Aston Foods has introduced the fully automatic Continua, which offers continuous vacuum cooling for large-scale bakeries.
The fully automatic system for the continuous process combines all the benefits of tried-and-tested vacuum cooling systems and enhances this technology with industry-specific features.
Using optical identification, the baked goods are directly and automatically conveyed from the tunnel or shelf oven to the correct chamber. Bread baked in loaf pans can be depanned and sliced after a short time and hours of cooling are no longer required.
The vacuum cooling unit is loaded on one side and unloaded simultaneously from the opposite side and the capacity of the system is fully utilised at all times.
Whether a fully automatic system or batch system, the benefits of the tried-and-tested vacuum cooling process are obvious. For instance, the cooling process for baked goods can be reduced to about three minutes.
In addition to reducing the time and staff required, vacuum cooling also requires significantly less energy than traditional methods.
The Continua takes up only a fraction of the space compared to cooling carousels and lines and vacuum chambers eliminate the risk of food contamination.
The innovative method has already gained acceptance in small and medium-sized bakeries around the world and the company hopes large-scale bakeries will also be able to use the technology.
