Allpax, a product brand of ProMach, used PACK EXPO Las Vegas to launch the 2402 multimode retort for developing new or enhanced food products and for quickly scaling up to production. It features rotary and horizontal agitation and saturated steam and water immersion modes.
Following PACK EXPO, the show unit will be delivered to one of Allpax’s latest customers, the North Carolina (NC) Food Innovation Lab.
“The NC Food Innovation Lab is a current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) pilot plant that accelerates plant-based food research, ideation, development, and commercialization,” said Dr. William Aimutis, executive director of the NC Food Innovation Lab. “The 2402 is one tool that allows this facility to offer a variety of capabilities and flexibility.”
The 2402 multimode retort also features the new pressure profiler from Allpax. The pressure profiler delineates cook and cooling process parameters that ensure package integrity by minimizing package deformation and stress during the sterilization process.
The large number of process combinations and profiles available from the 2402 multimode retort delivers the capability to develop entirely new product categories or refresh existing products with improved quality and taste. Customers may order all or any combination of modes, which include:
Process Capabilities
• Saturated steam
• Water immersion
• Steam/air
• Static
• End-over-end agitation
• Rocking
Agitation Capabilities
• Water spray
• Water Cascade
• Gentle Motion - horizontal/reciprocating agitation
• Shaka Process® - high-speed horizontal/reciprocating agitation)
• Axial rotation (rotary sterilizer simulation)
• Hydrostatic sterilizer simulation
Changeover between modes is accomplished via software and/or hardware. The 2402 processes all types of packaging including metal or plastic cans; glass or plastic bottles; glass jars; plastic or plastic cups, trays or bowls; fiberboard containers; plastic or foil laminate pouches, etc.
Each 2402 is equipped with the production version of Allpax control software, which is FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant for recipe editing, batch logs, and security functions. Using the same control solution for lab and production units ensures internal production operations and copackers can accurately replicate process parameters.
