Margarine 12
Margarine 12
Margarine 12
Margarine Processing
Plants and Equipment
Klaus A. Alexandersen
When designing margarine processing plants and choosing the equipment to be
installed, a wide range of considerations have to be made with regard to issues
like actual processing, hygiene, sanitation, and efciency.
In margarine production, oils and fats usually are considered to be the most
important raw materials used, as oils and fats are signicant in relation to
the characteristics of the nished margarine. The type of oils or fats used
has considerable inuence on the crystallization characteristics during marga-
rine processing, which has to be considered when choosing the equipment
involved in the margarine processing line. The criteria involved in choosing
this equipment are to a certain extent based on knowledge about product
characteristics, polymorphism, and crystal structure of margarine and related
products.
In this chapter, crystallization of oil and fat products, margarine processing
equipment and packaging methods, processing methods, and specic process ows
are discussed. Various oil types exhibiting interesting crystallization habits are
reviewed along with certain specialized margarine or fat products. Storage of
nished products as well as production quality control and hygiene will also be
covered.
Baileys Industrial Oil and Fat Products, Sixth Edition, Six Volume Set.
Edited by Fereidoon Shahidi. Copyright # 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
459
1. CRYSTALLIZATION OF OIL AND FAT PRODUCTS
1.1. Product Characteristics
The rheological characteristics of nished margarines are expressed in terms such
as consistency, texture, plasticity, hardness, structure, and spreadability (1).
These characteristics are related to a number of variable factors. These are
temperature, concentration of the disperse phase or solid fat content, crystal size,
crystal size distribution, crystal shape, interparticle forces of van der Waals type
and mechanical treatment (2).
The two dominating factors are the amount of solid triglycerides (or solid fat
index) and the processing conditions during production (3). Formulation or choice
of oil blend allows control of the solid content, which, for identical processing
conditions, is directly related to the consistency and type of crystalline structure
formed (35). Processing conditions (rate and degree of cooling, mechanical
working, nal product temperature, etc.) regulate the type of crystals formed and
the morphology and extent of intertwining of the solid structure that holds the
liquid oil (6).
The term morphology is used to denote the general relation of the physical
behavior and performance of fats and oils to their crystal structure and the molecu-
lar conguration of their triglyceride components (7).
The curve describing the relationship between the solid fat content of a fat and
its hardness is not a straight line. Hardness decreases sharply when solid fat content
goes below a certain value at which the material loses some of the characteristic
plastic properties (2). Haighton (3, 8) has reported the hardness of margarine in
terms of yield value to have a strong correlation to the solid content under constant
processing conditions, as shown in Figure 1.
1.2. Polymorphism and Crystal Structure
It has been reported extensively that fats solidify in more than one crystalline type
(223). Triglycerides exhibit three main crystal typesa; b
0
, and bwith increas-
ing degrees of stability and melting point. The molecular conformations and
packings in the crystal of each polymorph have been reported. In the a form, the
fatty acid chain axes of the triglyceride are randomly oriented and the a form
reveals a freedom of molecular motion with the most loosely packed hexagonal
subcell structure.
The b
0
form and the b form are of an extended chain conformation with ortho-
rhombic and triclinic subcell structures, respectively. In the b
0
form alternating fatty
acid chain axes are oppositely oriented, whereas in the b form all fatty acid chain
axes are oriented in one way (9, 10).
Crystals of the a form are fragile, transparent platelets approximately 5 mm in
size. They are extremely transitory and require quite low temperatures to exist.
b
0
crystals are tiny needles seldom more than 1 mm in length. b crystals are large
460 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
and coarse, approximately 2550 mm in length and can grow to over 100 mm during
extended periods of product storage. The b form is responsible for product quality
failure in sandy and grainy margarines (7). In severe cases this can lead to
separation of the oil usually described by the term oiling out. Storage temperature
that is too high, inadequate oil blend formulation, or process conditions promote
this product failure.
In the manufacture of margarine, the emulsion is processed in a scraped-surface
heat exchanger that must supercool the melted fat quickly in order to form as many
crystal nuclei as possible (11).
The fat is believed to rst crystallize in the a form, which is transformed more or
less rapidly to the b
0
form depending on the crystal habit of the fat, rate of cooling,
and the amount of mechanical work applied (5, 7, 12, 13).
b
0
is the crystal form desired in margarines as it promotes plasticity (4, 5, 13).
The b
0
crystal form tends to structure as a ne three-dimensional network capable
Figure 1. Hardness of margarine vs. percentage solid in fat (3). Courtesy of J. Amer. Oil Chem.
Soc.
CRYSTALLIZATION OF OIL AND FAT PRODUCTS 461
fruta planta
of immobilizing a large amount of liquid oil (6). Large b crystals do not tend to
give a three-dimensional structure.
Both Wiedermann (4) and Thomas (5) have grouped various oils and fats accord-
ing to their crystal habits. As an example, soybean, sunower seed, corn, coconut,
and peanut oils show a b tendency. Cottonseed oil, palm oil, tallow, and butter oil
have a b
0
tendency. Oil blend formulation has a signicant inuence on the crystal
form attained by a margarine or shortening. The suitability of a fat or oil for
margarine formulation is very much dependent on the crystal size present, amount,
and habit of these crystals (13). Incorporation of a higher melting b
0
tending oil to a
basestock can induce the crystallization of the entire fat into a stable b
0
form (5).
The effects of such formulation practice and processing conditions have been
studied extensively by Rivarola et al. (6) for blends of hydrogenated sunower
seed oil and cottonseed oil. For strong b tending hydrogenated sunower seed
oil, it was found that with increasing cooling rate, the tendency to crystallize in
the b
0
form increased. For blends of hydrogenated sunower seed oil and strong
b
0
tending hydrogenated cottonseed oil it was concluded that even at quick cooling
rates, small quantities of the b form are formed.
In certain margarines formulated mainly on hydrogenated oils, such as sunower
seed oil and canola oil, with very strong b tendency, the problem of sandiness can
be pronounced. Addition of crystal-modifying agents or crystal inhibitors to such
margarines can retard the development of sandiness by delaying the transformation
from the unstable a form to the stable b form. The addition of sorbitan esters
stabilizes the intermediate b
0
form and helps prevent the formation of the b form
(15, 16). Sorbitan tristearate is effective as a crystal inhibitor in margarines. It is
assumed that sorbitan tristearate can be accommodated by the b
0
crystal network
of the triglycerides and by stearic hindrance prevent the formation of the more
densely packed b crystal form (17, 18).
In margarine with a good consistency, the fat crystals have formed a three-
dimensional network consisting of primary and secondary bonds. The crystals may
vary in shape and appearance in the form of small needles or platelets with lengths
ranging from less then 0.1 to 20 mm or more (3, 6). They do not behave as indi-
vidual particles and can grow together, forming a strong network (primary bonds).
They may also show a tendency to agglomerate, forming tiny porous crystal
clusters with considerable fewer contact points (secondary bonds) (3). As a result
of this and depending on the resulting crystal form obtained, branched and inter-
twining long chains are formed (6). These chains are responsible for forming
the three-dimensional network. The primary bonds are strong and are not readily
reestablished when broken by mechanical work. Secondary bonds are weak and
readily reestablished when broken by application of mechanical work. As men-
tioned earlier, processing conditions involving fast cooling rates and application
of a certain amount of mechanical work tend to produce margarines with a better
stability and consistency. It is generally accepted that a larger amount of primary
bonds are established if margarine is allowed to crystallize without sufcient degree
of mechanical work. This results in a product exhibiting excessive posthardening
and a hard and brittle texture (19). Due to this, it is advantageous to crystallize
462 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
fruta planta
the product as much as possible in the scraped-surface heat exchanger to achieve
the desired spreadability or consistency.
1.3. Palm Oil
Crystallization and processing of palm oil with satisfactory results in a scraped-
surface heat exchanger line for margarine and shortening requires some attention
due to the slow crystallization phenomena observed in palm oil.
The polymorphism, crystallization, formulation, and processing of palm oil has
been commented upon and studied extensively (2025, 2634). The slow crystal-
lization of palm oil and the subsequent posthardening phenomenon and product
graininess is a drawback in products formulated with high palm oil contents
and could be a limiting factor to its use (24, 25). It has been shown that the rate-
determining step in the crystal growth mechanism of triglycerides is the orientation
of molecules at the crystal faces (20). In palm oil the a-polymorph transformation
to the b
0
(i.e., the a lifetime) is unusually long, which is apparently due to the
high level of diglycerides present (approximately 6%) (20, 21). The problem of
posthardening in product formulated with high palm oil contents can be inuenced
by choice of proper processing conditions and storage time (2123).
