Food Industry
In the food and non-food processing industries, there are a diverse set of causes that lead to foam formation. The common consequence thereof is a breakdown in production and a significant material loss.
The intelligent antifoam agents from Schill + Seilacher "Struktol GmbH work both preventively, blocking foam's initial formation, or prescriptively, eliminating it once it appears. Our antifoam agents meet a wide range of requirements and applications while having a negligible effect on the production cycle itself. They support process stability, optimize final product quality and prevent contamination and other similar side effects. In addition, our innovative Schill+Seilacher "Struktol" GmbH designed dosing system ensures optimal dosing.
Struktol Antifoams comply with the European regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16.12.2008 article 3 part 2b. Struktol Antifoams are considered as technical auxiliary and can be used as defoaming agent in the food industry if used properly.
According to Directive No 95/2/EC and the Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 regarding Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 Annexes II and III Struktol direct food processing aids can be used as antifoam agents during food production and processing in compliance with the valid restrictions.
DIRECT FOOD PROCESSING AIDS
The formation of foam during the production of food or animal feed is caused by the presence of foam active substances in the process e.g. sugar/glucose syrup and/or starch and/or proteins and/or by-products. Struktol antifoams are effective during the production and processing of food/feed. More over they are permitted as food / feed additives by the valid regulations and allowed to remain in food or feed.
The dosage rate for antifoams depends on several parameters e.g. food/feed ingredients, temperature, pH-values, water hardness, factory setup and others. Therefore it is impossible to indicate an appr. dosage rate without having detailed information. Common applications for Struktol antifoam agents are fruit juice, fresh yeast production, marmalade/jam, flavour, animal feed and others.
The most effective antifoam product, necessary dosage quantities and best possible addition points depend on a.m. factory conditions and must be found out for each individual factory by carrying out work trials. According to the Directive 95/2/EC and 2008/84/EC Struktol additives can be used as direct food additives in compliance with the valid restricitions during food production and processing.
VEGETABLE PROCESSING
The generation of foam during the production of frozen vegegables is caused by the presence of foam active substances in the process such as proteins, starch and/or by-products.
Struktol antifoams are effective during the whole process - washing, peeling, blanching etc. The mentioned products are ready to use as process aids according to the German LFGB §2, Abs. 3, Nr. 1. The dosage rate for antifoams depends on several parameters e.g. type of vegetables, temperatures, pH-values, water hardness, factory setup and others. Due to this it is impossible to predict an appr. dosage rate without having detailed information. Common foam active vegetables are peas, beans, spinach and others.
The most effective antifoam product, necessary dosage quantities and best possible addition points depend on a.m. factory conditions and must be found out for each individual factory by carrying out work trials.
POTATO PROCESSING
Foam formation during potatoe processing
Potatoes have a dry substance content of about 25 %. Mainly the dry substance consists of starch, crude fibres and proteins. Depending on the potato quality the percentage of these substances varies a lot.
Foam ist generated during potato processing because foam active substances (starch and protein) are extracted by water during transport, washing, peeling and cutting. The type and extent of foam produced varies accordingly with the type of potato quality and processing conditions.
Foam intensity of potatoes mainly depends on the content of starch and protein. Depending on storage condition, starch can be partially converted into sugar. Potatoes damaged by frost have a higher sugar content which intensifies the foam formation.
Processing methods vary considerably. Process conditions during food production such as French fries, crisps etc. differ from starch production conditions. Generally, the more foam active substances are washed into the process water the more foam ist produced. This is mainly influenced by the turbulence, due to water circulation, and the temperature of the process water as well.
Foam destruction and foam prevention by the use of suitable Struktol antifoam agents
Struktol antifoam agents have been specifically formulated for different application fields. For this reason several differently formulated products are necessary.
They can be used to overcome existing foam as well as for preventing the foam build-up. Foam prevention is recommended for a save and stable process. The point of addition for Struktol antifoam agents depends on the setup of the processing line. Generally, Struktol antifoam agents should be added in a preventative way; in order to achieve the best performance the antifoam agent needs to be distributed in the process water before foam occurs.
Optimum addition levels depend on the type of potato and the processing method.
Exact dosing quantities and optimum dosing points have to be evaluated by trials. The effiency of all Struktol antifoam agents is hardly influenced by different pH-values.
ANIMAL FEED
The generation of foam during the production of animal feed is caused by the presence of foam active substances in the process e.g. sugar/glucose syrup and/or starch and/or proteins and/or by-products. Struktol antifoams are effective during the production and processing of animal feed.
More over they are permitted as feed additives by the valid regulations and allowed to remain in feed. The dosage rate for antifoams depends on several parameters e.g. animal feed ingredients, temperature, pH-values, water hardness, factory setup and others. Therefore it is impossible to indicate an appr. dosage rate without having detailed information.
The most effective antifoam product, necessary dosage quantities and best possible addition points depend on a. m. factory conditions and must be found out for each individual factory by carrying out work trials.
SUGAR PRODUCTION
Foam formation during beet sugar processing
Sugar beets have a dry mass content of about 22 to 26 percent when being harvested. The dry mass contains organic parts and ashes, like oxides, sulfates, alkali and earth alkali metals. The organic content can be divided into non-sugar and sugar substances. As non sugar substances we mainly find nitrogen containing chemical compounds (for example amino acids and proteins). The most important sugar in the beet is saccharose – other sugars like fructose and galactose can only be found in small quantities. The sugar content of the beet depends on many different factors like climate, soil conditions, fertilization, varying in a range between 16 and 19 percent.
During beet processing foam occurs due to foam active substances (proteins, sugar and degradation products), which are eluted during the transport in water, mash and during the cossettes extraction. During this process a protein foam is generated, which is stabilized by sugar.
An additional application of antifoaming agents in sugar processing is at the boiling station. In this case degassing is more important than defoaming as the consequences of in-process air can lead fo instable process conditions (boiling delay, negative influence on colour, etc.) as well as higher energy consumption. By the use of Struktol antifoam products both negative effects can be counteracted.
The foaming mainly depends on the process conditions and the beet quality (impurity of beet, frost etc.). Different diffusion techniques (BMA, RT, DeSmet etc.) lead to foaming in different stages of the process. As a result, the foam occurs at different points throughout the process.
Besides the contents of the sugar beet process conditions and process temperatures mainly influence the foam generation. Also the dimension of the water circulation has a major impact. The higher the concentration of foam active substances in the circulation, the higher the level of foam.
Foam prevention and foam destruction by the use of suitable Struktol antifoam products
Struktol antifoam products are adapted exactly to the requirements of the different stages in sugar production. Often each part of process needs an individual antifoam formulation.
The dosage of antifoam products is carried out in order to achieve not only destruction of already existing foam, but also prevention of foam generation.
For a smooth factory process the prevention of foaming is recommendable. The best possible dosage point and quantity depend on the corresponding process. Usually the dosage is carried out in advance in order to achieve maximum performance at the foaming point. The necessary dosage quantities vary and depend on different factors. They have to be found out by production trials.
Exact dosage quantities and best suitable dosage points have to be found out during trials at the corresponding sugar factory. Different pH-values do not have major impact on the effectiveness of the antifoam products. Both in acidic or alkaline areas the Struktol antifoam products show a good performance.