Efficient heating facilities matter most when it comes to maintaining product quality and ensuring safety during food production and processing.
No matter whether it be cooking, pasteurization, drying, or sterilization, wide-ranging heating solutions come into play to meet the diverse needs of the food industry.
In the informative blog post, we’re going to shed light on some of the most widely used heating solutions in today’s ever-growing food landscape. So, continue to read on…
1. Steam Boilers
Steam boilers play a central role in the food industry, offering steady and efficient heating of different operations. These boilers heat water until the steam is formed, which is used for cooking, heating, and sterilizing purposes. In many food processing industries, small steam boilers are specifically more advantageous.
Similar to the larger units, these units are as efficient and reliable as their larger counterparts, but they have been designed for limited applications only. They are suitable for small companies carrying out food production or particular procedures that need tight temperature regulation in a small area without many installations.
2. Electric Heaters
Electric heaters also require minimal installation and are favored for their accuracy. It provides a good level of temperature regulation. It can be used in a wide range of operations, for instance, warming up tanks, melting fats, or even tasty recipes that can be cooked in electric kettles in small amounts.
Due to their simplicity in control and maintenance, they are preferred where electricity is available and where a fast rate change of temperature is much needed.
3. Industrial Heat Pumps
Using an Industrial Heat Pump is a relatively new concept that serves diverse heating purposes in the food industry. These systems move heat from one point to another without creating heat themselves; thus, they are very efficient.
These heat pumps serve diverse purposes, such as drying and dehumidification, which will extract heat from the environment and increase it to the optimum level. They also contribute to cost savings because of their energy efficiency while recognizing that sustainable practices mean using as little energy as possible.
4. Infrared Heaters
Infrared heaters work by emitting heat energy directly to objects that are in a given room without heating the air around the objects. One advantage of this type of heating is that it is primarily suitable for baking and grilling processes when direct heat is needed.
What makes infrared heaters a preferred choice is their relatively short time to heat. That is why they are fast and effective when it comes to heating foods. They are also helpful in different situations where fine-tuning of the heating is needed, for instance, during drying operations or for warming up heaters.
5. Convection Ovens
Convection ovens have a fan that blows hot air over the food items to be cooked to ensure that heat is evenly spread and food browns properly. This method is most applicable in baking and roasting; the heat is evenly spread across the surface, which enhances the roasting or baking process.
Commercial cooking experts prefer convection ovens because of their suitability for handling large portions of food. That is why they are rather popular in most of the food processing facilities.
