Bakeries consistently look for equipment designs that are easily sanitized and maintained to allow longer production runs.

By removing the center drive drum on its Spiral Evolve freezers, G&F Systems, Roosevelt, NY, reduced maintenance requirements, according to Anthony Salsone, senior associate at the equipment manufacturer. “There are fewer moving parts, which equates to less downtime needed to replace these parts, and this allows the baker more time to produce product,” he said.

To decrease sanitation times for spiral freezers, IJ White, Farmingdale, NY, automates this process using its Total Cleaning System, a clean-in-place (CIP) method that includes pumps and hoses located inside the freezer to perform pre-rinse, foam wash and sanitizing cycles.

Because many bakeries rely on older spiral freezers with galvanized steel or aluminum cage and frame and evaporator coil designs, companies are looking for more hygienic upgrades in their spiral freezing systems such as stainless steel enclosure panels, hygienic evaporator coils, self-stacking belt technology and CIP washdown systems, according to Andrew Knowles, freezer sales support manager, JBT FoodTech Corp., Sandusky, OH.

As such, JBT FoodTech improved hygienic design in both its Northfield- and FrigoScandia-branded spiral freezers. The Northfield SuperTrak features an all-stainless-steel cage and frame design along with a hygienic center-drum direct drive to eliminate the need for a traditional chain drive. The GyroCompact’s self-stacking stainless steel belt and internal CIP system make cleaning the spiral freezer more efficient, he added.