JBT’s ability to provide a complete processing solution for all budgets, large and small, is a key strength of the business, and one which has become even more apparent with the addition of alco to the JBT family. Much of this complete line will be on display as part of Anuga FoodTec, the annual food industry showcase, which takes place in Cologne, Germany from March 19-22, 2024.

Are a quick return on investment, efficiency and quality the most important factors you look for in new processing machinery? The systems from JBT that will be on show at Anuga FoodTec offer all three, and the ability to ramp up production as and when required.

One such solution is the alco Coating Line, which brings together complementary systems from alco to form a highly efficient and effective means of coating poultry, fish and meat. Visitors to Anuga will be able to view the Preduster ABM, the Battering Machine APN and the Breading Machine APT, which – alongside the Dipper ADT and the Drum Breader ADB – comprise a complete solution.

Fine, coarse, liquid, solid: alco’s Coating Line uses a variety of techniques to ensure coatings are applied evenly and economically to your product, with visually appealing end results. The desired coating is achieved by means of adjustable vibration, pressure and blow-off devices. Combined, the line can handle anything from 200 kg up to 6 tonnes of product per hour. 

“What sets the alco equipment apart is a high standard of finish: it has stainless steel motors, touch screens and we can do a lot of customization which gives us a strong position in the market, explains JBT’s Manager for Coating and Cooking Applications, Bart Kivits. 

Typically placed ahead of the coating line is the Forming Machine AFM, which allows customers to take raw meat, poultry and other raw ingredients and shape them into products at an exact, required weight. According to Kivits, this process is especially useful for chicken nuggets and similar products where consistency in appearance and the cost of tooling is key. 

The forming machine has become particularly well-known and popular thanks to its forming plate system. This special system enables the 2D or 3D mold plates to be changed in the shortest possible time at an affordable price. And by the way, production only pauses for just as long. The design of the forming plates is individual and therefore almost infinite: whether nuggets, fish sticks, burger patties or even dinosaur Schnitzels – there are no limits to creativity.

Another equally effective option is the Spiral Oven ASH, a single-drum oven that perfectly caters to the needs of companies who don’t require the larger Stein PRoYIELD™ TwinDrum Spiral Oven. 

The Formcook Contact Cooker, which will also be on display at Anuga FoodTec, can fit in neatly before the PRoYIELD or the ASH to provide highly-effective combination cooking. Functioning like a hot press, the Formcook sears chicken pieces between two heated plates on a teflon belt, pressing them into uniform shapes and pre-cooking the top and bottom surfaces.

The process helps both to deliver uniformity between different-sized pieces and increase yield by trapping moisture inside the chicken pieces as they cook. The result, says Kivits, is a typical 4% yield improvement, as well as 2-4% increase in spiral oven capacity as products cano be cooked for significantly less time.

“The ASH offers a high production capacity and is perfect for products that don’t need or benefit from the PRoYIELD,” says Kivits. “There are no other suppliers on the market that can offer such high quality spiral ovens.”

At the end of the line, and also on display at Anuga FoodTec, comes the Frigoscandia GYRoCOMPACT 40 self-stacking spiral freezer. The most compact, hygienic and efficient spiral freezer ever made, the GC40 is capable of freezing capacities of up to 1,000 kg/hour.

JBT will be exhibiting at Anuga FoodTec 2024 in Hall 6.1, Stand D090 F119 from March 19-22, 2024 in Cologne, Germany and you will be able to see all of these solutions first-hand. 

Download the floorplan for a sneak-peak and book a demonstration today!