brining, or roasting, the system ensures every nut undergoes uniform processing, yielding unparalleled consistency and organoleptic characteristics with the need of minimal labor.

Explore Laitram Machinery's Coolsteam Black, a cost-efficient, continuous FIFO, all-natural nuts processing equipment.

The consumption of nuts as a healthy snack option is widely acknowledged. Employing CoolSteam® Black's advanced processing ensures that exported roasted or raw nuts meet stringent pasteurization requirements, eliminating harmful bacteria and ensuring product safety.

Laitram Machinery's CoolSteam® Black represents a revolution in nut processing. With its modular design, comprehensive functionality, and reliance on Forced Convection principles, it delivers superior results in terms of consistency, processing time, texture, and flavor enhancement. The system's integration of preheating, pasteurization, brining, and precision roasting guarantees high-quality, safe, and delectable tree nut products. Embracing CoolSteam® Black translates into better control, flexibility, and food safety, ultimately contributing to a healthier snacking choice for consumers worldwide.

Contact Laitram Machinery today to learn more about its CoolSteam® Black.

Suruchi Shekhar

Laitram Machinery

Suruchi.Shekhar@Laitram.com