Filling Experts is a leading supplier of packaging machines and turnkey packaging lines in the UK and Ireland.

Comprehensive Packaging Solutions for the Food and Non-Food Industries

We specialize in various packaging machines and turnkey packaging lines for the food and non-food industries. Our extensive experience has equipped us with invaluable knowledge and insights, enabling us to provide exceptional solutions and services to our esteemed clients.

One of our core strengths lies in our extensive selection of packaging machines. From filling and capping machines to labelling and pet blow moulding machines, we offer a complete range of high-performance equipment to meet your packaging needs. Additionally, our machines are engineered using the latest technological advancements, guaranteeing precision, reliability, and speed in every packaging process.

Streamline Your Packaging Process with Turnkey Packaging Lines

In addition to standalone machines, we also provide turnkey packaging lines. These fully integrated solutions are designed to handle the entire packaging process. Our turnkey solutions ensure seamless operation and allow easy scalability to accommodate your growing business needs.

At Filling Experts, we believe in delivering more than just exceptional products. Our experienced professionals provide outstanding customer service and support. We work closely with our clients to understand their requirements and offer tailored solutions that align with their packaging goals.

All our packaging machines and turnkey packaging lines undergo rigorous testing and quality checks to ensure they meet the highest industry standards. By partnering with leading manufacturers and staying up-to-date with the latest advancements, we continuously enhance our product offerings to deliver cutting-edge solutions.

Your One-Stop Destination for Packaging Solutions in the UK

When you choose Filling Experts as your packaging partner, you can trust that you’re working with a reliable and reputable supplier. Whether you need a single packaging machine or a complete turnkey packaging line, we have the expertise and resources to meet your requirements efficiently.

Contact Filling Experts today and let us assist you in finding the perfect packaging solutions for your business. Experience the difference of working with a trusted partner dedicated to your success.

Food grade stainless steel and its advantages

The food industry requires special equipment materials, as the food production environment is characterized by increased alkaline and acidic activity, aggressive solutions for cleaning and disinfection, and high temperatures and pressure ranges.

The most optimal material today in terms of price and quality is stainless steel, also called food-grade stainless steel.

Food-grade stainless steel is used to manufacture product tanks, equipment, pipelines, etc. As a result, you can find products from food stainless steel in large quantities in many industries.

The main advantages of stainless steel are:

– resistance to the hostile environment in a wide range of temperatures

– resistance to mechanical damage

– strength and durability

– aesthetic appeal and ease of maintenance

Application of various grades of food-grade stainless steel

Stainless sheets are used to produce food-grade stainless steel products intended to process, store and preserve food products. In addition, stainless steel products are widely used in the food industry: stainless pipes, valves, etc.

The stainless steel category includes alloys containing a significant amount of chromium (from 13% to 27%). Chromium forms an oxide film on the surface, which protects against corrosion. Additional properties bring other elements:

• Nickel strengthens the anti-corrosion film
• Titanium ensures the preservation of the film during welding and high temperatures
• Molybdenum resists pitting corrosion

Based on specific operating conditions, stainless steel is available in various grades.

300 series stainless steel alloys

The steel of the 300 series is a high-quality chromium-nickel stainless steel, which, in addition to chromium and nickel, also includes carbon and titanium in different proportions.

AISI 304 steel is universal and used in many industries, but due to its chemical composition and properties, it got the glory of “food” stainless steel. The alloy lends itself well to welding and has high corrosion resistance. 18/8 and 18/10 are the most popular AISI 304 steel grades, including at least 18% chromium, 8 or 10% nickel, at least 50% iron, and no more than 0.8% carbon.

AISI 316T steel has also found application in the food industry. The composition of this alloy additionally includes titanium in a small amount, which increases its strength, resistance to high temperatures, and chlorine ions.

AISI 304, AISI 304L, AISI 321 – these grades of stainless steel are distinguished by affordable price, high strength at medium temperatures, and good weldability.

400 series stainless steel alloys

One of the most sensitive areas for steel applications is the production of alcohol and winemaking and processing its waste. In this environment, AISI 410 food-grade stainless steel is used. AISI 430 is the only grade of the 400 series which is widely used in the food industry. This stainless steel with high chromium and a low carbon content corresponds to the digital marking 18/0 (it does not contain expensive nickel and almost does not contain other alloying metals). The material has increased strength and corrosion resistance, low carbon content makes it pliable and well weldable, and the absence of nickel provides quite a budget cost.

A butter churner is a dairy processing equipment designed to produce butter.

The primary process in the manufacture is whipping, due to which the dense substance (milk fat) is separated from the liquid (whey).

Butter is a valuable product with a history since ancient times. The production process was completely manual. Cream, sour cream, or sour milk were taken as raw materials, then whipped with a hand churn or manually.

