Powdered Gluten Processing

Company Name: Roquette

Location: Corby, Northamptonshire, UK

Eclipse Product Installed: Bespoke double row magnet unit with track system

Industry Process Type: Powdered gluten processing

Application Background

Roquette is a global leader in plant-based ingredients and a pioneer of new vegetal proteins. Currently operating in over 100 countries, the company has a turnover of around 3.3 billion euros and employs 8,400 people worldwide.

As a global leader of natural-based ingredients for the Food, Nutrition and Health market space, Roquette aims to improve the health and well-being of millions of consumers around the world. Working with different stakeholders, Roquette offers the best of nature to respond to an increasing Global demand for Food, Pharmaceutical and Industrial applications.

The Challenge

Roquette supplies gluten to a variety of blue chip food manufacturers. As a commodity ingredient, powdered gluten is often used as an additive in baking to add elasticity to flours that would otherwise be low in gluten, such as whole wheat flour or rye.

As part of ensuring the highest standards of food safety and product quality, Roquette must pass the powdered gluten product over an offset double row magnet with a minimum strength of 8000 Gauss. Roquette needed to find a company that would be willing and able to ensure that the highest standards of safety and quality would be upheld, whilst meeting strict design criteria for an application with limited headroom and space. A double row of magnetic bars, which were not only withdrawable, but also easy to clean were required to meet Roquette’s company quality standards.

The Solution

Eclipse Magnetics supplied Roquette with a bespoke double row magnet unit with track system as part of a new sifter installation for the powdered gluten. The unit has been installed at the end of the process, before the product is filled into tankers or tote bags.

The unit consists of a double row of magnetic bars which can be easily withdrawn from the body of the unit so that they are easy to clean. A catchment tray was also included to effectively contain any residual gluten which can be dislodged from the bars as they are withdrawn for cleaning. This residual product is then collected in clearly marked bags and disposed of.

Foreign body removal systems from Eclipse Magnetics contain magnetic cores which can be pulled from stainless steel tubes to ensure that contamination falls away. They are extremely efficient at removing fine iron contamination from dry free flowing products such as sugar, grain, flour, granulates and powders.

The magnetic bars require no power and no maintenance (except for cleaning) and are quick and easy to install. Eclipse Magnetics often supplies custom designed and engineered solutions to suit specific requirements, as is the case with Roquette’s application. All product contact parts are manufactured using food quality 316 grade stainless steel, are fully sealed, and supplied with test certificates.

Comments

Ian Aunger at Roquette said: “The result is an aesthetically pleasing system, which is effective in trapping metal contaminants and is easy to clean. Although the design of the magnet system was not easy because of the limited headroom and space, Eclipse Magnetics were willing and able to meet all of our design criteria.”

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