Lefebvre (35) hypothesized that crystals, in general, are formed before or early
in the worker unit (B unit) (see Section 2.3), when a low ow rate is used in a
scraped-surface heat exchanger. The important slow processing of the product
leads to a ne crystallization and the destruction of the intercrystal bonds of the
primary type. With a higher ow rate, crystals appear late in the worker unit and
partially during packaging. Crystallization is then coarser and intercrystal bonds
are only slightly damaged, all of which is less favorable.
This hypothesis relates very well with the observations made by Oh et al. (22)
during pilot-plant-scale crystallization and processing of palm oil in a scraped-
surface heat exchanger line for margarine and shortening, as shown in Figure 2.
Palm oil from the same batch was processed with ow rates A and B of, respec-
tively, 28 kg/h and 55 kg/h. Different ow rates result in different retention times
for products A and B in the coolers and the worker unit. Product outlet temperatures
from cooler II of, respectively, 12
C and 14
C (54
F and 57
F) were observed.
The outlet temperature from the worker unit were, respectively, 1920
C (66
68
F) and 2021
C (6870
F).
Refrigerant temperatures remained constant for both ow rates. Product A
was found to have sufcient time to be more uniformly stabilized before leaving
the process line. Product B was found to have attained insufcient time to be
uniformly stabilized and resulted in a nished product in the quasi-equilibrium
state. Crystal growth in product A was not substantial during 10 days storage at
20
C (68
F), whereas the crystal growth for product B was signicant under
the same storage conditions. It was concluded that better processing conditions
may overcome the problem of slow crystallization of palm oil and also avoid the
effect of posthardening during storage. Different compositions of palm oil and palm
oil fractions give rise to different crystallization behaviors. Hydrogenated palm oil
CRYSTALLIZATION OF OIL AND FAT PRODUCTS 463
fruta planta
has the highest stability in the b
0
crystal form followed by palm oil and then palm
stearin.
The preceding observations relate well with observations in industrial-scale
scraped-surface heat exchanger processing lines.
In industrial-scale processing lines, it has been found to be advantageous to
process palm-oil-based industrial margarines with an additional worker unit
installed between the cooling cylinders as shown in Figure 3 (26). This increases
the products retention time in the processing line and allows a slight increase in the
ow rate without compromising the product quality.
Generally, the recommended ow rate for palm-oil-based industrial margarines
is approximately 60% of the nominal capacity of a scraped-surface heat exchanger
process line for industrial margarine (27); for example, a scraped-surface heat
exchanger with a nominal capacity of 3000 kg/h for oil blends based on oils such
as soybean oil or cottonseed oil will, for oil blends based on palm oil, have a
capacity of approximately 1800 kg/h.
In connection with crystallization of palm-oil-based products it should be noted
that the tempering practice for industrial margarines and shortening at 26.7
C
(80
C (80
F)
and raise it above 26.7
C (80
C (159
C (95
F), based on a
canola oil blend with palm oil addition, can be produced in a scraped-surface heat
exchanger line for margarine, according to the ow outline in Figure 4. A reduced
ow rate of approximately 85%, compared to the nominal capacity of the scraped-
surface heat exchanger (A unit) (see Section 2.2), is recommended. It should also
be noted that the intermediate worker unit (B unit) (see Section 2.3), with variable-
speed drive inserted between the cooling cylinders, should have a relative volume
of approximately one third of the volume of the intermediate worker unit indicated
in Figure 3, based on a given ow rate and heat exchange area (50).
1.5. Specic Heat and Heat of Fusion
In the solid state, the specic heat of oils and fats shows little change as molecular
weight varies. An increase in specic heat can be observed with increased unsatura-
tion. In the liquid state, specic heat increases slightly with molecular weight but
decreases slightly with less unsaturation. In general, there is little variation among
natural oils and fats (21).
TABLE 1. Percent (%) Triglyceride Composition and Mono- and Diglyceride Content
of Fully Hydrogenated Oils (%).
Hard Fats
Carbon Rapeseed
Number Soybean Beef Fat
a
Rapeseed Blend Cottonseed Palm
44 0.2
46 1.4 0.1 0.5
48 0.2 7.5 3.4 0.9 6.4
50 3.3 21.0 1.6 8.8 13.6 40.0
52 27.6 44.9 11.6 15.2 43.5 41.9
54 66.7 24.5 28.3 25.9 40.5 10.7
56 1.7 0.4 6.7 6.2 1.3 0.4
58 0.5 6.8 7.2
60 12.3 9.0
62 31.9 23.6
64 0.8 0.8
Monto 0.4 0.1 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.9
Di 3.6 2.0 3.7 4.4 5.8 8.2
a
Glycerides contain odd-numbered and branched fatty acids.
Reprinted from Ref. 49, with permission.
CRYSTALLIZATION OF OIL AND FAT PRODUCTS 467
The specic heats of liquid oils and fats, including palm oil, palm kernel oil, and
coconut oil, may be taken as (21).
C
p
kcal=kg 0:47 0:00073 T;
where T is temperature in
C (1 Btu/lb 0.252 kcal/kg).
A specic heat of 0.514 kcal/kg/
C
p
T
J
c
Y
; 5
where T T
a
T
2
.
Formulas (1), (2), and (5) make it possible to relate process variables such as
the ow rate F, the emulsion temperature T
1
, and the ammonia evaporation tempe-
rature T
f
with parameters contributing to the consistency of the margarine such as
the solid fat content at the exit of the A unit W
2
.
As the crystallization of a fat product demands both a rapid temperature
drop and time for crystal nucleation and crystal growth, sufcient retention
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT FOR MARGARINE 473
time for the product in the A unit is required. The retention time can be calculated
from
T
r
V=F; 6
where F is the product ow rate and V is the product volume in the A unit.
Shaft Design. The high viscosity margarine products exhibit during processing
in the A unit increases the signicance of factors such as ow rate, shaft rotation
speed, turbulent ow conditions in relation to shaft design, blade conguration, and
annular gap between the shaft and cylinder wall (51). This is due to the viscositys
inuence on ow properties, created turbulence, increased effect of mechanical
work, and obtained mixing and heat transfer.
Several shaft or cylinder designs are available today in A units for margarine
processing. The A units can be grouped according to whether they are mounted
with eccentric shafts, oval shafts, sectioned shafts, or oval tubes.
Eccentric shafts have been in wide use in the past and were developed by the
Votator Division of Louisville, Kentucky, and are claimed to provide more intensive
cooling for high-melting bakery margarine as well as a certain amount of working
and compression action similar to that given by the Complector of the older, open-
chill drum system (52) (see Section 5.2).
Figure 7. Votator scraped-surface heat exchanger unit. Courtesy of Cherry-Burrell Votator
Division, Louisville, Ky.
474 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
Figure 7 shows a new, all stainless steel Votator A unit complete with high-
pressure feed pump and worker unit for production of industrial margarines and
shortenings.
In the literature, one can nd theoretical and practical studies relating to heat
transfer conditions in scraped-surface heat exchangers (19, 54), which cover factors
such as specic weight, specic heat, latent heat of crystallization, dry matter con-
tent, retention time, and overall heat transfer conditions.
A review of some of the uid mechanics and heat transfer aspects of scraped-
surface heat exchangers currently available for margarine processing has been
given by N. Hall Taylor (56). A summary by N. Hall Taylor outlining the important
physical phenomena occurring under different circumstances in the A units is given
in the following discussion.
Heat Transfer and Viscous Dissipation for Newtonian Fluids. Because the gap
width is small relative to the shaft radius, the annular space can be represented
on the basis of a two-dimensional ow model. This is illustrated in Figure 8.
Figure 8 indicates the important action of the scraper blade. Removal of material
at the front allows fresh warm material to ow down the back of the blade to
be brought into contact with the cold surface. Two things then happen. First, the
material adjacent to the surface is slowed down to develop a velocity prole.
Second, the material starts to transfer heat into the wall.
This is a transient uid ow and heat transfer problem. Figure 9 illustrates the
growth of these layers adjacent to the wall as seen from a coordinate system travel-
ing with the blade.
In Figure 9, the upper line represents the viscous layer, which shows the progres-
sive development of the linear velocity prole. The thickness at any position rela-
tive to the blade is given approximately as
d
n
2
nx
V
1=2
;
where n is the kinematic viscosity. The material outside this viscous layer continues
to travel at the rotational velocity V.
Figure 8. Fluid movement in the proximity of the blade (56). Courtesy of N. Hall Taylor, Crown
Chemtech Ltd., Reading, United Kingdom.
