Packaging

The National Food Lab and Allpax Announce Availability of the Most Versatile Research and Development Retort in the World

Wednesday 13. April 2011 - The National Food Lab (The NFL) and Allpax Products, a division of Pro Mach, announced today the installation of the most advanced laboratory retort in the world in The NFL's pilot plant. Using the Allpax Stretch 2402 multimode R & D retort, The NFL can identify the optimal combination of processing parameters (agitation and heating media) that will result in the highest quality product and maximum process efficiency.

“The NFL’s new retort capability means faster time-to-market for new products and potentially better sterilization solutions for products already on the market,” said Terry Berman, director of commercialization at The NFL. “Companies can now use one pilot plant, not two or even three as they had to do in the past, and have product preparation, multiple retort processes, and control strategies at their fingertips.”
“The NFL wanted to provide the most versatile retort testing service in the world and was the first Allpax customer to specify every Stretch 2402 mode available,” said Adam Reichert, Allpax process engineer/thermal processing specialist. “They also requested a longer retort for greater capacity.”
The unique Allpax Stretch 2402 at The NFL offers saturated steam, steam air overpressure, water immersion, water spray, and water cascade processes in combination with seven easily changeable modular agitation modes – still, end-over-end, swinging, Gentle Motion shaking (low-speed), The Shaka Process(R) shaking (high-speed), hydrostatic simulation, and axial rotation. The unit can handle cans, bottles, pouches, cups, trays, metals, glass, plastics, and double seam film and foil closures.
This retort is equipped with the production version of the Allpax control software, which is 21 CFR Part 11 compliant for recipe editing, batch logs, and security functions. The Allen-Bradley PLC-based HMI makes switching between sterilization processes fast and easy, creating an almost infinite number of processing possibilities as manufacturers look for optimum efficiency, quality, and taste.