Baker Perkins technology in Costa Rica
Date: 16 January 2006
High-quality breakfast cereals
Baker Perkins suppled technology and know-how to enable a Costa Rican company to expand into the high-quality breakfast cereal market.
Alimentos Jacks de Centroamerica SA, based in San Jose, has a 40-year history in manufacturing a wide variety of snacks, bars and wafers. The decision to add breakfast cereals to their portfolio follows successful development of a product range on a twin-screw extruder in the Baker Perkins Innovation Centre at Peterborough, UK.
The twin-screw extruder now being installed will produce a range of cereal shapes from a variety of raw materials. Recipes include crisped rice, and multigrain - a combination of rice and wheat which offers the opportunity to develop new textures.
The decision by Alimentos Jacks to choose Baker Perkins as their partner in this major product development programme was based on a combination of high-quality equipment and engineering excellence, plus process know-how and support.
As well as developing the initial range of direct expanded cereals, Baker Perkins food technologists will generate additional products and recipes to enable further growth from the twin-screw extrusion system.
The SB solid-barrel extruder is from a range of machines that offer great flexibility and rapid changeover, particularly important in the cereals market where product variety is a key to success.
Alimentos Jacks products are cut into individual pieces by the die as they leave the extruder. Die design is crucial in controlling shape, expansion and shell structure, and in providing different formulations and shapes from a single extruder.
Baker Perkins' creative approach to die design has produced a modular format, which allows shapes to be altered easily and cost-effectively via a product-specific insert.
The extensive range of Baker Perkins solid-barrel twin-screw extruders offers outputs to 1400 kg/hour. These machines offer an attractive cost of ownership, particularly when they incorporate the latest control benefits that improve performance and profitability.
Developments in control systems have made a major contribution to increased efficiency, leading to lower energy, running and maintenance costs. The SB extruder features a PLC control system with automatic start and stop sequences to reduce time, energy and waste on start up.
Manufacturers from around the world visit the company's Innovation Centre at Peterborough, which includes a range of laboratory and production scale equipment. Customers use these facilities to develop new products and processes, produce samples for test marketing, or conduct feasibility trials - all in a confidential environment.
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