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT FOR MARGARINE 475
The inner line in Figure 9 represents the corresponding thermal layer and shows
the development of the thermal gradient. Again the material outside this layer
remains at a constant temperature above the wall temperatures (i.e., y
0
y
w
). The
thickness of the thermal layers (d
T
) is given by
d
T
2
ax
V
1=2
;
where a is the thermal diffusivity.
Thus the ratio of the thickness of the two layers at any position is solely related
to the Prandtl number of the material:
d
n
d
T
n
a
1=2
Pr
1=2
:
For foodstuffs under low shear conditions, the Prandtl number is large, i.e., the
viscous layer is much thicker than the thermal layer.
Within the viscous layer, all the viscous dissipation is taking place. The scale of
viscous heat generation/unit volume (p) at any point is given by
p m
du
dy
2
;
where du=dy is the velocity gradient.
It can be shown that within the viscous layer:
p
rV
2
4t
;
or in coordinates relative to the blade:
p
rV
3
4x
:
Figure 9. Velocity prole behind the blade (56). Courtesy of N. Hall Taylor, Crown Chemtech
Ltd., Reading, United Kingdom.
476 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
This result is only true provided the thickness of the viscous layer is less than the
gap width (H); i.e., d
n
< H.
By integrating the viscous dissipation terms over the volume of the viscous layer,
one can derive an equivalent heat ow that has to be removed in addition to any
cooling that takes place. This is given by
q
n
rV
3
n
LV
1=2
;
where L is the distance behind the blade at which the viscous boundary layer is
destroyed. This can either be due to the next blade (so that L is the distance between
the blades) or because of some turbulent motion in the liquid. The cause of such
turbulent action will be discussed in detail later.
The heat transferred from the thermal layer to the wall can also be estimated and
averaged over the mixing length. This gives
q
T
ky
V
aL
1=2
:
Thus, increasing the rotational velocity will improve the rate of heat transfer
(proportional to V
1=2
). However, at the same time the heat that has to be removed
from viscous dissipation is increasing (proportional to V
5=2
).
The net cooling ux is
q
c
q
T
q
V
:
This indicates that for a given material there will be an optimum velocity at which
the greatest cooling is achieved. It also suggests that under certain conditions
q
T
q
V
and no net cooling is achieved.
This will occur if
V
2
> C
p
y Pr
1=2
or
V
2
> C
p
y
k
C
p
m
1=2
:
The velocity at which this takes place will decrease as the viscosity increases. In a
margarine process the most critical section is in the nal scraped-surface heat
exchanger (SSHE) and then toward the exit end. Here there is the greatest viscosity
(highest Pr) and also the smallest temperature difference between the wall and the
material (y).
In most cases this critical velocity is well above the maximum operating velocity
of the SSHE.
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT FOR MARGARINE 477
Non-Newtonian Fluids. Most foodstuffs and margarines are non-Newtonian uids.
This means that the effective viscosity varies with the shear applied to the material.
A useful representation of this behavior is as follows:
n n
0
g
0
g
K
;
where g is the shear rate, essentially equal to the velocity gradient; n
0
is a reference
viscosity at the reference shear rate g
0
s
1
; and k is a constant typically in the
range 0.60.7. It should also be remembered that viscosity is generally strongly
dependent on temperature. This can typically be represented by
n n
R
y
y
R
n
;
where n
R
is a reference viscosity at temperature y
R
and n is a constant in the
range 23.
The inuence of shear on viscosity has a very signicant inuence upon the rate
of development of the viscous boundary layer.
The shear in the viscous layer is given by
g
V
d
n
:
Thus, just behind the blade, the shear will be very high (since d
n
is very small),
and this means that the effective viscosity will be low. Consequently, the layer will
move away from the wall more gradually than in the Newtonian uid case.
A simplied equation for the thickness of the viscous layer for non-Newtonian
uid is
d
n
d
n
0
d
n
0
g
0
V
k=2k
;
where
d
n
0
2
n
0
x
V
1=2
:
The inuence of the shear factor can be seen from the following table, which
shows the derived thickness (d
n
) as a function of d
n
0
for a velocity V of 2 m/s,
equivalent to 300 rpm:
d
n
0
d
n
1 0.02
2 0.06
4 0.18
8 0.50
16 1.41
478 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
This illustrates that the viscous layer is an order of magnitude smaller for the non-
Newtonian material when compared to a corresponding Newtonian material.
The thermal diffusion process, however, is not affected by the shear and so the
same equations as before apply. Thus, the thickness of the thermal layer becomes
closer to that of the viscous layer.
This analysis indicates that, for high-melting-point margarines, there is likely to
be a very thin layer close to the cooling surface in which a linear prole is devel-
oped. This is a region of high shear, which effectively lowers the viscosity within
this region. Outside this layer the material is moving uniformly with the rotating
shaft. This condition is often referred to as mass rotation.
There is, however, a number of instabilities that induce vortices, and these can
delay the onset of the mass rotation condition. The next section will discuss the
cause of these instabilities.
Flow Instabilities. For clarity, these instabilities will be discussed in terms of
Newtonian uids, although similar, more complicated behavior will occur with
non-Newtonian uids.
1. Instability behind the blade. The ow situation is equivalent to the analysis
of the transition from laminar to turbulent ow along a plate parallel to the
direction of ow and is shown in Figure 10. Instability is predicted to start at
Reynolds numbers greater than 580, although observable disturbances need a
higher value, say 1000.
Thus this type of disturbance will occur when
Re
Vx
n
> 1000:
On the basis of the earlier discussion, this implies a mixing length (L) of
L
1000n
V
:
For water n 10
5
and so if V 2 m/s, L 5 mm. For an oil of 1000 cP, L
will be about 5 m, in which case this instability will not be observed since the
distance to the next blade is only 0.2 m.
Figure 10. Instability behind the blade (56). Courtesy of N. Hall Taylor, Crown Chemtech Ltd.,
Reading, United Kingdom.
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT FOR MARGARINE 479
2. Instability within the annular space. The rotation of the uid in the annular
space means that a centrifugal pressure gradient exists across the gap, the
higher pressure being at the wall. This pressure gradient is given by
dp
dr
rV
2
r
:
Ignoring the velocity gradients, this implies a pressure difference across
the gap of
p rV
2
H
R
;
where R is the shaft radius.
For our standard SSHE, H 16 mm and R 61 mm so that at 300 rpm
p is 0.01 bar, with the pressure at the cylinder wall being slightly higher
than at the shaft surface.
Although the pressure difference seems small compared to the local operat-
ing pressure of say 5070 bars, it is still capable of inducing a circulation
pattern. Thus, by Bernoullis equation, this pressure difference can accelerate
the liquid (ignoring viscous effects) to a velocity u given by
1
2
ru
2
p
rV
2
H
R
;
u
V
2H
R
1=2
:
Hence for the standard SSHE, u 1:37 m/s.
The signicance of this centrifugal effect is that if can cause a series
of fairly stable vortices to be set up between and travel with the blades.
Figure 11 shows this effect. This implies that the outer dimension of the vortex
is equal to the gap width H and that the mixing length L lies somewhere
between H and 2H. Because this is about a tenth of the distance between the
blades, the heat transfer should be increased by a factor of 23.
Figure 11. Vortices behind the blade (56). Courtesy of N. Hall Taylor, Crown Chemtech Ltd.,
Reading, United Kingdom.
480 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
The vortices need some time to establish, and they will be most persistent if
the ratio of the distance between the blade (pR) to the gap width (H) is close
to an integer. For the standard SSHE the ratio is about 13.
3. Enhancement of annular gap instabilities. The instability of the previous
section will be suppressed by higher viscosities, again reverting to mass rota-
tion. There are different methods used to overcome this with varying degrees
of success:
Oval tubes
Oval shafts
Eccentric shafts
Sectioned shafts
The rst three are clear from their description. The sectioned shaft equipped
with staggered blades has large ats to accommodate the blades on opposite
sides, so that the gap widths vary between 9 and 17 mm. Figure 12 shows a
diagram of such a shaft. The effect of the staggered blades is that the position
of the at is rotated through 90
C or
more due to release of latent heat of crystallization and mechanical work can be
observed in the worker unit (3).
Worker unit cylinders usually have product volumes ranging from 35 L up
to approximately 105 L per cylinder. B units with up to three worker cylinders
mounted on the same support frame are available on the market. Each worker cylin-
der usually has its own individual drive with xed or variable speed for maximum
exibility during processing of margarine. The design of a worker unit is illustrated
in Figure 18.
2.4. Resting Tubes
When producing margarine for stick or block wrapping, a resting tube is normally
connected directly to a packaging machine to allow the product sufcient time to
attain a hardness that is suitable for wrapping (3, 4, 54, 55). During production of
table margarine for stick wrapping, the product will commonly pass through the
cooling cylinders of the A unit and a possible intermediate worker unit (B unit)
inserted between the cooling cylinders. From the A unit, the product enters the
resting tube connected directly to the packaging machine (3).
