MechChem Africa December 2018

⎪ Local manufacturing, production and food processing ⎪

programme to ensure optimal uptime and maximise productivity,” Rippon advises. “To physically stretch steel requires im- mense forces to be applied, which requires a machine of some considerable scale,” com- ments Chadha. The new stretcher leveller weighs in at some 250 t and, to accommodate thismachine,theMidvaalfacilityneeded tobe expanded to a total of 15 000 m² under roof. The facility is furthermore a greenfields project, and its establishment meant that more than 70 permanent jobs were created in an area where employment opportunities are typically sparse. In addition, 23 learners have been sourced fromtheMidvaal area and are currently studying towards theirNational

“Theprovisionof professionally stretcher- levelled ASSM steel provides a substantial benefit to South Africa’s manufacturing and fabrication sector, which at this point is in definiteneedofaboosttoitscompetitiveness. “It will furthermore contribute to an up- turn in the demand for steel, whichwe expect will come once the larger infrastructure proj- ects get underway as a result of government’s recently announced economic stimulus package. This will provide a springboard for improving the quality of our locally produced steel and steel products, whichwill ultimately allow the country to be more competitive in the global manufacturing arena,” concludes Rippon. q

Certificate of Manufacturing Engineering. This is an annual programme and our invest- ment in thedevelopment of people in the local community, for potential employment either at our facility or at othermanufacturing facili- ties in the area,” Chadha points out. “The acquisition of the stretcher levellers exemplifies Allied Steelrode’s bold, forward- looking stance and our technology invest- ment roadmap and vision,” Rippon continues. Apart from the two stretcher levellers, Allied Steelrode has invested in other advanced steel processing technology such as an Adige LT 20 tube laser – among other major capital equipment items – and has upgraded the software on key cutting lines.

MAP, poultry and the cold food chain Hans Strydom, Afrox technical services manager for special products and chemicals, describes modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) in the poultry industry and how it meets the quality demands of modern consumers for fresh foods. M odified atmosphere packag- ing, alsoknownas gasflushing or protective atmosphere packaging, is used to extend Studies have shown that portions of fresh chickenstoredatanatmosphereof25%CO 2 and 75% N 2 could last for 10 days at below ing the qual- ity. The over- all quality of FoodFresh™

2.0°Cintrayswithnon-permeablefilmwith- out developing off odours or discolouration associated with P. varieties of bacteria. But at 3.3 °C in the same atmosphere, over the same period, spore-forming bacteria called clostridium botulinumwere found to grow, which are the dangerous toxins that cause botulism. The studies show that higher CO 2 con- centrations give better protection, but the higher concentration also causes the tray packaging to deform, because the CO 2 re- acts with moisture to form a vacuum in the tray. Pure CO 2 , however, is widely used for shipping unpackaged bulk and par-cooked chicken, where a central kitchen distributes to stores for the final cooking steps to be done. Apart from MAP packaging, to deliver freshpoultry fromproducer to supermarket fridges, low temperatures must be continu- ously maintained via a very well monitored and unbroken cold supply chain. This has now focused the whole of the fresh food industry on quality and safety, from farm to supermarket. Afrox has developed an extensive range of quality gases and gas mixtures that cover all current MAP processes. Called FoodFresh™, these gases fulfil the require- ments of quality assurance, hygiene and freshness demanded by the food industry. Gases are supplied in dedicated high- capacity, high-pressure steel cylinders, each with a certificate of compliance guarantee-

gases and gas mixtures is achieved by carefully controlling the preparation and filling procedures for each cylinder of a FoodFresh™ mixture. In addition to MAP solutions, Afrox and its parent company, The Linde Group, have been providing innovative solutions to the poultry industry internationally for decades. Afrox’s expertiseand solutions extend toev- ery phase of poultry processing and the cold foodchain;chilling,individualquick-freezing (IQF), water purification, all for keeping poultry products fresh and continuously cold during transportation. “MAPhas brought amonumental change in howwe get poultry from the producer to the store, whether it be fresh, par-cooked or cooked. At Afrox, we are proud to have played an essential role in developing and manufacturing gas mixtures and other technologies needed for this to happen,” Strydom concludes. q

shelf life and maintain the visual, textural andnutritional appeal of fresh foods. Gener- ally, MAP involves developing a protective gas mixture of high purity oxygen (O 2 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) or nitrogen (N 2 ), and enclosing fresh food with the gas inside the packaging. This is designed to minimise the inwardandoutwarddiffusionofMAPgases, water vapour and atmospheric air. Each gas blend is carefully developed to meet the specific respiration needs of each packaged food product. A key advantage of MAP packaging is to enable fresh food to be delivered to consumers without having to add chemical preservatives or stabilisers. The modern consumer expects consistency, freshness, flavourful products and in-stock availabil- ity from its food brands, so processors and marketers now depend on MAP packaging to meet these expectations. Aswith other flesh foods, the spoilage of chilled poultry stored in anaerobic (oxygen free) conditions is largely due to the growth of bacteria called pseudomonads (P.) such as P.fluorescens, P.putida and P.fragi . While human infections fromtheseare rare, occur- ring only in patients with compromised im- mune systems, when these organisms reach populations of 100-million CFUs (colony forming units) per square centimetre, an unpleasant off odour can be detected. Another key factor underpinning the success of MAP packaging is temperature.

Afrox’s expertise and solutions extend through to every phase of poultry processing and the cold food chain.

December 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 17