The preparation of many different food products generates large amounts of foam. This foaming is particularly problematic in the washing of vegetables including peas, carrots, chips, crisps, sugar beet and various other root vegetables. Margins in the food industry have historically been very tight, and the cost of antifoam can be a significant issue for producers. Detecting foam and controlling the antifoam addition with an automatic system can significantly reduce the cost of antifoam use and has proven to be of great benefit to Hycontrol customers, including Pinguin Foods. Foam control also helps to increase the efficiency of the process by eliminating downtime needed to clean up overspills.
The image below (left) shows a typical food washing application where excessive foam is produced, often resulting in spillages (centre). The image on the right shows the same application with a Hycontrol foam control system installed, controlling the application to keep foam at the right level.
The highly versatile Suresenseāŗ foam control system from Hycontrol has been specifically developed for measuring the thickness of the foam in a process and detecting foam-liquid interfaces. The patented technology behind these systems originated from detailed research into foam control during pharmaceutical fermentation. Hycontrol points out that the special measuring sensors and control equipment have been purpose-designed specifically for foam control. Unlike competing products, the probes are not modified versions of existing level sensors.
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