The intermediate worker unit normally has a lesser product volume than nal
worker units used in production of soft table margarine for tub lling. The purpose
of limiting the amount of work given to the product is rst to produce a product that
is not too soft to be handled in the automatic stick wrapping machine. Second, it is
486 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
to prevent the aqueous phase of the margarine from being dispersed in an extremely
ne state of subdivision (54), which could have a negative effect on the avor
release. Finally, too intensive working of a table margarine, with its higher solid
fat content compared to a soft margarine, could cause the product to attain an
unpleasant, greasy consistency (59). Too greasy a consistency could also cause
the wrapping material to stick to the product, which would result in a poor presen-
tation of the product to the consumer. Figure 4 illustrates the process ow for
production of table margarine for stick wrapping.
The margarine is forced through the resting tube by the pressure of the high-
pressure feed pump. Resting tubes are normally tted with screens or perforated
plates (55) to allow a minimal degree of work to be given to the product to ensure
optimal crystallization and plasticity.
Figure 18. Worker unit (B unit) with one cylinder. Courtesy of Crown Chemtech U.S.A., a
division of Crown Iron Works Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota.
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT FOR MARGARINE 487
Resting tubes for table margarine and similar products are made up of anged
sections with lengths varying from approximately 450 mm (17.5 in.) to approxi-
mately 900 mm (35 in.) (54, 60). This allows the product volume of the resting
tube to be varied in accordance with the physical characteristics of the solidifying
margarine (54). Resting tubes for table margarine production commonly have dia-
meters ranging from approximately 150 to 180 mm (6 to 7 in.) (54, 60). Resting
tubes for production of puff pastry margarine usually have diameters ranging
from approximately 300 to 400 mm (12 to 16 in.). The anged section in these
resting tubes has a length of up to approximately 1000 mm (39 in.). The volume
of resting tubes for puff pastry margarine is normally considerably larger than
for other products to allow sufcient time for development of the special consis-
tency required in puff pastry margarine (see Section 5.2).
Some equipment suppliers recommend using one single resting tube for feeding
table margarine to the packaging machine, whereas others recommend the use of
two connecting, parallel resting tubes. When one of the two resting tubes has been
lled with product, a motor-actuated rotary valve automatically switches the ow
of product to the second resting tube. The product in the rst resting tube remains
static until the second resting tube has been lled.
The construction of a resting tube usually involves the required inlet adaptor,
anged sections, screens or perforated plates, and an outlet connection ange for
direct linkup to the packaging machine. Alternatively, the resting tube could also
be mounted with an outlet extrusion nozzle, in case the product is fed to the pack-
aging machine through the older, open hopper system. Resting tubes are normally
jacketed for warm water circulation to minimize the friction between the margarine
and the stainless steel wall of each section. This helps prevent channeling of
the product and reduces the overall discharge pressure required at the high-pressure
feed pump.
Figure 19 shows resting tubes of varied sizes for puff pastry margarine.
2.5. Packaging Equipment
Margarine products are packed in several ways depending on margarine type,
product consistency, and consumer preferences. In the U.S. market, consumer
retail margarines and related products, including butter blends, cover a variety of
products packaged in different ways (61). These can be grouped as follows:
Margarine in quarter-pound sticks
Margarine in one-pound solids
Margarine patties
Soft margarine in tubs
Spreads in quarter-pound sticks or one-pound solids
Soft spreads in tubs
Diet products in sticks or tubs
Liquid margarine in squeeze bottles.
488 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
Figure 19. Resting tubes for puff pastry margarine. Courtesy of Crown Chemtech U.S.A., a division of Crown Iron Works Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota.
4
8
9
Margarines for food service or industrial use are normally lled into 50-lb plastic
bag lined cartons, wrapped in blocks of 5 lb or bigger, or supplied in bulk.
Stick/Solid Retail Margarine. Two basic types of stick or solid packaging
machinery are used in the United States (62). The rst of these forms is a molded
print that forces product into a measuring and molding chamber. The molded print
is removed from the chamber and then wrapped and cartoned. On the second type
of machine, the product from the resting tube is lled directly into a cell that is
prelined with a preformed wrapper bag. The wrapping is then folded and ejected
from the cell.
The second type of machinery is the more widely used type in the U.S.
margarine industry. The principle operation of the second type of machine is shown
in Figure 20. This type of packaging machine was originally developed by Benz &
Hilgers GmbH of Neuss, Germany, and today a wide range of machines for stick or
solid wrapping based on this concept exist (63). The concept shown in Figure 20
involves a machine with drive elements running in an oil bath. The product can be
fed to the machine either by a trough with feed worms or by direct linkup to a rest-
ing tube. Machines of this type can also be fed by a vertical funnel with a special
scraper/agitator mounted. This type of feeding arrangement is normally used when
wrapping miniportions at low hourly capacity.
In Figure 20, the wrapping material is fed continuously from a changeable reel
and is cut crosswise by a knife system before arriving at the bag forming station.
A plunger guides the wrapper through folding channels to form the bags, then
positions the bags exactly into the cells located in the intermittently running rotary
table in the center of the machine (64). The positioned bags are transported by
the rotary table to the dosing station. At the dosing station, the cells are lifted
Figure 20. Forming of the wrapper bag, lling, and folding. Courtesy of Benz & Hilgers GmbH,
Neuss, Germany.
490 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
with the wrapper inside to ensure air-free lling of the product. Product is lled into
the preformed wrapper bags by the dosing station utilizing a dosing cylinder with a
piston. After subsequent folding and calibrating station, sharp-edged sticks or solids
are transported out of the packaging machine to the cartoning machine. Figure 21
shows an example of a packaging line including the stick wrapping machine and an
attached cartoning machine.
This packaging operation is more suitable for softer products than the system
where the product is molded before wrapping (62). Furthermore, the described
system normally operates with a bottom fold principle, which facilitates the folding
and closing operation during wrapping of softer product (64). A more economical
length-side fold principle can also be used in the packaging operation, saving
wrapping material. The two folding principles are shown in Figure 22.
The wrapping materials used in the wrapping operation shown in Figure 20
may be parchment, laminated aluminum foil, plastic-coated material, or plastic
foil (63). For packaging of margarines, the rst two wrapping materials are com-
monly used.
Generally, packaging lines as shown in Figure 21 used in the margarine industry
are becoming quite sophisticated, involving electric and electronic monitoring
systems to control the functional sequences of the machinery. Monitoring systems
cover registration of production data, identication of end of wrapping material
roll, product pressure control, photoelectric wrapper registration, and automatic
control of dosing volume by integrated check weigher (63). Computer-aided
machine diagnostic systems can also be installed in packaging machinery. This
involves a programmable logic controller (PLC) monitoring system, which helps
to avoid faults in the packaging operation, to identify reasons for failure, and to
control production data.
High-speed, fully automatic packaging lines for stick wrapping of margarine
with speeds up to 240 sticks per minute are widely used in the U.S. margarine
industry. Such lines include fully automatic cartoning machines for inserting four
Figure 21. Example of a packaging line. Courtesy of Benz & Hilgers GmbH, Neuss, Germany.
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT FOR MARGARINE 491
quarter-pound sticks into one carton, for example. The cartons can then be packed
into cases in semiautomatic case packers or fully automatic wrap-around case
packers. Finally, the packaging lines can also include automatic palletizing
machines. Figure 23 shows a fully automatic, high-speed stick wrapping machine
complete with cartoning machine.
Soft Tub Margarine. In the North American market, soft margarine and spreads
are usually lled into tubs made from either polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene
(PE). Polypropylene allows for a thinner wall of the tubs and is more rigid then
PE. Due to the more rigid structure of PP, tubs made from PP can crack. Tubs
made from PE have a smaller tendency to crack, as PE is more exible. Due to
this, lids are normally made from PE. Polyethylene gives a better weight control
during the manufacture of tubs, whereas PP in larger quantities is cheaper than
PE. Polypropylene and PE have equal properties in permeability of ultraviolet light
and air (oxidation) (65).
Tub lling machines for margarines and spreads are available from several
U.S. equipment manufacturers such as Rutherford of Rockford, Illinois, Phoenix
Engineering of Wisconsin, and Osgood of Clearwater, Florida.
In tub lling operations, it is normally required for hygienic and easy cleaning
procedures that the lling machine have a clear separation of the mechanical drive
and the product conveyor. Furthermore, it is advantageous to have lling machines
that prevent product or cleaning agents from entering the mechanical drive (66).