The first mention of butter dates back to the rule of King Solomon in Ancient Israel and appears in the scripts of other ancient peoples.
At that time, it was an expensive product made from selected cream.

A significant breakthrough in the production of this product was the invention of a separator, which made it possible to separate milk cream from whole milk and accelerated the process many times over.

Currently, batch and continuous types of butter churners are used. The butter churner is the main equipment for the butter production line.

However, technologists note that a product with higher taste qualities comes in batch-type units. Therefore, many manufacturers choose continuous butter churners.

Pack Food Solutions supplies, installs, and services both types of butter churners. Contact our team for more information and free consultation on your butter production project.

Not sure which coffee roast is proper for you? From our article, you will learn everything about the roasting of coffee beans: the degree of roasting, technology, and much more.

Coffee roasting is quite complex, requiring a level of knowledge and skills, where one mistake can deteriorate the taste of the future drink. Roasting grains is not in vain called skill because here everything matters: the variety of grains, temperature, time. Experts distinguish three levels of roasting (light, medium, and dark).

 

Light roast

A light roast is obtained after the “first crack”. Grains are roasted at a temperature of 150 ºC (no more). Coffee beans do not change color, except they become a little darker. This is because the oils do not have time to come out, and the drink made from lightly roasted beans turns out to be completely non-coffee-like. Therefore, drinks are not prepared from such grains and cannot be found in the sale.

A medium-light roast is obtained at temperatures between 170ºC and 190ºC. Such grains have a slightly brownish color and are larger than unroasted ones. Taste and smell and theirs are more characteristic of coffee but have a pronounced sourness. It is also not often found in sales and is not particularly popular.

Light New England roasting involves maintaining a temperature of 205ºC. Brownish grains with a strong aroma. You can prepare coffee from such grains at home in a coffee pot, but this is not the best option for coffee machines.

Medium roast

The fragrant, refreshing drink is obtained from grains of medium roast at a temperature of 210 ºC to 215ºC. This roast is called American. The grains are brown, without bitterness. Such coffee is not intended for brewing espresso in coffee machines, but it will work perfectly in a coffee pot or French press.

City roast is obtained at a temperature of about 220 ºC. Together with American, coffee from such grains is popular during tastings.

Darker medium roast at 230ºC is called Vienna. The grains are dark brown, with an oil coating, rich taste, slight sourness, and bitterness. They are sometimes used to make espresso.

Dark roast

There is a French roast at 240 ºC that produces dark brown beans. It is generally accepted that this is the best coffee roast for espresso.

Italian dark roast at 245 ºC is characterized by a dark brown color and noticeable oil on the surface. The taste and smell are rich.

The strongest bean roasting occurs at 250 ºC (Spanish). The beans at this high temperature turn out to be very dark in color, and if overexposed to the roaster, they will taste like ash, not coffee.

Food pumps are a particular class of industrial pumps designed for pumping food liquids such as drinking water, milk, juices, sunflower oil, beer, wine, alcohol, etc. Food pumps are a necessary component of many industries. Food pumps represent the confectionery, cosmetic, and dairy industries. Food pumps pump ingredients such as water and milk, juices and wines, ketchup and sour cream, and cleaning solutions.

Food pumps have monoblock pumps that differ from pumps for water in material, open impeller, and design features that allow for quick disassembly – assembly for flushing the flow path. Many types and different technical characteristics of food pumps will enable you to choose the best option for your application.

For example, rotary food pumps can be attractive due to their small size and easily dismantled bodies. There are also special explosion-proof food pumps. Such food pumps are suitable for pumping alcohol.

Food pumps can be divided into types:

• centrifugal pumps
• gear pumps
• piston pumps
• lobe pumps
• membrane pumps
• peristaltic pumps
• screw pumps
• impeller pumps

A сentrifugal pump is a pump in which the movement of the product and the necessary pressure is created due to the centrifugal force that occurs when the impeller blades act on the pumped product. Centrifugal pumps are the most versatile pumps on the market today. Centrifugal pumps can use them in numerous applications due to their simple operating principles, compact size, and robust design. The pump range has many applications, from pumping water to pumping chemicals.

The gear pump principle of operation consists of using two rotating gears that disengage from the suction side of the pump, resulting in voids that cause atmospheric pressure to push liquid into the pump chamber. The fluid is transported in the tooth gaps on either side of the crescent to the outlet where the gears re-engage, pushing the fluid out.

Piston pumps. When the piston moves to the right, a vacuum is created in the working chamber of the pump, the lower valve is open, and the upper valve is closed – fluid is sucked in. When moving in the opposite direction, the piston creates excess pressure in the working chamber, and the upper valve is already open, and the lower one is closed – fluid is injected.

The lobe pump is a positive displacement rotary pump that pumps fluid through the synchronized rotation of two-lobe rotors in a housing. It is similar in design and principle of operation to a gear pump. However, unlike a gear pump, the rotors in a rotary lobe pump do not touch each other. Rotary lobe pumps are often used to transfer food products with solid particles without damaging the product structure.

