La solución de descongelación de GEA triunfa en Chile con CIAL
25 de enero de 2024
Empleados de CIAL Chile frente a una línea de descongeladores GEA.
GEA sabe que hay una forma mejor de descongelar los alimentos que ahorra tiempo, mejora el rendimiento, aumenta la calidad del producto, es más higiénica y, lo que es más importante, es más sostenible. La descongelación por vapor frío existe desde principios de los años 90, y es aceptada como tecnología de confianza por muchas empresas procesadoras de alimentos, entre ellas CIAL, el principal fabricante de productos cárnicos curados finos de Chile.
Alta eficiencia, calidad y sostenibilidad de CIAL en ChileIn an online poll conducted by GEA during a recent webinar, 53 percent of participants confirmed that they were defrosting frozen meat using ambient temperature before processing. GEA believes there is a much better way that saves time, improves yield, enhances product quality, is more hygienic and, importantly, is more sustainable.
The process is cold steam defrosting. The concept has been around since the early 1990s, and it’s already accepted as a trusted technology of many food processing companies. One such company is CIAL, the leading manufacturer of fine cured meat products in Chile.
CIAL uses GEA’s patented defrosting technology ColdSteam T to contribute to its productivity and sustainability goals. Ultimately, this helps CIAL satisfy the commercial needs of its clients and the nutritional requirements and taste preferences of demanding consumers worldwide. For over 50 years, CIAL has supplied its high-quality products, including ham, poultry and sausage for export and to Chile’s 20 million people.
The principle behind ColdSteam T is simple: To defrost a product, energy must transfer to de-crystalize foods. An efficient way of defrosting is with steam, but steam at 100°C or more would scald the product, causing it to start cooking. However, in a sealed tumbler with a 95 percent vacuum, and steam is produced at just 33°C. The product defrosts quickly with no chance of scalding. The tumbling action from the rotating drum also retains meat juices that would otherwise become drip losses. Thus, yield is improved, and the quality of the product is better. Most importantly, the whole process can be completed hygienically in around 6 to 8 hours rather than 16 to 48 hours for ambient defrosting.
En CIAL de Chile, los mejores productos cárnicos comienzan con un giro en uno de los descongeladores avanzados GEA.
CIAL ha adoptado la tecnología. Durante un programa de ampliación de la planta en 2023, aumentó sus secadoras GEA ColdSteam T de once a catorce. Las razones saltan a la vista:
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El proceso es más rápido que la descongelación a temperatura ambiente o con agua.
- It eliminates drip losses, so no valuable animal protein is wasted.
- It significantly reduces water consumption.
- It prevents the potential for scorching, associated with defrosting in microwaves.
- It significantly reduces handling.
- It’s much more hygienic, as there is little opportunity for microbiological growth.
- The process is accurately repeatable for better quality control.
Sustainability
The ColdSteam T helps to improve efficiency at CIAL. It also helps protect the environment by being a major contributor to the sustainability of the entire process. There’s less energy consumed, less water used and a much-reduced waste disposal requirement because there’s no need to wash down the area after defrosting. It’s a process that uses resources smartly and efficiently.
Se dedica mucha atención a la elaboración del producto cárnico curado perfecto para garantizar una calidad en que confíen las familias.
GEA aguas abajo
CIAL también utiliza un proceso de inyección de GEA para adobar los productos y un tenderizador GEA aguas abajo como parte de la fabricación de jamones. Una inyectora anterior era capaz de procesar entre 1.500 y 2.000 kilogramos por hora. Con la nueva línea de inyección de GEA, Contreras calcula que se procesan entre 3.000 y 3.500 kilogramos por hora. “Ocupa el mismo espacio físico y nos permite recuperar la salmuera”, afirma. “No disponíamos de esta recirculación en nuestra máquina anterior”.The plant also uses ham slicers, thermo-packaging machines and a burger production line within the plant, all from GEA. “GEA provides us with top-notch equipment that is highly efficient, easy to operate with a user-friendly interface, easy to clean and is backed by strong technical support,” explains Contreras. “The equipment is compact and has enabled us to increase our productivity. It operates consistently, without interruptions.”
GEA support for an even better future
Of course, no manufacturing process engineer can be content with the present; they must always maintain a commercial edge and to keep up with changing tastes. GEA has been able to use its extensive experience to help CIAL protect its future. It uses that know-how to work with customers, such as CIAL, to continually improve processes for greater efficiency, quality and sustainability. Contreras values this relationship with GEA highly. “It has been a good collaboration,” he says. “As we work to capture markets for higher-end products, such as premium hams, the GEA technology and support is precisely what we need to make progress in the right direction. We will be buying more.”
Los expertos de CIAL acuden a GEA no solo en busca de máquinas para convertir las carnes frescas en finos productos curados, sino también en busca de ideas y colaboración.
La perspectiva de CIAL
Gonzalo Contreras, subdirector de la planta de jamones de CIAL, es responsable del proceso de fabricación, desde la recepción de las materias primas hasta el producto acabado. Puede dar fe de que la tecnología de GEA proporciona la calidad que exigen sus clientes y la eficacia que necesita para impulsar su éxito comercial. “Trabajamos estrechamente con GEA para asegurarnos de que la producción no se detuviera durante la ampliación”, afirma. “Los descongeladores nos permiten comprar carne congelada de cualquier parte del mundo. Sin la instalación de descongelación nos veríamos limitados a comprar carne fresca de manera local. Esto nos permite mejores precios y una vida útil más larga.“Furthermore, it prevents us from experiencing fluctuations related to specific issues, such as avian flu or swine flu, because we have already purchased the meat long before these issues arose,” he continues. “It also enables us to manage our stocks as we wish and defrost the meat at a time that suits us best.”
Contreras adds that being able to buy meat on the spot market worldwide has been a significant factor in CIAL’s success.
Contreras also has the best possible incentive for ensuring the quality of everything that leaves the CIAL plant: “My whole family consumes these products,” he says. “We work hard to continually improve because we are the end users ourselves.”
¡Ganamos todos!
Las catorce secadoras ColdSteam T GEA en CIAL representan la tecnología en que se basan todos los demás procesos de la planta. Preparan la materia prima, que puede ser casi cualquier producto cárnico, como aves sin deshuesar o fileteadas, costillas de cerdo o filete de ternera, de forma rápida, eficaz y segura para todas las operaciones posteriores. La posibilidad de descongelar el producto en unas horas, en lugar de uno o dos días, mejora enormemente la eficacia y flexibilidad de toda la planta. Retener la pérdida por goteo dentro de la carne ayuda a la calidad y el rendimiento del producto: no se pierde nada. Se reduce el consumo de energía. Ya no es necesario lavar la zona de descongelación, con sus consecuencias medioambientales. La descongelación en un espacio cerrado, al vacío, evita la contaminación biológica del producto y de la zona circundante.The technology has been a great success at CIAL. With over 300 units in operation worldwide, the GEA ColdSteam T makes a significant contribution, not only to commercial productivity but also to the environment.
