By Scott Klockow
The frozen food market, including pizza, continues to be one of the fastest growing market sectors in food processing. Advances in freezing methods intersect with consumer trends. Consumers are seeking healthier, convenient options. These trends include increased choices of vegetables and plant-based proteins. Traditional toppings remain popular while niche pizza toppings and styles of crusts are ever expanding. Research and development teams continue to build on new flavors and toppings.
Brussel sprouts, beets, arugula, spinach, zucchini, and yellow squash are just a few on-trend toppings. Cauliflower crusts are also at the forefront. Alternative textured plant proteins take center stage and appear on pizzas as shreds, crumbles, or dices in place of traditional meat selections. The category of cheese toppings is ever growing including goat cheese, feta, and non-dairy, plant-based options.
When considering the purchase of new capital equipment, processors need to identify the flow of their current system. If creating a new line, make sure each station will work seamlessly with the next. Safety and flow should be fully analyzed. Working with a line company offers an additional amount of security.
In addition to choosing the proper cutting machine, ask about spare parts availability, maintenance, and determine the degree of support after the sale. Urschel offers support to every customer for the long life of their cutting machinery.
Urschel technology delivers precision and expertise to pizza manufacturers. With the extensive ability to effectively cut a gamut of shapes to provide precision cuts within the targeted specifications. Many ingredients go into creating different styles of frozen pizza and ingredients vary depending on product characteristics. For toppings, fruits and vegetables rely on gentle cutting methods, whereas alternative proteins require more aggressive cutting methods. In addition, reduction of ingredients for sauces and crusts down to micro-dimensions is necessary to produce the ideal frozen pizza.
As a powerhouse developer of cutting solutions, Urschel identifies the proper machine to pair with the desired outcome. With slicers, dicers, milling equipment, and all types of cuts, Urschel offers boundless reduction opportunities to frozen pizza processors. This may translate into a new beet sauce or cauliflower flour crust. Urschel size reduction equipment paves the way for processing capabilities.
Urschel partners with customers to optimize their productivity. Test lab technicians identify new cuts that bring true benefits to the processors that work with Urschel. From half-moon zucchini slices to bow-tie beet cuts, unique looks abound to help processors standout in the competitive frozen pizza industry.
Some of the key issues processors are facing include adequate labor and staffing and require more in a machine design. Through improved technology, driven by engineering and manufacturing advancements, the processor saves time, reduces staffing requirements, and improves capacity and quality of product output.
Customers are demanding more in a design than ever before. Cutting principles are more precise to produce tighter, increased in-spec results, dedicated to increasing usable product. Components are constructed with ease-of-use elements, such as built-in handles, while also being able to withstand rugged production environments. Tools that accompany machines are also designed to expedite routine procedures. It all relates to time savings and cost savings.
Customers are looking for a machine with components that work with their fast-paced line. Small and large companies want a robust machine that will hold precision slice tolerances throughout production runs with guarantees of parts and service when they need them. The ability to make changes ‘on the fly’ to be responsive to the needs of their environment.
Urschel incorporates sanitation, cleanability, and durability which are of great importance in today‘s designs. Sloped stainless steel surfaces prevent pooling and assist in sanitation practices. Hinged panels prevent sheet metal from being rested on the floor, while providing full access for cleaning. The cutting zone is completely separate from the mechanical zone to negate cross contamination. Durability of knives and components is essential. Removable spindle carriages aid in sanitation. Higher cleanability saves time with washdowns and assists in profitability.
Urschel offers complete support over-the-phone, in-person plant visits, or live remotely. Urschel‘s significant ongoing investment in the global infrastructure of our company has resulted in clients receiving expedited parts and peace of mind knowing their local office is there for complete support in terms of maintenance and training for the long life of their cutting equipment. Urschel speaks the language of food processing AND the local language, so important details in customer expectations are met.
New for the emerging alternative protein market, the DiversaCut® series, M6 Dicer, and the M VersaPro® (MVP) Dicer offer aggressive cutting parts and feeding spindles created to overcome products that are normally difficult to process. These cutting methods also effectively reduce traditional cooked meats. Also new in meat processing, the Affinity large dicer with built-in log precutter for an all-in-one log dicing solution.
The Affinity® series is also used for cheese dicing, so cheese can be accurately measured and dispensed on pizza. The large Affinity® Dicer along with the smaller footprint of the Affinity Integra-D. For cheese shredding, the MicroAdjustable® CC series Shred Head (SH-14) offers expedited knife changeovers. Urschel machinery maintains more precise control of the shred thickness, so processors use less cheese per ounce while maintaining a full coverage appearance. This relates to better control in cheese melting and cost savings for the processor. The MicroAdjustable head, sanitary in design, is U.S.D.A. accepted. Other U.S.D.A. accepted offerings include the CCX-D cheese shredder. Whether shredding or dicing cheese or plant-based ‘cheese’, Urschel cutting solutions are ever evolving to meet the flexible needs of production lines.
Thousands of cutting applications exist that Urschel size reduction machinery is actively involved. The Comitrol® Processor line of machinery is unique to our company. As with all reduction machinery we engineer and manufacture, all key components are crafted, constructed, and assembled under one roof at Urschel, so strict quality standards are enforced. The size reduction heads employed in the Comitrol line achieve particles down to micro-dimensions. Potential applications include sauces, pastes, slurries, granulations, rice cuts, crumbles, powders, and flours. Comitrol reductions continue to be a sought-after resource for the frozen food industry. The word “Comitrol” means controlled comminution.
The E TranSlicer® Cutter (ETRS-C), DiversaCut 2110A® (DCA) and Sprint 2® (SPR2) Dicers feature built-in discharge conveyors to facilitate dispensing cut product into totes. The built-in conveyors assist in effectively capturing slivered, small cuts of fruit and vegetable products such as leeks, onions, tomatoes, or peppers to promote gentle and complete discharge from each machine. In addition to the new conveyor discharge option, the E TranSlicer may also be equipped with a bias slicing option.
Customers are encouraged to take part in a free-of-charge test cut of their product to determine the optimum Urschel machine for their cutting application. This beneficial service may be scheduled through their local Urschel contact.
The Author
Scott Klockow is Director of Applications and Product Development at Urschel
For more information:
www.urschel.com
