Alfa Laval in brief

Alfa Laval is a leading global provider ofspecialized products and engineeredsolutions. Our equipment, systems andservices are dedicated to helpingcustomers to optimize the performanceof their processes. Time and time again.

We help our customers to heat,cool, separate and transport productssuch as oil, water, chemicals,beverages, foodstuffs, starch andpharmaceuticals.

Our worldwide organization worksclosely with customers in almost 100countries to help them stay ahead.

How to contact Alfa LavalUp-to-date Alfa Laval contact details forall countries are always available on ourwebsite at www.alfalaval.com

PFT 00063EN 0306

The efficiency ingredient for yellow fats

Processing yellow fats with Alfa Laval technology

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Producing yellow fats is a delicate mix of blending andprocessing. It involves achieving a delicate balance of properties,allowing for subtle shifts in local market preferences andconsumer requirements, while meeting stringent internationalstandards.

Alfa Laval is the supplier of equipment and processes that makethis possible.

Raw materialsThe fats and oils in a fat blend are to agreat extent interchangeable. Virtuallyevery available edible fat or oil is nowused in a yellow fat product some-where in the world. Widely different fatcompositions can therefore be found inproducts for the same basic application.Raw material prices on the worldmarket fluctuate considerably. Yellowfats manufacturers carefully monitor theworldwide fluctuations in raw materialprices, and adapt the fat compositionsin their manufacturing processesaccordingly.

In flexible process lines, fat blends caneasily be modified to follow markettrends. This keeps the cost of rawmaterials down without affecting thequality of the end product.

Consumer productsIn the consumer market, the mostimportant properties relate to taste,convenience and health. The standardproduct, traditionally containing 80%fat, is mainly used for cooking andbaking. A wide range of soft productsis available, spreadable direct from thefridge. These table margarines and dietmargarines vary in fat content from80% down to 40% or lower, which iscurrently an attractive figure for low fatproducts. This makes the formula andwater phase preparation even moreimportant factors in providing the rightstructure and taste.

Liquid oils increase the unsaturated fatcontent, and butter fat or butter can beadded to the vegetable fat blend to

Yellow fats production is increasingly linked with conveniencefoods and functional foods, and growing health awarenessamong consumers

Processing Yellow Fats 3

improve flavour. Dairy blends, on theother hand, are made from butter orbutter fat, with vegetable oils added toimprove spreadability and make theproduct more appealing to consumerswho focus on the unsaturated fatcontent.

With the right equipment and a flexibledesign, traditional process lines caneasily be used for all these products. Inlow fat products, the balance betweenformulation and detailed processdesign is especially important, as thekey issue is preparation of a stableemulsion. For dairy blends, minorallowances in process conditions haveto be made to take into account thespecial crystallization properties ofbutter fat. Flexibility gives clearadvantages as such blended productshave now won widespread consumeracceptance in many consumermarkets, and offer the best overallprospects for product developmentand market growth.

Recent developmentsAmong the more important develop-ments in the yellow fats industry is anincreasing tendency to supplementyellow fats with plant sterols, which arebased on unsaturated fatty acids. It isclaimed that the combined effect ofusing products where plant sterolshave been added to yellow fatproducts and ensuring a nourishingdiet reduces cholesterol levels by 10–15% within a few weeks.

Addressing tomorrow’s needs forprocessing yellow fats

Over the years, margarine has beendeveloped into a wide range ofproducts for domestic use as well asfor the baking, catering and preparedmeals industries. As a result of thisdiversification, the generic term“yellow fats” is now often used as amore accurate name for margarine,spreads and related products.

Yellow fats have always played an important role in the foodindustry. Their use is now expanding rapidly, and the role theyplay is changing and developing.

Bakery productsWith products for the baking andcatering industries, the most importantproperties often vary according to theneeds of specific applications. Mostsuch products, including cream andcake margarines, and shortening, caneasily be made in a process line with aflexible design.

Puff pastry margarine, on the otherhand, requires special combinations offat compositions and processconditions to produce the rightplasticity. Shortening normally containsno water and is basically margarinewithout the aqueous phase. Thismeans there is no need to form anemulsion, because the shorteningconsists solely of fats, possibly with oil-soluble ingredients. To improveappearance and texture, a gas(preferably nitrogen) is often dispersedthrough the product duringmanufacture.

Another fat blend with no aqueousphase is vegetable ghee (vanaspati).This is normally found in two types – asmooth ghee with a consistency similarto shortening, produced in the sameway as margarine or shortening, and a

grainy ghee where the crystals areformed during well-controlled, slowcrystallization, giving a grainyconsistency and appearance. The pre-cooled fat blend, with additives ifrequired, is poured into cans while stillliquid, with final crystallization takingplace inside the cans during coldstorage.