Cleaning of tub lling machines is normally limited to those parts in the conveyor
Figure 22. Packets with bottom and length-side fold. Courtesy of Benz & Hilgers GmbH, Neuss,
Germany.
492 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
area that are in contact with the product. The dosing module and the entire area in
contact with the product can be automatically CIP (clean-in-place) cleaned in more
sophisticated machines.
Most tub lling machines are in-line machines with up to four tracks depending
on the requirements of lling volume and capacity.
Tub lling machines can be tted with a variety of functions depending on
whether the margarine is packaged in tubs with a heat-sealed membrane or cover-
leaf under the lid, for example. The main functions of a tub lling machine for
margarine normally are (67):
Tub feeding station with magazine
Direct product feed with pneumatically operated compensating piston
Dosing device with lling nozzles
Feeding of snap-on lids
Press-on station for lids
Date coding device
Off-conveyor
Control panel
Optional functions usually include:
Tub cleaning or sterilization device
Automatic CIP cleaning system
Coverleaf station with magazine
Sealing membrane station with magazine
Other functions
Figure 23. Stick wrapping machine with cartoner. Courtesy of Benz & Hilgers GmbH, Neuss,
Germany.
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT FOR MARGARINE 493
In margarine production, the packaging line for tubs can be completed with
wraparound case packers and palletizers (67). A fully automatic tub lling machine
is shown in Figure 24. A device for the simultaneous quantitative regulated lling
of liquid or soft plasticized substances, such as butter, margarine, pastes, or the like,
by means of nozzles into adjacently arranged containers with the assistance of at
least one control element interchangeably switchable from lling to discharging
and at least one dosing piston has been described (68).
Industrial Margarines. These products are usually lled into plastic-bag-lined
cartons of various sizes. Special bakery margarines, such as puff pastry margarines,
are normally wrapped in blocks of approximately 125 kg. Alternatively, puff
pastry margarine can be packed in plates or sheets of 15 kg (68, 69). Edmunds
and Budlong (69) have given a detailed description of a continuous sheeting and
packaging machine for puff pastry margarine and related products.
Block and plate wrapping machines for margarines are available today from
C. Bock & Sohn Maschinenfabrik of Norderstedt, Germany, and Gerstenberg &
Agger A/S of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Block packing machines are today quite sophisticated, and it is possible to wrap
different block sizes in one machine. Block packing machines can be delivered with
special slicing equipment for slicing the block during extrusion but before the nal
wrapping as illustrated in Figure 25. Block packing machines can, if required, be
installed for automatic CIP cleaning, which is important especially in connection
with butter production (70).
Figure 25 shows a fully automatic block production line where the product to be
wrapped is fed from the SSHE plant into a dosing station. With the help of product
Figure 24. Fully automatic tub lling and closing machine. Courtesy of Benz & Hilgers GmbH,
Neuss, Germany.
494 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
Figure 25. Fully automatic block wrapping machine. Courtesy of C. Bock & Sohn Maschinenfabrik, Norderstedt, Germany.
4
9
5
and compensator pressure, it is passed on through two laterally placed cylinders via
the resting tube toward the mouthpiece of the block packing machine. Exact weight
control is achieved by the piston stroke of the coupled dosing pistons mounted in
the two cylinders. The extrusion nozzle of the block packing machine is equipped
with a special cutoff device that cuts the product vertically from top to bottom after
nished dosing. The wrapper is fed from the reel, cut, and positioned automatically
under the extrusion nozzle or mouthpiece. The product block arrives onto the wrap-
per, which is supported by a transport plate. Each wrapper will be controlled in its
nal position before dosing takes place. A no-wrapper/no-dosing device is mounted
in the machine. Vacuum will hold the wrapper correctly on the transport plate while
the block moves toward the folding level. Here the prefolded block will be trans-
ported by a chain conveyor to the various folding stations. The wrapped and folded
block leaves the machine on a transport belt (69).
Modern sheet wrapping production lines function after the same principles
except that the product is extruded as a sheet or plate from the mouthpiece verti-
cally into a plate turner. Before the extrusion, the wrapper is positioned and follows
the product into the plate turner. The plate turner is driven by a four-step gear drive
rotating the plate turner 90
C (78
C 32.00 190.30
(111.2/114.8
F)
Soybean oil, hydr. 34/36
C 4.00 23.79
(93.2/96.8
F)
Soybean oil 44.00 213.22
Emulsier 0.20 5.98
Lecithin 0.20 1.61
Color (carotene) 0.005 12.65
Aroma 0.02 8.05
Water 16.935 0.14
Salt 2.00 3.91
Milkpowder 0.50 23.00
Potassium sorbate 0.10 8.40
Citric acid 0.04 2.53
100.0 493.58
From Crown Wurster & Sanger, Minneapolis, Minnesota, with permission.
PLANT LAYOUT AND PROCESS FLOWSHEET 499
preparation and the use of unsuitable formulas. This will help to minimize the
amount of product that has to be recycled. In a high-productivity setting, reworked
or recycled product should constitute no more than 0.10.2% of the total plant
production. Product specications, fulllment of these specications, and product
consistency as well as expected technical performances of the product are quality
constraints. Depending on the quality control efciency, recycling losses may reach
0.20.4% of the total production. Raw material quality is usually the cause (35).
Emulsion preparation systems play a very important role for achieving the above
productivity and thus the desired protability in margarine production. Three gen-
eral systems are normally used for metering and mixing the various ingredients into
a water-in-oil emulsion. These are (80):
A continuous metering pump system
A batchwise scale tank system
A batchwise owmeter system
4.1. Continuous Metering Pump System
The margarine industry, like other food processing industries, is continuously
involved in optimizing productivity through rationalization to minimize production
costs. To achieve this a proper production method and production installation must
be chosen allowing optimal capacity at minimal labor cost, maintenance cost,
space, and energy requirements. At the same time the high product quality and
productivity must be assured (81).
Continuous emulsion preparation using a metering pump system has been suc-
cessfully used during the last decades in the margarine industry to meet the above
requirements (76, 78) and is considered to be a very exible installation (53).
Well-known suppliers of metering pump systems are Bran Luebbe Inc. of Buffalo
Grove, Illinois, and American Lewa Inc. of Holliston, Massachusetts.
In connection with the use of continuous metering pump systems, metering
or dosing can be dened as the addition of a dened ingredient ow or amount
(ingredient ow is equal to the ingredient amount added over a specied time
period) to a process tank, a mixer, or a process (81).
To allow metering, the ingredient ow (i.e., ingredient amount) must be trans-
ported, metered, and added. The metering pump covers the three operations of
transport, metering, and addition in one step. Thus, the metering pump differs
from regular pumping applications by two characteristics (81):
1. The ow is easily adjustable in a dened way.
2. Pressure and viscosity variations have no or only minimal inuence on the
ow.
A metering pump consists of drive with gear reducer and a pumphead, where the
gear reduces the rotary motion of the drive motor and coverts it into a reciprocating
500 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
plunger motion. Suction and discharge valves work alternately according to the
plunger stroke. The capacity is determined by plunger diameter, stroke length,
and stroking speed and can be adjusted manually, electrically, or pneumatically
(8183).
A combined adjustment of stroke length and stroking speed will allow the
proportional metering of two or more ingredient ows based on the use of
multiple pumpheads (79). Due to the exibility of the metering pump, margarine
emulsion preparation can be fully or partly automated by the use of a metering
pump system with multiple pumpheads. For example, only two pumpheads are
used for metering of the oil phase and the water phase.
Plunger diameter, stroke length, and type of stroking speed adjustment can be
chosen individually for each pumphead in the multiple pumphead metering pump
system (8183).
In margarine production it is possible to install a multipumphead system with
individual pumpheads for each ingredient or ingredient group used in the emulsion
preparation (76, 81). All pumpheads can be driven by one single motor with gear
reducer, which is an advantage from an energy consumption point of view. The
proportional metering of each ingredient is adjustable through the stroke length
in each pumphead. The total capacity of the metering pump system is adjustable
according to the product demand of the crystallization line and the packaging
operation (76, 78, 81).
Figure 27 shows a multipumphead metering system that uses an individual
pumphead for each ingredient. A system capable of accurately metering up to 16
ingredients, with dosing accuracies of 0:1%, has been reported (76, 78). Dosing
pump suppliers guarantee accuracies better than 0:5% (82, 83).
Maintenance of a stable emulsion in the continuous metering systems total
product ow is critical for an efcient margarine production and is achieved
through the use of specially designed static in-line mixers. These are installed
in the main pipelines downstream of the metering system as can be seen from
Figure 27.
