SternMaid, the German contract manufacturer for the food and excipients sector, has invested a new blending line for its Plant 2 in Wittenburg with a working capacity of 3,000 litres. The upgrade, the company said, allows for more efficient processes.
The Plant 2 in Wittenburg is designed for the gentle production of foods and food supplements in powder form such as meal replacers, dietetic products, dry beverage bases or protein mixtures and is equipped with an automatic wash-in-place system (WIP).
The new infrastructure, commissioned at the end of 2018, will enable SternMaid to increase its production capacity by about 10,000 tonnes per annum.
For Mark Riemer, SternMaid’s Commercial Manager, the investment constitutes an important step towards reacting even more flexible to customers’ requirements.
He commented: "We have enlarged our capacities in order to respond better to the needs of industry in the field of blending. And, the new blending line will optimise the workflows at our plant. In view of our customers’ ever-increasing quality demands, we decided to instal wash-in-place equipment. That permits the efficient wet cleaning more and more of our customers are asking for.”
Customised production
SternMaid said that with the new blending line, the company will in future be able to produce the mixtures needed for filling into customised retail packs such as spiral-wound plastic or fibreboard cans, bags or sachets directly in Plant 2. "Since these small-pack lines are in the same building, this will improve the workflows there," the company explained.As a further option, liquid ingredients can be worked into the mixtures homogeneously in the amount of 0.01 to 60% of the formulation with the aid of special nozzles. To enable intensive mixing, the machine is also fitted with cutters.
With the WIP system, the line is designed for extremely thorough wet cleaning before a change of product, hence meeting the strict organic, kosher or halal requirements.
From the regulatory point of view, the blender falls under SternMaid’s FSSC 22000 certification, the internationally recognised standard for the industrial production of foods.