Replace direct steam injection in food processing
If you're already using direct steam injection, switching to Steam Infusion is easy!
We can use your existing steam filtration equipment for culinary grade steam and we can easily product match your recipes as you're already adding steam as an ingredient. It’s just a question of a simple retrofit to take advantage of all of the benefits of this innovative technology.
Steam Infusion outperforms direct steam injection systems in a number of ways...
Cooking speed with energy efficiency
One of the main reasons food manufacturers opt for direct steam injection is to speed up heating times. However, the way steam injectors operate creates a compromise between heat up times and efficiency. This occurs because more steam is lost to the atmosphere as it bubbles straight through the product as you increase the flow rate of steam, actually slowing down your cook times.
Steam Infusion overcomes this compromise and allows efficient heating at a higher steam flow rate. The disruptive way the steam is introduced means that all the steam is condensed into the product prior to leaving the Vaction™ Pump, causing a rapid heat transfer and speeding up your cooking times - no compromise!
NPD opportunities
Direct steam injection is a relatively simple process whereby steam is bubbled through the product. Naturally it’s going to heat up your product quicker but there’s not much else going on.
However, with Steam Infusion, you have more control over the steam flow rate so it’s possible to change the operating characteristics of the Vaction™ Pump from gentle heating to a disruptive high shear process environment. This control enables us to improve the performance of your ingredients. For instance, we can cut fat and create a creamier mouthfeel by creating a fat mimetic under certain operating conditions. Steam Infusion can also handle particulates for ‘chunky’ varieties and deliver fresh, home-made flavours, allowing you to develop products your customers will love.
No burn-on for easy cleaning
When using a steam injector it’s impossible to prevent the direct contact of hot steam and product, causing fouling to build up within the unit and pipework, with flecks of the burnt product then transferred into the end product. As steam injectors can be hard to clean, it can take a significant amount of downtime to prevent this problem from occurring.
However, Steam Infusion prevents exposure to excessive temperatures so there’s no burn-on. This allows you to perform more back to back cooks without burnt contaminants within the end product. Similarly, when a clean is performed, the automated CIP or manual clean process is much quicker as burnt on product no longer needs to be removed.
Maintenance & easy installation
Minimising plant downtime is very important for food manufacturers. Steam injectors are normally installed in the vessel jacket leading to complex installation when it comes to retrofits.
Steam Infusion is a simple compact design which can be easily retrofitted into your tank or in a recirculation loop. What’s more, Steam Infusion Vaction™ Pump has no moving parts in the product flow leading to near maintenance-free operation.