JBT will be showcasing its ability to deliver combined, turnkey pasteurization and roasting solutions across the nut category at the North American industry’s biggest event of the year, the Peanut & Tree Nut Processors Association (PTNPA) Convention 2020, which will be held from January 17-20 in Orlando, Florida.
Unlike roasting in traditional dry conditions, the benefit of combined pasteurization and roasting through JBT’s JSP-I Jet Stream® Pasteurization System is that it enhances product quality, explains JBT Manager of Technology and Process Development, Ramesh Gunawardena. Drying in a controlled-humidity environment rather than a completely dry environment also takes a shorter time, meaning that throughput is increased at the same time.
The turnkey element comes into play, continues Gunawardena, because differences between nut types mean treatment and conditions have to be very different, explaining that too much heat can damage certain types of nuts. “We want to pasteurize the surface, not cook the product,” he says. However, irrespective of the process, Gunawardena emphasizes that JBT has the shortest pasteurization and drying times in the industry and as a result can ensure a smaller carbon footprint for customers.
The JBT Stein JSP-I Jet Stream® Pasteurization System Compact
Emerging trends
The ability to roast, as well as pasteurize, all sorts of nuts from peanuts to almonds are strong trends in the industry, driven by practical as well as economic reasons. “These are emerging trends in the food business where processors can add value through roasting and introducing different blends or seasonings to enhance the mouth feel,” says Gunawardena. “JBT has developed treatment zones that deliver clean and dry products irrespective of the nut, which we combine with being able to offer a turnkey solution and attractive financing.
“What is new is we have added new nuts to the list of products that can be handled by our pasteurization and roasting solution, namely pecans and macademias.”
Gunawardena also stresses JBT’s ability to overcome any potential pitfalls due to the lack of an official mandate governing nut processing in the US. “JBT already follows validated, best practice protocols in the almond industry, meaning we can help ensure companies are already compliant on the day a mandate does come into force,” he says. “If and when the regulatory change takes place, we already have proven processes similar to those in the almond industry that is now being used by nut processors to deliver a safe product.”
JBT will be showcasing the JSP-I Jet Stream® Pasteurization System and the JSP-C Compact at Booth 33 at the PTNPA Convention 2020, which takes place at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida from January 17-20, 2020.