A diaphragm pump is a volumetric pump, the working body of which is a flexible plate (diaphragm, membrane) fixed at the edges. The plate bends under the action of a lever mechanism (mechanical drive) or as a result of a change in air pressure (pneumatic drive) or liquid, performing a function equivalent to that of a piston in a piston pump. Compressed air penetrating one of the membranes causes it to contract and move the liquid into the hole exit. At this time, the second membrane, on the contrary, creates a vacuum, sucking in liquid. After the pulse passage, the pneumatic coaxial exchanger changes the direction of the compressed air behind the second membrane, and the process is repeated on the other side.

A peristaltic pump is designed for pumping liquids flowing through flexible tubes. The principle of operation is based on the fact that the rollers squeeze the tube with liquid, and moving along the tube, they push the liquid forward. It usually consists of a flexible tube, several rollers, and a surface (track) against which the rollers press the tube. There are designs without a supporting surface, in which the tube is pinched on rollers due to its tension.

A screw pump is a pump in which the movement of the pumped product and the necessary pressure are created by displacing the product with a screw metal rotor rotating inside an elastic stator.

The impeller pump with a flexible impeller is used when pumping liquids with high viscosity or as an exhaust pump with the ability to suction the product at a distance of up to 8 meters. The main advantage of the impeller pump is that this pump is self-priming, creating pressure. The pumped flow is close to the laminar. The flow part is made of high-quality stainless steel, and the impeller can be made of both conventional and oil and petrol-resistant materials.

This method of mechanical treatment of milk and liquid dairy products increases the dispersion of the fat phase in them, which makes it possible to exclude the settling of fat during milk storage, the development of oxidative processes, destabilization, and churning during intensive mixing and transportation. In addition, homogenization of raw materials contributes to:

• Pasteurized milk and cream – the acquisition of uniformity (taste, color, fat content).
• Sterilized milk and cream – increased storage stability.
• Fermented milk products (sour cream, kefir, yogurt, etc.) – increase the strength and improve the consistency of protein clots and eliminate the formation of a fatty plug on the surface of the product.
• Condensed canned milk – to prevent the release of the fatty phase during long-term storage.
• Powdered whole milk – a decrease in the amount of free milk fat that is not protected by protein shells, which leads to its rapid oxidation under the action of atmospheric oxygen
• Reconstituted milk, cream, and fermented milk drinks – to create a full taste of the product and prevent the appearance of a watery aftertaste.
• Milk with fillers (cocoa etc.) – improve taste, increase viscosity and reduce the likelihood of sediment formation.

Dispersion of fat globules, i.e., reduction in their size and uniform distribution in milk, is achieved by exposing milk to a significant external force (pressure, ultrasound, high-frequency electrical processing, etc.) in special machines – homogenizers. The most widespread in the dairy industry is the homogenization of milk by forcing it through the annular valve slot of the homogenizing head of the machine. Fat globules are dispersed while passing through this gap. A pump generates the required pressure. In the production of whole milk, the size of fat globules decreases from 3-4 microns to 0.7-0.8 microns.

The central unit of modern valve-type homogenizers is homogenizing block. It can be one or two stages. The second stage usually operates at a lower pressure than the first. The use of one- or two-stage homogenization depends on the type of produced dairy products.

Two-stage homogenization with a significant pressure drop on both stages is used in producing high-fat dairy products (cream, ice cream mixtures, etc.). It allows you to disperse (break) the resulting accumulations of fat globules. However, one-stage homogenization can be used for the production of other types of dairy products, including drinking milk.

The roasting of beans takes place in a machine specially designed for this – a coffee roaster (a rotating drum that mixes the beans). First, the beans are heated to the desired temperature, and at the end, they are cooled with cold air. Types of coffee roasting are determined by the color of the beans, the roasting time, and the temperature maintained during roasting.

Under the influence of high temperatures, the following processes occur with coffee beans:

• Drying stage. The coffee bean becomes larger, and moisture is lost.
• Browning stage. The beans become darker in color due to a complex chemical reaction during which sucrose caramelizes.
• Development stage. The pleasant coffee aroma is due to the caffeol. This substance is also obtained during the process of roasting beans.
• Roasting stage. The whole structure of the beans changes and essential oils come out.

The change in coffee beans during roasting is called pyrolysis. The beans grow in size and acquire a dark color and a specific coffee smell, and oils are released that make the drink aromatic. While oils are released during roasting, the more intense the taste and smell of coffee brewed from beans.

There is a special term called “cracks” in roasting coffee beans. The degree of coffee roasting is determined by a number of cracks (a distinct crackling of beans during the transformation of sucrose into carameline and the active release of oils to the surface of the beans):

The beans acquire a characteristic smell during the “first crack”, but the color remains light. The caramelization process begins.

