Sanitation continues to be the top priority of bakers. Sanitary design in the form of tool-less removal and open-frame design speeds up the cleaning process and minimizes downtime. This includes smooth, sloping surfaces and the removal of bolts and crevasses that could hide debris.

Open-frame design reveals all surfaces of the mixer for easy access and cleaning. At iba this year, Topos Mondial will be showcasing an open-frame, removeable bowl spiral mixer for dough, the first of its kind. While traditional spiral mixers feature sanitation stand-bys such as stainless steel, this mixer offers open-frame design that can be fully and easily cleaned without tools. “The bakers who want to mix via spiral dough mixing and want a sanitary design, this is addressing that: a rugged machine with a sanitary build in a spiral mixer,” said Damian Morabito, president, Topos Mondial.

The hybrid-frame mixer from Shaffer Mixing, a Bundy Baking Solution, combines the open-frame design with water-tight enclosures for hydraulic and electrical components. This allows bakers to spray down the mixer without needing to protect enclosures. “Some customers have been able to reduce sanitation time by up to 75% and significantly reduce water usage for sanitation,” said Terry Bartsch, vice-president of sales.

For continuous mixing, it’s all about self-emptying designs and clean-in-place (CIP). “Mixers now open for cleaning in a variety of ways to make internals easy to inspect after CIP procedures or to clean with direct wash-down,” said Jim Warren, vice-president, Exact Mixing, Reading Bakery Equipment, of the company’s continuous mixer.

Self-cleaning is becoming more and more expected. The new ShearDos-WIP mixer from Zeppelin Systems USA is designed to be washed in place. “It’s a special washing program the mixer is cycling through after the production or when changing products,” said Stephen Marquardt, sales director, food, North, Central and South America, Zeppelin Systems USA. “The mixer is equipped with several high-pressure nozzles which will guarantee a complete hygienic cleaned mixer.”