Low-pressure or high-pressure metering pump systems can be installed accord-
ing to users preference and required plant design. Figure 27 shows a high-pressure
system, where the emulsion ow from the system passes directly to the SSHE of
the crystallization line. In low-pressure systems, the emulsion ow from the system
passes the static mixers and a possible in-line plate pasteurizer before entering a
balance tank. The balance tank is usually equipped with an agitator and high and
low level switches for control of the drive of the metering pump system. From the
balance tank, the emulsion is then pumped by a separate high-pressure piston pump
to the SSHE.
Due to the exibility of the multipumphead metering system virtually any
margarine formula can be processed within the range of fat content and water con-
tent for which the system is originally laid out during the design of the overall
processing capabilities (76, 78). Failsafe devices assure that the system is stopped
automatically if an ingredient fails to ow. The use of a balance tank offers some
advantages in this connection.
PLANT LAYOUT AND PROCESS FLOWSHEET 501
Accumulating excess margarine from the packaging operation can be returned to
the main fresh emulsion ow by a separate rework metering pump as shown in
Figure 27. This helps guarantee a uniform quality in the nal product (78), as
well as minimizes waste.
Adjustment of the multipumphead metering system according to the recipes to
be produced and other required functions can be done automatically and integrated
into a control system based on the use of a PLC. The control system can be
connected to a possible main computer system in the margarine plant, allowing
for registration of process parameters and other statistical information used in
production control (8183).
The described principles of a multipumphead metering system have been
reported to offer several advantages in the margarine emulsion preparation (78).
These are
Dosing accuracy of 0:1%. Accurate dosing of raw materials can save margarine
producers signicantly in the cost of ingredients.
Improved hygiene. The totally enclosed system keeps the product safe from
contamination and permits easy cleaning and disinfection.
Figure 27. Multipumphead metering system (74). Courtesy of Food Engineering.
502 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
Single system convenience. All elements for pumping, metering, mixing, and
controlling mounted within one unit result in minimal oor space requirement
and if layout is appropriate, allows easy maintenance.
Consistent quality and composition of the emulsion.
4.2. Scale Tank System
Scale tank systems or automatic batching systems are used in the margarine
industry in order to meet todays requirements with regard to automation, accuracy,
labor cost reduction, productivity, and inventory control (75, 82).
Automation in todays margarine industry means that all actions needed to
operate the process with optimal efciency are ordered by a control system on
the basis of instructions that have been fed into the control system in the form
of a control program.
In an automated process the computer-based control system continuously
communicates with every controlled component and transmitter. The control sys-
tem monitors and controls the process through signals received and sent covering
areas such as (84):
Actuation of components in the process through output (command) signals
Input (feedback) signals from valves and motors informing the control system
that the component in question has been actuated
Input (analog) signals from transmitters covering temperature, pressure, and
other parameters that provide information on the actual status of process
variables
Input signals from monitoring transmitters in the system that report when a given
condition has been attained. Such conditions could be maximum or minimum
level in a process tank, preset maximum temperatures, etc.
The logic unit of the control system processes the signals for optimal process
control, which means that product losses and consumption of service media and
energy are kept at an absolute minimum.
The automated control system has the following control tasks (84):
On/off or digital control
Analog control
Monitoring
Reporting
These control tasks cover areas such as controlling start/stop of motors, opening
and closing of valves, agitation start/stop, pasteurization control, selection of pro-
duct routes and lling valves, control of pumping capacities and weighing systems
for formulation and blending, registration of fault conditions, interlocking of
functions and various process sections, self-diagnostic fault nding, data logging,
PLANT LAYOUT AND PROCESS FLOWSHEET 503
materials consumption and inventory reporting, maintenance in relation to equip-
ment operational hours, optimization of process in relation records of energy
consumption, quality assurance, and total plant supervision (84).
The possibilities for automation are quite extensive. For each margarine produc-
tion plant different levels of automation may be required or possible. The automa-
tion level for a plant is decided and planned according to factors such as (84):
Selected or installed process equipment and its affect on automation level
Requirements with regard to level of operator interactions and labor
Required degree of reporting within the plant in relation to quality control,
inventory control, and accounting
Examples of automation in margarine production have been reported (7678).
Automation based on the use of scale tanks for automatic batching has been
reported in detail for a U.S.-based plant for production of margarine and blends
containing butter (77).
Oils required for the margarine production in the described plant may arrive by
railroad tank car or road tank truck and are unloaded by connecting the vessels
discharge system to the receiving pump of the plant. A sanitary owmeter registers
the amount of product received and transmits this information to the processing
computer for inventory control. Storage tanks for the received oils are normally
of the stainless steel silo type. The tanks are equipped with both heating and cooling
controls for maintaining a constant oil temperature and are ooded with nitrogen to
prevent oxidation of the oils. Oils are pumped from the storage tanks to the batching
system in hot-water heated jacketed pipelines to keep the oils from solidifying (77).
Oil storage tanks could be mounted with level controls capable of reporting the oil
level in each storage tank to the processing computer. In this way the computer can
monitor whether the oil level in a storage tank is large enough to meet the batch
requirements.
Milk required for the production is received in a similar manner and pasteurized
before storage in a refrigerated tank until required for batching. A portion of the
milk may be used for combining with salt for brine milk.
Minor ingredients such as sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, citric acid,
cream, emulsier, and butter are stored in individual, stainless steel tanks. Each
of these ingredients are weighed, during the batch formulation, in a smaller stain-
less steel tank suspended from an electronic loadcell (77). Microingredients such
as vitamin A, vitamin D, carotene, color, and avor are also stored in stainless steel
tanks and enter the system through piston-type metering pumps. The batching
system consists of two larger stainless steel tanks suspended from an electronic
loadcell and are used for weighing the oils and the milk ingredients.
Through a keyboard, the computer operator can enter the formulas and number
of batches required for the production each day. The computer can hold numerous
formulas. A sequential weighing of each ingredient designated by the formula used
is started by computer command. The ingredients weighed are discharged into one
504 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
of two blending tanks after which the microingredients are metered into the blend
tank. At this stage the computer control system automatically commences a new
weighing cycle. The prepared batch in the blending tank is transferred to a surge
tank before transfer to the balance tank feeding the SSHE lines (77).
The computer control system is capable of displaying the formula of the batch,
desired weights for each ingredient being batched, and total weight of the entire
batch. Blend tank status, ingredient tank status, overweight or underweight condi-
tions, and batch tank status are monitored by the control system, which will auto-
matically alert the operator should a fault condition occur.
The described automated batching system offers important advantages with
regard to data processing and hard-copy printing of the results of the production
day. These are (77):
Summary report of the amount of each ingredient weighed
Summary of the amount of formulas run
Inventory of ingredients remaining in storage in various tanks
Data transfer to main computer for accounting purposes
Automated batching systems using scale tanks in margarine production offer
a good solution toward higher productivity, better inventory control, accuracy in
formulation, reduced labor requirement, and a consistent product.
4.3. Flowmeter System
A owmeter-based system is an alternative to the metering pumps system and the
scale tank system in the emulsion preparation. Flowmeter-based systems can also
be automated through computer control covering automatic start/stop of feed
pumps, opening/closing of valves, registration of raw materials consumption, etc.
Flowmeter-based systems are used quite commonly in the margarine emulsion
preparation (80). These systems are a good alternative in margarine plants where
only a minimal degree of automation is desired due to the lower labor costs and
local requirements. Figure 28 illustrates a margarine plant using owmeters for
metering the ingredients for the margarine emulsion preparation.
Batch controllers for each owmeter are mounted in the main control panel. The
emulsion preparation cycle begins when the operator enters the desired quantities of
each oil type into the batch controller for the oil owmeter. The operator selects the
proper outlet valve of one of the oil storage tanks, selects the proper feed pump, and
activates the batch controller. The selected outlet valve will then open automatically
and the selected feed pump will start automatically. The preselected oil quantity is
metered into the emulsion preparation tank. When the desired quantity has been
metered, the batch controller automatically activates the closing valve downstream
of the owmeter, stops the pump, and closes the outlet valve. The operator now
selects the outlet valve and feed pump for the second oil type through a switch
system, reactivates the batch controller, and the described sequence is repeated.
PLANT LAYOUT AND PROCESS FLOWSHEET 505
Figure 28. Flowmeter-based emulsion preparation. Courtesy of Crown Chemtech U.S.A., a division of Crown Iron Works Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota.
5
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6
Individual oil feed lines and owmeters for each oil type can be installed for
optimal accuracy. When metering of all oil types for the oil blend is completed,
the operator enters the desired quantity of emulsier solution into a second batch
controller. The sequence is repeated, but this time for metering the emulsier
solution, which has been pre-prepared in designated tanks. The same sequence is
nally repeated for the prepared watermilk phase through a third batch controller
and owmeter after a proper period of time, allowing sufcient mixing of the oil
blend and emulsier solution in the blending tank.
