Oscillating retorts can offer significant advantages over other thermal processing technologies, enhancing food and beverage safety and quality. But how do they operate? What sets them apart from static or rotary systems? Surdry’s experts explain.
Efficient and high-quality food and beverage sterilization is crucial to ensure safety, especially for products in pouches, bags or thermoformed trays, such as ready-to-eat products, sauces and soups. For these applications and more, Surdry offers an innovative solution: oscillating retorts.
Surdry oscillating retorts use a side-to-side swinging motion to agitate food and beverage products during thermal processing. This method is key for ensuring even heat distribution, leading to improved product quality, safety and consistency.
To help customers better understand how this groundbreaking technology works and its benefits, Surdry’s team of experts highlights four important facts about oscillating retorts:
1. Why were oscillating retorts created?
The development of Surdry’s oscillating mechanism began several years ago, driven by the need of a U.S. customer to reduce investment costs compared to rotary retorts, while maintaining the benefits of agitation during the thermal process. This technology is particularly suited for pouches or other flat-shaped flexible packaging, such as thermoformed trays, but it can also accommodate bottles or other tall containers arranged horizontally on trays or racks.
2. How does oscillation work?
Surdry’s oscillating mechanism features a side-to-side swinging motion with strategic stops at specific oscillation angles. During these pauses, gravity enables the product inside the package to flow from one end to the other, significantly accelerating heat transfer and enhancing temperature uniformity throughout the contents.
This combination of oscillation and controlled stops ensures consistent temperature distribution within the package, a critical factor for maintaining the quality and safety of the final product, especially for sensitive and complex foods.
3. What advantages does this technology offer?
- Reduced investment: Its efficient structure and design lowers the initial investment and operating costs.
- Increased capacity: The oscillating retort design allows for processing large product volumes compared to rotary batch retorts, boosting productivity.
- Reduced production downtime: Fewer mechanical components simplify maintenance and minimize the risk of downtime.
- Thermal uniformity: Oscillating agitation ensures even heat distribution, enhancing the safety and quality of the final product.
4. What are the main features of Surdry's oscillating mechanism?
Surdry’s oscillating system is distinguished by its advanced and exclusive mechanism. It features a shaft anchored at the rear of the equipment, allowing for a 15-degree oscillation. This movement is driven by a motor with a gearbox connected to the rear end of the retort, ensuring smooth and reliable operation even during intensive sterilization cycles.
Trunnion wheels with bearings support the bench frame during the swinging movement, and their placement outside the retort simplifies preventive maintenance. This system is controlled by a variable frequency drive (VFD) and positioned using an encoder, enabling precise and repetitive control of movement throughout all cycles.
Click here to watch Surdry’s oscillating retort in action.
For inquiries, contact us at sna@surdry.com