Like every other aspect of dough development, bakers are demanding dividing systems with sanitary design at the forefront.
“With food safety regulations getting tighter, it’s critical that the divider can be fully washdown,” said Cesar Zelaya, bakery sales and technology manager, Handtmann. “Our dividers are 100% washdown, which eliminates the risk of contamination during changeover and when running product with allergens.”
The company also offers dividers with quick-release design to reduce downtime.
Reiser is also seeing increased customer demand for dividers with sanitary design.
“Allergen changeovers enter into many of our conversations,” said John McIsaac, vice-president, strategic business development, Reiser. “We believe a divider must come apart easily and simply for sanitation and inspection.”
He added that Reiser never assumes a customer is relying on a kill step downstream but rather designs all its equipment as “ready to eat.”
And a divider that’s easy to clean is one that will ultimately have a longer shelf life.
“Even a great divider can become a bad divider if it’s not maintained well,” said Patrick Harp, business development engineer, Gemini/KB Systems. “Selecting a divider that is easy to clean will be beneficial to your personnel and the operation.”
To support this, Gemini designed its TWS divider line with “water-friendly” options, including closed-frame tubing, Mr. Harp said.