The watermilk phase preparation system in Figure 28 is based on the use of a
batch mixing and pasteurization tank. A dened quantity of water is added to the
batching tank. Milk powder is added to the tank and mixed with the water during
heating. The tank is equipped with a special agitator designed to prevent burning of
protein on the tank wall. Heating and cooling of the prepared batch takes place
in the tank by steam heating of the jacket of the tank. When the desired temperature
of 7578
C (167172
C (167172
C (120
C (140 158
F) for approxi-
mately 30 min to remove all traces of fat, milk solids, and other residues from
the interior of the production line. All blank ends and valves not suitable for
CIP should be removed and washed by hand.
Postrinsing with clean, warm water to remove the last traces of detergent.
Disinfection by means of heating with steam or hot water, alternatively disinfec-
ting with chemical agents such as chlorine and other halogen compounds,
benzoic acid washing, or quaternary ammonium salts. In the latter case, the
cycle is concluded with a nal rinse.
Cleaning in place (CIP) can be dened as circulation of cleaning liquids through
machines and other equipment in a cleaning circuit (84). This method of cleaning
has replaced the older practice of stripping down valves and other difcult to clean
equipment in many margarine factories. The CIP method is essentially the same as
the method described above (85).
The passage of the high-velocity ow of liquids over the equipment surfaces
generates a mechanical scouring effect that dislodges dirt deposits. This only
applies tothe owinpipes, heat exchangers, pumps andvalves, etc. The usual technique
for cleaning of tanks is to spray the detergent on the upper surfaces and allow it to
run down the walls. The mechanical scouring effect is often insufcient but can to
some extent be improved by the use of specially designed spray nozzles or cleaning
turbines. Tank cleaning requires large volumes of detergent that must be circulated
rapidly (84).
4.4. Storage of Finished Product
Storage conditions play quite an important role for the overall quality of margarine
products. Insufcient or improper storage conditions can lead to several product
failures such as sandiness or graininess, oiling out, lack of plasticity, brittleness,
or microbiological spoilage for sensitive product types (86).
Margarines are usually stored in palletized cartons or boxes in refrigerated
storage rooms built with insulated walls and insulated ceiling for optimal energy
utilization. The margarine pallets are usually placed individually in a rack system
to allow for proper air circulation around each pallet. During the initial period of
storage, the temperature change in the product is not uniform across the pallet load.
The cartons or boxes on the outer layers reach storage temperatures well before
those in the middle of the pallet (52). This could lead to differences in product
structure depending on whether the product is located in the outer layer or in the
middle of the pallet.
510 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
Recently, this problem has been addressed by a very simple solution. Specially
designed spacers are inserted between each layer of cartons on the pallet. The
airow is in this way facilitated throughout the pallet, and heat exchange between
the product and the environment is achieved more efciently. The spacers are
designed in such a way that they enable the air to circulate as it ows, thereby
ensuring that temperature stabilization is carried out quickly. Systems for inserting
and retrieving the spacers have been developed. Spacers can be inserted or removed
in less than 1 min and do not increase the height of pallets signicantly as they are
only approximately 20 mm in thickness each (52).
Retail margarines are usually stored at 510
C (4050
C (5461
C
(41
F), alternatively 10
C (50
C (41
F) exhibited
signicantly better avor results than product stored at 10
C (50
F). High-quality
shelf life of polyunsaturated retail margarine is seen to be approximately 8 months
when stored at a constant 5
C (41
F), 6 months at 10
C (50
F) (88).
Low-fat spreads with 40% fat content and containing protein usually have a
shelf life of 810 weeks and water-based low-fat spreads of about 4 months based
on storage at temperatures below 10
C (50
C (50
F) (90).
Table 3 illustrates low-fat spreads available with fat contents ranging from 60%
to as little as 5%. Below about 20% fat content products of a water continuous
emulsion character are prevalent (91).
TABLE 3. Some Low-Fat Spreads.
Approximate
Low-Fat Spreads Composition (% Fat)
Vegetable fat spreads 60
40
Vegetable/butterfat blended spreads 40
Butterfat spreads 40
Very low fat spreads 2030
Water continuous spreads 15
9
5
Adapted from Ref. (91), with permission.
512 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
Formulation. Several patents have been issued covering low-fat spreads formu-
lation and processing indicating that critical process control and/or signicant levels
of water binding agents are required (91, 92, 97, 98).
From a formulation point of view, low-fat spreads can be grouped as follows:
Without protein and without stabilizer added
Without protein but with stabilizer added
With low protein level and with stabilizer added
With high protein level and with stabilizer added
With low protein level and with stabilizer and thickener (fat replacer) added
To further illustrate and summarize the complexity of low-fat spreads formula-
tion and possible ingredients to be used, a typical formulation of a 40% fat content
low-fat spread is shown in Table 4 of functional properties of possible ingredients in
TABLE 4. Low-Fat Spread at 40% FatTypical Formulation.
Component Ingredients %
Oil blend Hydrogenated vegetable oil 3740
Vegetable oil
Emulsier Mono and diglycerides 0.251.0
Lecithin
Polyglycerol ester
Color Beta carotene including vitamins A and D 0.0010.005
Annatto
Flavor Butter extract 100200 ppm
Organic acids
Ketones
Esters
Stabilizer Maltodextrin 13
Gelatin
Modied starch
Sodium alginate
Preservative Potassium sorbate 0.10.3
Sorbic acid
Water with protein source Buttermilk 5060
Skim milk
Whey
Caseinate
Soy
Salt Salt 12
Starter culture S. Cremoris Trace
S. Diacetylactis
S. Leuconostoc
Sodium-hydroxide 0.1
Sodium-hydrogen Acid regulator 0.10.4
Trisodium-citrate Acid regulator 0.10.4
Buffer
PROCESSING OF LOW-FAT SPREADS, PUFF PASTRY MARGARINE 513
low fat spreads formulation. Table 5 indicates a summary of recipes for various
types of low-fat spreads.
Processing. Low-fat water-in-oil emulsions with fat contents of 40% or lower
have been found to be quite sensitive to line pressures and cooling rate in the
SSHE line. Fill temperatures are higher than with corresponding 50% fat products
because the emulsion is more viscous. If ll temperature is too low, the product will
build up in the tub with excessive lid contact causing crumbly product and water
leakage. If too much crystallization occurs in the process, the shearing forces of
processing and lling may break the emulsion. Therefore, low-fat products are
more easily prepared by use of high liquid oil content and low solid fat index
(SFI) blends. The higher liquid oil content improves the emulsion stability by more
adequately separating the increased number of aqueous-phase droplets. Careful
blend selection and processing ensures that quite butterlike textures can still be
produced. In the case of low-fat butter, the production is more difcult due to higher
SFI values for butter oil at lower temperatures.
Low-fat butter or dairy spreads can also be produced from an oil-in-water
dairy cream or premixed cream with a fat content adjusted to the desired percentage
in the low-fat dairy spread using phase inversion. For product stability reasons,
emulsier (approximately 1% distilled monoglyceride) and stabilizer (hydrocol-
loids such as gelatin or sodium alginate) are added in smaller quantities to the pre-
pared cream. This is necessary to prevent free water in the nished stored product.
Minor ingredients, such as avor and color, can also be added. The cream is pre-
pared during controlled agitation and temperature and passed through the SSHE
line at a rate of 4050% of normal capacity. High SSHE (A unit) shaft speeds as
well as increased shaft speeds in the required worker unit (B unit) are preferred to
achieve phase inversion. Constant ow rate and exact temperature control are
necessary for proper phase reversion, crystallization, and working of the product
(9092, 99).
In general, vegetable-oil-based and butter-oil-based low-fat spreads as well as
blended low-fat spreads containing both vegetable oil and butter oil can be pro-
duced continuously. This is achieved by crystallizing a batchwise or continuously
prepared water-in-oil emulsion in an SSHE process line.
The process line for this purpose is normally especially designed to ensure crys-
tallization and texturization of the product to take place under controlled conditions
and within the processing equipment. The manufacture under high degree of agita-
tion with minimal shear precedes the processing of the emulsion, providing an
emulsion of the correct phase (wateroil) and water droplet size.
The ow diagram in Figure 31 shows such a process line using SSHEs for
pasteurization of the prepared water-in-oil emulsion, crystallization of the emul-
sion, and reworking of the crystallized emulsion.
Typically, the bulk liquid oils are transferred from the storage facility to the
emulsion mixing vessel at 5560
C (131140
C (113
C (140
C
(125.6
C (185
C (104
C (57.6
C
(60.8
F).