During the “second crack”, the maximum amount of oils are released, a distinct smell of coffee appears, and the beans darken.

Bean roasting professionals know that each variety requires specific conditions, from roasting times and cycles to maintaining a particular temperature. Then the beans will reveal their unique aroma and taste. Likewise, different beans with the same degree of roasting will differ in taste and smell.

Everyone knows that milk strengthens bones, whitens teeth, and is generally good for health. So how does milk affect the human body?

• Caseins are milk proteins: alpha, beta, and kappa proteins. Beta-casein is the main casein, which plays a massive role in the effect of milk on humans.
• Milk intolerance is not related to lactose. Instead, it’s all about one of the varieties of beta-casein – protein A1.
• There was a study done in China. Of the 100% lactose-intolerant people, 78% were comfortable drinking milk without A1 protein. Without A1 beta-casein, sugar fermentation is accelerated, and lactose is easier to digest.
• The information that people do not digest milk after ten years of life is a myth. Everything is very individual and depends on the enzymes in the human body.
• Milk is necessary for a person as one of the main food products.
• Milk contains a vast amount of nutrients. Essential protein, amino acids, and minerals (calcium, potassium) are just an incomplete list of what the body receives from milk.
• Children’s diet should contain approximately 50% dairy products.
• Milk is 87% water.
• The process of obtaining powdered milk is the process of evaporating water. Therefore, nothing harmful happens in the production of milk powder.
• Reconstituted milk is milk powder and water.
• The largest milk-producing countries in the world are India, the USA, Pakistan, China, and Brazil.

Pack Food Solutions Limited provides a full range of processing & packaging equipment required for your milk production plant. In addition, our experts will share with you information about the most advanced & latest technologies in the dairy industry.

Coffee grinders are divided into household and industrial and differ in performance and application. With household appliances, everything is clear. Industrial coffee grinders can be used in cafes, bars, and restaurants or in enterprises. We offer a closer look at the parameters that affect the choice of a coffee grinder for HoReCa and industrial applications for your business in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania).

Performance

First of all, it is necessary to determine the expected coffee turnover. To prepare one cup of espresso, you need 7-10 g of coffee. The required amount of powder is determined by simple mathematical calculations.

Price

Despite the importance of the parameter, the cost takes second place. The value of even a very high-quality coffee grinder is doubtful if it does not keep up with the grinding of coffee to satisfy the orders of a real flow of customers. As per our experience, the East African market requires coffee grinders with the optimal ratio of quality and price. Models made in Asia do not yet inspire confidence among professionals. Often they are distinguished by low-quality blades, low productivity, and inaccurate grinding adjustment.

Blades material

An important parameter is the material of the blades. At the same time, ordinary steel is not enough. In order for the coffee grinder to serve for a long time and without fail, the steel must be of a special grade. It is necessary to clarify this point when buying a device of any brand since everyone is trying to save on material.

Blades diameter

The performance of the industrial coffee grinder depends on the diameter of the blades, the higher it is, the more kilograms of coffee per hour the machine can grind.

A filling machine is an industrial device that measures a set amount of products at a certain point in time, followed by packing it into individual packages (pouches, sachets, bottles, cups, jars, sticks, and others). Packaging machines can operate both in automatic and semi-automatic modes, depending on the design. Some models of filling equipment can produce containers of different shapes from different types of raw materials.

In the modern world, filling and packaging equipment is used in almost all food & non-food production. This is required by the trends of the current market. The modern world is the world of individually packaged products, and even packaging has its packaging.

Classification of filling and packaging equipment

There is no way to create a clear classification of filling and packaging equipment in the current realities. This situation is explained by a wide variety of technologies used, technical processes, packaging materials, as well as products to be filled & packed. Different types of products require different types of filling & packaging systems.

Upon closer examination of the packaging equipment, one can single out such processes that are used in almost every system: product dosing & feeding, preparation of packaging material, and the stage of final product packaging. Moreover, different types of packaging and filling systems can be combined. For example, the most common weigher for granular products can be used to fill products both in rigid containers and in plastic or paper pouches. In each case, a different set of filling machines with different sets of functions will be used.

The main criterion in the classification of packaging equipment is the type of product to be packed. According to this criterion, filling and packaging equipment is divided into food and non-food types. This division of equipment is caused due to the high requirements for the product contact materials to be used in the food industry.

Packaging equipment is also classified by the filling system type to be used. The most common filling systems are:

1. Multihead weigh filler (used for dry and semi-dry granular products)
2. Linear weigh filler (used for dry granular products)
3. Auger filler (used for fine powders)
4. Volumetric cup filler (used for dry granular products)
5. Volumetric piston filler (used for viscous products)
6. Gravity filler (used for liquid products)