Freezer demands have spawned a variety of specialty and hybrid belts that accommodate heavier loads and wider conveying surfaces.

It seems that everyone in the baking industry is shipping frozen products these days. Par-baked artisan breads and rolls are being shipped frozen to foodservice outlets and in-store bakeries throughout the country. Natural and organic loaves are frozen and delivered to supermarkets to be sold in freezer cases. Even boxes of cookies are being loaded into frozen containers and shipped to all corners of the world.

“One of our major markets over the last couple of years has been baking,” one leading freezer manufacturer says. “The industry is changing, and there are a lot of opportunities.”

For example, a growing number of small and intermediate-sized bakeries are shipping frozen sliced bread to not only natural stores such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats, but also to conventional supermarkets. Although most consumers still do not think of looking for bread in freezer cases, it is available, and a growing number of health-conscious consumers stroll the freezer cases instead of the fresh aisles.

Another growing opportunity exists in foodservice outlets and in-store bakeries, which are outsourcing more and more of their productions to wholesale bakers who ship quality frozen, thaw-and-sell and thaw-and-bake products.

To accommodate the growth in frozen bakery foods, freezer and conveyor manufacturers have ramped up research and development efforts to produce faster, more durable and more efficient freezers. Whether a bakery is purchasing its first freezing system or already owns a freezer, it should evaluate options, alternatives and upgrades.

Improving performance
If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Although this adage usually proves true, bakers may find benefits in evaluating all existing freezer operations to ensure that they are performing efficiently. Major concerns with aging freezers, mainly spiral freezers, are belting and sanitation.

Most aging spiral freezers use metal belts, and bakers must determine if any benefits exist from switching to plastic belts. “Plastic belts have had a higher profile in spiral freezing than ever before,” one manufacturer of metal and plastic belts says.

The benefits of plastic belting are numerous, including modular construction that eases maintenance. Generally, plastic belts also are lighter, which reduces wear and tear and the energy used to operate the freezing system.

However, plastic belts also expand and contract in freezing temperatures 10 times more than stainless steel belts, one conveyor belt manufacturer says. Some plastic belts also are not rated for some freezing systems.

Besides belting, bakers also must consider sanitation issues when using aging spiral freezers. Many new freezing systems have improved cleanability measures designed for the meat and poultry industry, but applicable to baking applications.

Mechanical or cryogenic?
Installing the ideal freezing systems often boils down to space. If bakers have it, they often install a mechanical freezer. These systems reliably have outputted immeasurable pounds of dough everyday.

However, many bakers do not have the space or capital needed to install a large mechanical blast freezer. This especially holds true for small, niche bakeries that have experienced recent outstanding sales growth as their products enter the mainstream marketplace. For these bakeries, cryogenic freezers offer the ideal solution.

Cryogenic systems freeze products with nitrogen or carbon dioxide, depending on the location of the bakery and available supply. These systems are available as spiral or tunnel freezers.

Cryogenic tunnel freezers are ideal for many applications, including frozen cookie dough, pizzas, bagels and muffins. The systems use high velocity cryogen to attain temperatures as low as -320° F. Besides the quick freezing of bakery foods, these systems are used for inline chilling and to set icing and frosting before packaging.

One cryogenic tunnel freezer manufacturer recently launched a more efficient system that delivers more cold air per square foot, allowing bakers to increase throughput in the same floor space or even a smaller floor space.

“The system can output between 30% to 50% more production in the exact same footprint of an existing tunnel freezer,” the manufacturer says. “Or, bakers can shrink a 27-ft. tunnel freezer down to 18 ft.”

Cryogenic spiral freezers offer many of the same benefits of cryogenic tunnel freezers with increased capacities. From the outside, they resemble miniature mechanical spiral freezers. One manufacturer estimates a cryogenic spiral freezers saves as much as 50% more space compared to a mechanical freezer. Cryogenic spiral freezers attain temperatures as low as -150ï¿´´F and operate similar to any spiral conveying system.

New products, new requirements
As demand for bigger, new products increases, bakers must ensure that their existing freezers accommodate increased capacities and loads. “Higher throughputs, stronger belts and wider systems have driven all of our R&D efforts in the last five years,” one belt manufacturer says.

These freezer demands have spawned a variety of specialty and hybrid belts that accommodate heavier loads and wider conveying surfaces. The growing variety of belts and freezing options has complicated the process of buying a freezer. However, it also has improved efficiencies as belts and applications are designed specifically per a product’s specs.