Everyone wants to live long, not just in old age. This is how we make the most of soy, palm, canola, sunflower and other edible oils whose prices may have doubled or tripled due to global weather, geopolitical and supply chain challenges. This is especially true for snack makers looking for
While large food manufacturers can rely on hedging to control the cost of their goods, small to medium-sized producers of donuts, chips, and other finger-licking treats often lose , pass the cost on to the consumer, or find other ways to fry it another day.
However, saving the hassle, as tempting as it may sound, may not be the best idea.
“One of the biggest mistakes is choosing a low-cost oil to improve your bottom line,” says Don Giles of snack applications Heat and Control. “Maintaining oil quality is an important factor for product consistency, and the turnover rate of cooking oil is an important factor. It is important that it is of high quality.”
Alan Craker, International Sales Manager for Belshaw Adamatic Bakery Group, emphasized that when continuous filtration is not an option, focus on the basics such as daily filtration and fryer cleaning.
“If the production interruption is prolonged, the fryer temperature should be lowered to extend the life of the oil,” he advised. “Fryers have more precise controls that help keep the oil at a more constant temperature.”
Patricia Kennedy, president and chief executive officer of WP Bakery Group USA, said it’s also an important tip not to heat the oil above the recommended temperature. Do not exceed 363°F (184°C). However, the maximum calorific value is different from other oils.
“If you exceed the maximum temperature of your oil, you need to develop a process to get it below this temperature and make sure your fryer’s heating system is gentle and accurate,” she said.
One type of fryer solution Kennedy recommends is to run the hot oil through a heat exchanger where the large pipe surface area eliminates hot spots while ensuring precise temperature control.
Snack makers should also avoid operating fryers at less than 80% of their nominal capacity. This leads to longer oil turnover times and lower oil quality, said Dan Luna, a processing solutions specialist at TNA North America.
If a changeover or unplanned downtime disrupted the process and production stopped for more than 30 minutes, he suggested draining the fryer and allowing the oil to cool before pumping it into the tank.
“With the oil circulating for a long time while maintaining the temperature of the fried food at a nominal level, it is inevitable that air will get under the hood of the fryer because no steam will be generated,” Luna explained. “This can lead to oil deterioration.”
Various filtering options are available, from batch to continuous. Kraker noted that batch filtering is typically used for operations that run 8-16 hours a day and have breaks in production. He added that continuous filtration was the most practical for his 24-hour operation and could use a paper filtration system, a centrifuge, or other means of cleaning the oil.
Kennedy points out that some processes, such as modern thermal heating systems with heat exchangers, continuously pump and filter the frying oil before it is heated to the desired temperature. Did.
Filtration removes fines from the oil, says Giles, and helps maintain good oil quality.
“A well-designed fryer system with the right oil turnover rate eliminates the need to dump the oil completely,” he explained. “This saves money and time because the oil doesn’t have to be changed and the production line doesn’t have to be interrupted to change the oil.”
Giles says the most effective oil cleaning systems include full-flow filtration, which traps large particles by filtering the fryer’s oil volume once a minute, and small particles, about five to six times an hour.
“This helps preserve oil quality by preventing oil breakdown and ‘pepper’ fines or small particles that leave black spots in the final product,” he said.
Heat and Control recently installed the NIA OilSaver Filtration System. This is a partial flow filter that uses vacuum technology to remove 10 micron particulates from oil.
Giles said the partial-flow filter can be used in conjunction with a full-flow oil filtration system to maintain the quality and extend shelf life of edible oils. In most cases, OilSaver can be added to existing systems.
Luna said the new online filtration method removes particles left behind from sliced products, especially those with low oil intake, while the fryer is running. The new offline chemical he filtering also helps snack makers extend the life of their oils by completely eliminating oil waste in some offline oil he chemical treatments.
“It is important for snack producers to assess oil costs and processing costs to determine the best solution,” he said.
In addition to filtration, snack makers must track an oil turnover rate that monitors the amount of oil used during the frying process. It is calculated by determining the time of
“It’s not that one type of fryer inherently consumes more oil than another, as the product itself plays the biggest role in determining oil consumption rates.” Different oil systems have different total oil volumes and therefore different oil turnover rates, so it is always important to choose the fryer with the lowest practical system oil volume. It’s about operating the fryer at speed to optimize oil consumption.”
Overall, the higher the oil turnover rate, the better the quality of the oil and should always be monitored closely.
“It is very important to choose a fryer system that has a low system oil volume and very effective frying oil filtration,” says Padilla. “Lower oil volume means faster oil turnover rate and better filtration keeps the oil clean, which helps keep the oil quality good. This he said two aspects are: It should always be carefully considered.”
When it comes to increasingly expensive cooking oils, the secret to longevity is investing in anti-aging technology and following best practices that prolong the inevitable.
This article is an excerpt from the August 2022 issue of Baking & Snack. Click here to read our entire feature on fried foods.
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