Easy cleaning keeps production lines running and sweet goods at the highest quality.

With fillings, icings, glazes and toppings, sweet goods can be a messy and sticky process. A lot of these ingredients can also be allergens, so sanitation is more important than ever and can ensure equipment is well-maintained and running at top efficiency. 

“The standard is getting higher and higher, and AMF Tromp likes to set the bar high for fully washdown sanitation to achieve hygienic food production,” said Hans Besems, executive product manager, AMF Tromp, an AMF Bakery Systems brand. “Keeping operator-friendly usage in mind, we constantly offer the highest grade of sanitary design possible and apply it to industry standards and regulations.”

Many of the same principles that apply to speedy changeovers make sanitation easier as well. Redundant equipment, like a second depositor, allows operators to take their time cleaning the used depositor without slowing down production. 

“Instead of breaking down a machine completely for an allergen clean, they can simply remove one set of tools, clean and sanitize the remaining surfaces, and plug in change parts that were cleaned offline — maximizing available production time and capacity,” said Chuck Sena, director of sales and marketing, Axis Automation. “Taking this approach also has the benefit of allowing companies to conduct some of their cleaning and sanitizing work at the same time product is running.”

Easy access, minimal parts and tool-less removal also speed up sanitation. 

“Equipment is often built to either be cleaned in place or cleaned easily with few parts to dismantle and assemble,” said Sonia Bal, director of marketing, Unifiller. “Unifiller equipment is often tool-less and requiring the fewest parts to maintain, clean or replace.” 

The company also offers video tutorials to make sanitation and maintenance easier for employees. 

Rondo’s equipment is designed with sanitation in mind: Easy access for cleaning, maintenance and inspection, no niches or cavities where dirt can accumulate, belt management with quick release, and sealed cavities. Its lines are also completely washdown compatible with cleaning cycles programmed into the equipment’s software. 

E.T. Oakes also has designed its laminar flow manifold to now have a clean-in-place design. By running warm water through the manifold, operators can clean the depositors in 15 minutes —a process that used to take hours.

This article is an excerpt from the March 2023 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Sweet Goods Processing, click here.