Industry distinctions melting awayIn order to deal successfully withmodern consumer preferences, themargarine and dairy industries aredeveloping hand in hand, as reflectedby increasing use of the term “yellowfats”. What were once separatetechnologies, each with its ownproducts, processes and plants, nowhave much in common. At the sametime, more traditional market segmentshave to adopt modern processingtechniques and standards of industrialhygiene, often resulting in a mergerbetween techniques used in themargarine and dairy industries.

As one of the world’s largest suppliersof process equipment for edible fats,Alfa Laval is equally familiar with thetechnologies used in both theseindustries. Alfa Laval has a uniqueknow-how concerning refiningprocesses, milk treatment andvegetable fat crystallization. Full,practical insight into processtechnology and thorough familiaritywith both raw materials andformulations are essential to ensuringtop quality in all yellow fats productsand processes.

Hygiene, process optimization andtraceabilityAs part of the increasing focus on foodsafety, the demands as regards cleanerproduction conditions and morehygienic processes are constantlybeing tightened. Attention from bothconsumer organizations and politicianswill inevitably affect both national andinternational yellow fats producers.

This will result in greater demandsregarding traceability, and will evenapply to the components used for aparticular process installation, such aspipes, fittings and unions. A supplierwho ensures that each singlecomponent is fully traceable can saveconsiderable time and money when thetime comes to validate the process lineto the relevant authorities.

Every single link is importantTwo of the most critical points in yellowfats production – both current andfuture – are improved hygiene and fulltraceability within the processing lines.Manufacturers of process equipmentand components must live up to thesedemands in full if food producers are tomake sure their goods reach the mostattractive shelves in the supermarket.

Alfa Laval can deliver completeequipment packages that include allthe necessary components,including pipes and fittings, valves,pumps, heat exchangers, tank cleaningequipment and control systeminterfaces. The entire package featuresthe same top-quality workmanship.Certain key components, such as heatexchangers, are also available as fullytraceable parts to ensure easiervalidation, if required.

This gives yellow fats producers theadditional advantage of saving timeand money. It brings down the costwithout compromising quality becauseone single supplier can deliver all thecomponents and process knowledgeneeded. This brings down the costwithout compromising quality.

4 Processing Yellow Fats Processing Yellow Fats 5

Unilever Hungary is already familiar withAlfa Laval know-how in this specialfield, where each installation is custom-built to meet specific customerrequirements and give the bestpossible results. In 2002, Unilever Hungary placed anorder with Alfa Laval for a premixinstallation. The result of the two

companies working together on thespecifications is that Unilever Hungarynow runs a complete, fully automaticpremix process.

Mr Tibor Garai, Technical Director ofUnilever Hungary, states: “We areextremely happy with the processequipment that Alfa Laval delivered.”

Packaging and storageModern packaging equipment mustcope with the wide variety of packagetypes and sizes in demand. Both themachines and the control systeminvolved have to be selected anddesigned to fit in smoothly with theprocess line as a whole. Afterpackaging, the products are normallytransferred to a cold store to matureovernight – or longer – beforedistribution. This enhances productquality.

Processing Yellow Fats 7

Emulsion preparationThe emulsion is normally prepared inbatches, using special weighingsystems to deal with the many differentcomponents used and the fat contentdesired. Continuous in-line proportion-ing of both phases and othercomponents saves space, and eitherproportioning pumps or flow meterscan be used.

Re-melting and emulsionpasteurizationProducts with reduced fat content aresensitive to bacteria. Conventionalopen re-melting systems thereforesuffer from infection risks and otherdrawbacks.

A closed rework system utilizing a plateheat exchanger, on the other hand, hasthe important advantage of eliminatingvirtually all risk of contamination, aswell as saving energy, allowing easyCIP (Cleaning-In-Place) procedures andminimizing product waste.

The prepared emulsion, which includesthe melted rework, is often pasteurizedimmediately before the margarine iscooled and crystallized. To save energyand treat the delicate emulsion gently,a plate heat exchanger with aregenerative section is often used.

Controlled pre-coolingTo ensure that the end product is of aconsistently high quality, it is essentialto keep the inlet temperature to thetube cooler constant, no matter howmuch rework there is. This is easily

6 Processing Yellow Fats

Preparing yellow fats

Yellow fats is basically a question ofmixing water and oil together. Doing itin an accurately controlled and efficientmanner is the trick of the trade. All fatshave specific temperatures at whichcrystallization takes place when theyare cooled from the liquid to the solidstate.

done by adding a cooling sectionspecially designed to avoiduncontrolled pre-crystallization.

