While inflationary pressures continue to remain high (despite showing month-over-month progress recently), consumers continue to look for affordable goods that provide quality, trust in brands, confidence in product formulation, and sustainability actions. One way food processors can ensure this value to their customers is by using a process which consistently provides high-quality products. For this reason, food processors will benefit from understanding how Marlen’s Industrial Dehydrators provide consistent results with permanent air balance technology.
One problem food processors often encounter in day-to-day operations with commercial dehydrators is the presence of hot spots or cold spots within the ‘processing zone.’ To overcome this problem, food processors typically must unload and rotate their product carriers to avoid undercooked or overcooked products. This problem is solved with the permanent air balance within Marlen’s Industrial Dehydrators.
An Industrial Food Dehydrator with Permanent Air Balance
Marlen has greatly improved the reliability of its Industrial Dehydrators by using an alternating damper drive with stainless steel shafting and gearboxes, which replace the chains and sprockets of traditional dehydrator designs. Equally important is the damper break, a Marlen invention that eliminates random oscillations (i.e., the “chatter”) of damper blades. This results in the ‘locking down’ of the breakpoint of the airflow within the processing zone.
In addition to this, the permanent balance of supply air and return air within the processing zone results in full control of the breakpoint: where the high velocity air collides with the low velocity air within the processing zone. This permanently balanced system ensures that the breakpoint stays where it is supposed to be. This permanent air balance is essential for process repeatability, high quality results, and uniform products.
All Marlen Industrial Dehydrators are custom designed for a food processor’s specific application and operation. The innovative airflow design keeps air in the ‘processing’ zone for improved performance. The increased air velocity over the surface of the product results in more uniform process conditions, and this rapid moisture removal promotes faster drying cycles.
Power Efficiency: Good for Business and the Environment
Food processors using the Marlen Industrial Dehydrator will also benefit from the power efficiency granted by its design. A single fan dehydrator (which is the US standard) needs to have a good airflow design to provide these efficiencies—not all single fan dehydrators are alike in how efficient they can be.
Unique to the Marlen Industrial dehydrator is that it requires 20%-25% less horsepower to deliver the same airflow as other single-fan dehydrators, and up to 50% less horsepower than multi-fan ovens. This efficient management of airflow ensures that it is the specific process food processors use for their unique products that determines energy consumption. These energy savings not only lower operating costs for food processors (as compared to using competing dehydrators), but reduced energy use can also lower a food processor’s impact on the environment by reducing its carbon footprint.
Operational Efficiency: Save on Labor and Down-Time
In addition to saving on energy costs for production, the permanent air balance and consistent process of the Marlen Industrial Dehydrator saves on labor and down-time. The Marlen dehydrators do not require any in-the-field adjustments related to balancing airflow or air handling. Since the Marlen dehydrator produces uniform results day-to-day and batch-to-batch, there is no need for unloading and rotating product carriers. This frees up personnel to perform other duties elsewhere in the facility and can improve overall cooking times in the process.
Ensure Product Value with the Marlen Industrial Dehydrator
As consumers look for value with their purchases, competing products on grocery shelves will be set apart by the processes used to produce them. For example, as consumers this fall look to entertain guests with charcuterie and other dehydrated snacks, consumers are looking for high-quality products that are more sustainable, have a good product formulation, and promote trust in brands. The Marlen Industrial Dehydrator will help food processors achieve those goals.
Marlen has been trusted by leading food brands for over 60 years, and they assure value to their customers through the highest consistency, accuracy, and product integrity. Marlen’s teams of experts, including engineers, designers, and technical personnel, consult, collaborate, and partner with food processors around the globe to create custom innovative solutions for their food processing business. Marlen’s food processing equipment solutions are backed by a global network of certified technicians who are equipped to perform installation, start-up, preventive maintenance, emergency service, and any on-site equipment service required. With parts, sales, and service operations in Riverside, Missouri, Nieuwpoort, Belgium, and Bangkok, Thailand, we’re prepared to deliver the quality and performance expected by a true process partner.
