Traditional techniques and products shape specialized equipment for the industrial production of buns, rolls, and bagels.
These production lines are designed with the flexibility to provide answers to manufacturing challenges old and new. At the same time, they pay respect to tradition and reliably support up-and-coming trends and new product innovation.
Bagels: challenges and answers
In industrial bagel manufacturing, the biggest challenge is fitting the production line in the available space while meeting individual recipe and process demands. Due to space constraints, certain modules can be considered optional, while others are highly recommended when customizing a line to specific requirements.
François Retailleau, product manager at Mecatherm, points out some variations in production lines: “Retarding is a typical process step in bagel production (after proofing), in which the dough gains its aromas and consistency. It also allows a better fixing of the humidity for the boiling and steaming steps. However, every manufacturer has its own recipe and process and some of them don’t retard the products at all”. Another example comes after the fermentation step: “To bring the products to room temperature, some manufacturers use a warming unit before boiling and baking,” Retailleau adds.
One of the process challenges for bagels is that they tend to stick in the oven after boiling, which is why the surface of the product is dried just before baking. Artisan bakers typically place a row of bagels at the oven’s infeed to dry them on one side, then they would flip them upside down so the dry side stands on the oven hearth during baking.
When converted into industrial-scale production, dryers are sometimes compared to the use of release agents inside the oven. “We prefer drying because it replicates the authentic process,” Alex Kuperman, CEO of ABI LTD., explains.
The MECABAGEL line addresses several challenges inherent to the baking process (detailed in part I). Generally, bagels will bake best using conduction heat from the bottom of the product at the beginning of the process. Radiation is the most frequently used technology for bagels; however, if convection is added, the baking process may typically be faster, depending on the product, due to a more efficient heat transfer to the product. Humidity control in the oven chamber is also very important, so the bagel gets and keeps its shiny look, which is made possible by the boiling process.
The equipment is designed for efficiency in the MECABAGEL line, from labor efficiency to that of the various components. For example, the oven follows the correct baking curve while providing efficient heat exchange and the airflow in the proofers is optimized to avoid stagnation. One of the challenges of designing this line to replace conventional methods is ensuring that the equipment is simple, consistent, and robust. More importantly, it needs to work automatically and to be able to adjust to a production environment with a variable production capacity and workflow.
Freezing
Depending on the distribution circuit and the manufacturer’s requirements, the MECABAGEL line can also be equipped with a cooling and freezing solution. Typical market solutions are spiral coolers and spiral freezers. Retailleau highlights, “For the design of the MECABAGEL, we wanted to go a step further and included a solution for cooling on grills, which are placed in a modular cooler.” The handling systems used are similar to those used in the proofer. There are two benefits of this solution; one is efficiency-related as it provides additional capacity (‘buffer’) that, under normal conditions, is not utilized. The extra space, a small circuit for the cooling trays, is designed to be equivalent to the oven’s contents. In the case of issues down the line (i.e., in the packaging stage), the products will not be wasted. Secondly, it is designed to help control hygiene easily. This is critical for the cooling phase, as any bacteria coming in contact with the surface of the products during this phase can be a potential risk of mold development. The modular cooling system has a dedicated conveying circuit so that it can be easily enclosed into a clean air area. Moreover, cooling grills are retention-free and easy to wash in a washing machine after every production cycle.
For safety reasons, operators are required to be on-site when working with the line. However, remote work and monitoring are under development wherever possible.
Automation
Smart ingredient systems can help dispense ingredients accurately. Mixing bowl changes can also be automated and the divider is completely self-sufficient. Operator intervention is required for changeovers to ensure the line’s product flexibility. Software solutions are also continuously improved to help manage the different SKUs and automate processes that can benefit from automation. Tracking products along the line and having the ability to adjust settings automatically as much as possible are among the newest innovations. At the same time, R&D will improve the OEE and provide operators with additional tools. Helping production planners find the best manufacturing sequence is also a priority for further improvements and a big step towards efficiency efforts.
Efficiency is a large factor in packing automation. Here is where MECBAGEL’S robotic systems provide the tools to solving several problems industrial bakeries face. ABI has been developing these solutions in recent years. The packaging process is mostly automated, but product flow distribution can be optimized. Each product is correctly assigned to its packaging line and distributed there in the correct configuration so it can be processed. “This is where vision equipment and robotics will play a big part, as well as automated quality control,” Kuperman explains. This will also vastly contribute to packaging flexibility, especially when packaging a mix of different types of bagels.