Ammonia/Freon evaporation temperatures would vary depending on throughput.
For stick wrapping, the produced product passes to a resting tube connected
directly to the stick wrapping machine. When the product is lled into tubs, it
is conveyed directly from the after-treatment worker cylinder to the lling
machine.
PROCESSING OF LOW-FAT SPREADS, PUFF PASTRY MARGARINE 517
Excess product from the packaging operation is continuously remelted in a
rework SSHE in a controlled manner and returned to the system via the balance
tank or a positive pump facility for adding reclaimed material.
Figure 32 illustrates and summarizes the basic process lines used for the produc-
tion of different types of low-fat spreads.
Figure 32. Basic process line for low-fat spreads (91). (a) Conventional processing;
( b) inversion processing; (c) method of oil in water spreads.
518 MARGARINE PROCESSING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT
Figure 33 shows an SSHE with four cooling cylinders, one pin worker, and one
inversion crystallizer mounted for production of low-fat spreads using the inversion
technique.
5.2. Puff Pastry Margarine
Introduction. Puff pastry is quite different from other margarine types in its
properties and especially its plasticity (102). The plasticity of puff pastry margarine
is essential for preparation of puff pastry of high quality. Puff pastry is made from
very thin layers of dough and margarine, which bake to a light and aky structure of
good volume and uniform appearance. This laminated structure is achieved by a
special dough handling procedure, where the dough is folded and rolled together
with the puff pastry margarine resulting in a nished puff pastry dough with alter-
nating layers of dough and margarine (87, 102, 103).
The function of the puff pastry margarine is to act as a barrier between the dough
layers both during rolling to prevent them from fusing together and to prevent the
formation of a three-dimensional structure between the gluten protein in each thin
dough layer during baking (104).
Figure 33. Scraped-surface heat exchanger. Courtesy of Schroeder & Co., Luebeck, Germany.
PROCESSING OF LOW-FAT SPREADS, PUFF PASTRY MARGARINE 519
The demands on the properties of puff pastry margarine can be summarized as
follows (80):
A high degree of plasticity over a wide temperature range.
Sufcient plasticity for stretching rolling in the dough preparation to ensure
unbroken homogeneous thin layers of margarine in the dough. This is
necessary for the laminated structure and volume of Danish pastry.
The absence of softness or greasiness when worked.
Choice of type of SSHE, shaft and blade design, ow rate and required product
retention time, oil blend formulation, as well as process temperature prole along
with several other factors have a signicant inuence on the nal quality of any puff
pastry margarine (51, 105).
Formulation. To ensure the above properties of a puff pastry margarine, the oil
blend formulation plays quite an important role. When formulating a suitable oil
blend for puff pastry margarine, several factors such as local climatic conditions,
temperature and methods used during dough preparation, consumer (baker) prefer-
ences, and desired quality of the nished baked Danish pastry must be considered
(51). Puff pastry margarine normally has a fat content of 80% and oil blends giving
a at SFI curve are sought. Tallow, lard, shea fat, palm oil and, to a certain degree,
hydrogenated sh oil are the most suited fats for production of plastic puff pastry
margarine (87, 106).
Palm-oil-based puff pastry margarine, where palm stearin, hydrogenated palm
oil, and palm kernel oil are the components of the oilblend, reportedly performs
better than tallow-based puff pastry margarine (103). This can be attributed to the
fact that it is easier to produce a vegetable-oil-based puff pastry margarine with a
good plasticity in an SSHE process line (105). Tallow-based puff pastry margarine
produced on the open chill drum system has excellent plasticity.
One hundred percent soybean-oil-based puff pastry margarine cannot be charac-
terized as a typical puff pastry margarine oil blend (105). Soybean-oil-based
puff pastry margarine has relatively poor plasticity. Hydrogenated soybean oil in
combination with hydrogenated palm oil can give very good baking results as
well as a margarine with an excellent texture and plasticity (51). An example of
such an oil blend is as follows: hydrogenated soybean oil, 44
C (111.2
F), 40%;
hydrogenated soybean oil, 38
C (100.4
C
(107.6
C (89.6
F) 20 15 5
Butter stearin, drop point 40
C (104
F) 75 80 95
Soft butter stearin, drop point 24
C (75.2
F) 0 5 0
Butter olein, drop point 18
C (64.4
F) 5 0 0
Total 100 100 100
PRODUCTION CONTROL, QUALITY CONTROL, AND SANITATION 523
When a margarine plant is integrated with a renery, the raw materials charac-
teristics are generally obtained in the renery. The quality control in the margarine
plant will essentially concentrate on the production parameters and on nished
product examination (35).
Quality control systems usually used for judging the quality of oils and fats or
oil blends used in margarine production could evaluate color, color stability, avor,
avor stability, free fatty acid, peroxide value, active oxygen method (AOM) sta-
bility, iodine value, slip melting point, fatty acid composition, refractive index,
crystallization rate, and solid fat/temperature relationship (solid fat index) (5, 91,
112, 113).
Refractive index, iodine value, AOM stability, and peroxide value provide stan-
dardized methology for those factors affecting oxidative stability (5, 113).
Solid fat index, melting points, penetration, and viscosity are normally used to
measure factors affecting consistency and texture (5, 35, 112, 113). Color is most
frequently measured by the Lovibond procedure (5).
Determination of crystallization rate and solid fat index can be done conveni-
ently using pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques (91).
6.2. Finished Products
Testing techniques for the evaluation of physical properties and other properties of
nished margarine products as well as low-fat spreads have been stated to include
(4, 91): appearance, oral melting characteristics, oil exudation, slump (collapse),
penetrations, spreadability, emulsion viscosity at 35
C (95
C (158
C (248
F)
for 30 min (84, 85).
The thermal death point for molds and yeasts is heating to 60
C (140
F) for
about 30 min (84). Bacteria cannot grow in the absence of moisture (82, 83).
Thus, they will not grow in dry oils and fats or in any other form of dry material.
Free water, even to the extent of one fourth of 1%, however, is sufcient to permit
the growth.
Microorganisms usually require other conditions for growth such as protein,
sugar, trace elements, and vitamins (85). Some are very sensitive to, and may be,
inhibited by acidic or alkaline conditions; others are not. Salt will destroy some
types, while others will grow only in strong salt solutions.
Microorganisms in Relation to Margarine. Margarine consists of oils and
fats and water that is nely dispersed in the oil blend as well as other ingredients
as indicated earlier. Normally, microorganisms cannot grow in fat and oil,
which means the microbiological rancidity only appears in the water droplets
and on the surface of the margarine (115). The composition of the water
PRODUCTION CONTROL, QUALITY CONTROL, AND SANITATION 525
phase, therefore, plays a very important part in the storage quality of the marga-
rine (85).
The growth of bacteria, but not yeast and molds, can be controlled by the
combined effects of the salt concentration and the pH (or acidity) of the water
phase. A reduced salt concentration requires the margarine to be more acid (lower
pH) to give the same measure of protection against the growth of bacteria (85, 115).
In practice, margarines can be divided into three groups according to their salt
content. These are low salt margarines (01% salt), medium-salt margarines
(12.5% salt), and high-salt margarines (over 2.5% salt).
Nearly all forms of bacteria could survive and possibly grow in low-salt margar-
ines. Due to this, it is important to produce a low-salt margarine with a very low
initial total bacteria count. To achieve this, very good cleaning procedures and an
overall high plant and equipment hygiene needs to be maintained (85). Further-
more, it is quite important that the water dispersion in the low-salt margarine is
as ne as possible as smaller water droplets furnish less nourishment for micro-
organisms in contaminated water droplets (85, 115). Finally, low-salt margarines
should have a pH range of 4.05.0 (85).
For medium-salt margarines, the initial total bacteria count should be kept low
but a water dispersion that is a little coarser can be allowed. Also, the water phase
can have a slightly higher pH of about 5.5 (85).
High salt levels in margarine (over 2.5%) should be combined with a high
pH (pH 6) as a low pH in high-salt margarines induces a greater rate of chemical
rancidity (oxidation) in the margarine (85, 115).
As the growth of molds and yeast in margarine is not prevented through the
combination of salt concentration and pH (acidity), the only protection against
the development is the size of the water droplets (85). It is, therefore, important
that the correct amount of emulsifying agents is used and that the processing con-
ditions are such that a tight and stable emulsion can be prepared in a controlled
manner. Based on the above, it follows that some microorganisms can and will
grow either in the emulsion preparation system or the margarine production units.
The regular and efcient cleaning of the plant is, therefore, of the highest impor-
tance.
The previously mentioned thermal death point of most microorganisms is about
6070
C (140158