However, part of the cooling that wouldotherwise have to be done in the tubecooler can in fact be done in the plateheat exchangers. Keeping thetemperature constant at ± 1 to 2°C (± 33.8 to 35.6°F) ensures that boththe tube cooler and the packagingmachines further down the productionline operate more smoothly, thusavoiding any untoward productiondisturbances and stoppages.

Cooling and crystallizationThe pre-cooled emulsion is thencooled further and worked in a tubecooler, where part of the fatcrystallizes, giving the desired texture.The cooler unit is designed to transferheat efficiently and disperse waterevenly in the end product.

Accurate and easily adjustable coolingkeeps crystallization under strictcontrol. Cooling times and retention(holding) times can be independentlyvaried. This flexibility provides the keyto producing a wide variety of high-quality yellow fats that can be rapidlyand easily adapted to meet changingconsumer demands and other marketdevelopments.

Emulsionpreparation

Pasteurizationtempering

Crystallization

Post-crystallization Packaging

Re-melting

Cooled storage

Fat and oilblends

Oil-solubleingredients

Milktreatment

Brine preparationsalt

Water-solubleingedients

Fat phasepreparation

Aqueous phasepreparation

Pasteurization

The basic principle behind margarine processing

Automated control systemsCorrectly designed control systemsmake a crucial difference to theefficiency and profitability of yellow fatsprocesses. It is often the controlsystem that transforms a series ofindividual machines into a smoothlyfunctioning process line.Control systems make it possible tostore all the data associated with awide range of different combinations ofproducts, raw materials, ingredientformulations and processes. This helpsensure that each process can be runidentically every time, with immediateimplementation as and when required.

CIP stationAll Alfa Laval food plant equipment isdesigned to use industrial CIP(Cleaning-In-Place) procedures. Specialcontrol systems ensure that times,temperatures, flow rates and detergentvolumes are exactly the same everytime – which also ensures the sameperfect, hygienic results every time.

Both manual and fully automatic CIPinstallations are available. To reduceenergy consumption, the cleaningfluids are heated in regenerative plateheat exchangers. Alfa Laval CIPstations usually include a special tankfor collecting emulsions, so as torecover the fat from flushing theprocess line.

Alfa Laval supplies many of the key modules used within theproduction of yellow fats. These provide customers with theassurance of many years of trouble-free production with the highest standards of reliability, durability and hygiene.

Melting, heating and cooling are strictlycontrolled by built-in PID regulators toprevent any overheating or uncon-trolled pre-crystallization, and to ensurea constant feed temperature to the

crystallizer. A pasteurization stage canbe included for products that aresensitive to bacteriological contamination. For processing saltedmargarines, titanium plates are fitted.

Processing Yellow Fats 98 Processing Yellow Fats

Contherm® scraped surface heat exchangerContherm scraped surface heatexchangers are particularly suited forboth crystallization and re-meltingduties for yellow fats and shorteningmixtures. The special rotor and bladedescraping action results in a surfacefree from fouling and providescorrespondingly high heat transfer rates.

CTR unitThe Alfa Laval continuous temperingand re-melting (CTR) unit is a speciallydesigned plate heat exchanger inseveral sections, where the flow ofrework margarine is continually meltedand mixed with fresh emulsion forreprocessing.

Alfa Laval provides the optimalcombination of custom-designedapplication programs and standardsoftware packages. These aredesigned for ease of use as well asmaximum flexibility and scalability. Thismakes it easy to deal with subsequentexpansion or modification of theproduction line, in addition to futurerequirements for collecting andpresenting data.

Nonstop PerformanceA lifetime commitment

Engineering & SupplyAlfa Laval provides professional projectmanagement and execution before,during and after you order a processsystem or component. We arededicated to finding the best solutions,which will maximize customerperformance.

Our focus is on innovation in order tocontinually upgrade and improve ourproducts and systems. Boostingperformance is an important drivingforce behind everything we do in ourbusiness.

Parts & ServiceFor us at Alfa Laval, our obligation toyou as a customer does not stop shortat delivery. Our Parts & Serviceorganization is there to ensure thatyour process always runs at peakperformance. This is a commitmentthat extends throughout the lifetimeof the system. We call it NonstopPerformance.

Nonstop Performance is based on ourglobal network of experts, who arealways on standby to provide you withgenuine spare parts on site, in morethan 50 countries, 365 days a year,right around the clock.

In terms of service, we speak yourlanguage. Alfa Laval service is basedon a profound insight into the needsof the process industry. We see everyproduct as part of a process andunderstand the role it plays withinthat process. We can therefore workin close collaboration with you to tailoran individual service package thatmatches your requirements perfectly.Service must result in bottom-linebenefits. We therefore help you tocalculate the savings that will resultfrom any proposed service package,and the real-term benefits it willprovide.

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10 Processing Yellow Fats