Helping to Heat Up The Food Processing Industry

New product development in any industry always brings new technical challenges and hurdles.

The introduction of Alpen Cereal Bars was no different for leading British breakfast cereal manufacturer, Weetabix Limited. One problem was large containers of glucose based solutions needed to be heated and kept at optimum temperature before blending with other ingredients as part of the manufacturing process.

Weetabix found a perfect solution with LMK’s dual circuit IBC2 Flexible Heating Jacket. Able to quickly raise temperatures of large volumes of liquids and efficiently retain heat, each jacket utilizes tough, water resistant nylon for the outer layer, and custom coated heat and chemical resistant materials for the inner layers, with high efficiency insulation inside to reduce heat-loss to a minimum.

LMK Thermosafe Ltd manufacture a wide range of drum and container heating products used in process industries world-wide, including flexible heating jackets in a variety of sizes, materials, power levels and voltages. A wide standard range is available from stock to fit 25, 50, 100 or 205 litre drums as well as 1000 litre IBC containers and totes.

HONEY HEATING

Honey is one of the many foods that need to be heated to reduce viscosity. LMK Thermosafe Induction Drum heaters have provided the solution for honey processing applications around the world. The THERMOSAFE® Induction Heater causes the steel drum to be heated up directly rather than through radiant transfer, thus optimising temperature distribution across the drum surface for quick and easy Rim Liquefying. Only a matter of minutes of application is required before the entire contents can be emptied with little or no residue left in the drum.

Close temperature control can be achieved with the use of a power controller to avoid the development of high HMF content where longer term storage at higher temperatures is required.

Designed to heat up to 205 litre drums, the unit is simply placed over the drum; physical contact is not required. As there are no radiant elements, the heater remains substantially cooler than the drum being heated, enabling safe and unattended use, overnight if required. The induction coil cannot be damaged by accidental spillage, and personnel can work comfortably in close proximity. Complete access to the drum while heating enables pumps and stirrers to be easily employed. The Thermosafe is IP66 rated, so can be hosed down, even when operational, in complete safety.