Hygienically safe confectionery production –
to protect employees and processes

Individual filtration solutions for optimum air hygiene

Confectionery production is a sensitive process that is subject to strict hygiene rules. To achieve the perfect finish, process and product contamination via the room air must be prevented. Only the supply of germ-free air ensures that the individual steps are carried out hygienically. Optimally maintained and hygienically perfect ventilation systems with high-performance air filters or extraction systems with dust removal elements are therefore essential for safe confectionery production. As a confectionery manufacturer, you are responsible for ensuring that the filters you use meet the high standards for food safety. This is where our filtration solutions make a valuable contribution to excellent air quality.

Clean air for maximum product quality, durability and cost-effectiveness

The demands on air quality in confectionery production are high. Hygiene is the top priority in the production of sweets such as pralines, marzipan, nougat or jelly products. The air contains microorganisms and gaseous components that pose a potential risk to food. Even small particle quantities are capable of contaminating confectionery during production. Contamination can limit product quality and affect shelf life. It can also lead to expensive product recalls and endanger consumer health. Control of airborne components is therefore of great importance in confectionery production. In this context, the focus is on preventing the growth of microorganisms.

Trends and challenges in confectionery production

Trends and challenges in confectionery productionCapol, part of the Freudenberg Group, is an application expert for glazing, sealing and anti-sticking agents for sweets and knows the specific manufacturing processes and particularities in this food sector.

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Air filtration solutions that create a safe production environment

In the production halls of the confectionery industry, high demands are placed on the ambient air. Temperature, humidity and particle concentration play a particularly important role in this. Particles must be efficiently separated in order to protect the products in confectionery production. The growth of microorganisms can be minimized by targeted control of relative humidity and temperature and by appropriate operation and maintenance of filter stages in ventilation systems (AHU). In addition, a certain volume of fresh outside air is required to ensure safety in confectionery production.

In addition to appropriate protective clothing, an air filtration system helps to reduce airborne particles to an absolute minimum. Freudenberg Filtration Technologies ensures the best possible air quality across all production stages with filter combinations specifically tailored to your application: from processing the raw materials through baking and cooling to packaging the confectionery. This protects your products from negative environmental influences and helps reduce energy costs. Freudenberg Filtration Technologies’ multi-stage filter systems are used for this purpose. Starting from the ISO ePM10 50% prefilter to the ISO ePM1 > 85% filter and / or HEPA filter of filter class H14 in the final filter stage, particles and harmful microorganisms are reliably removed from the air so that they cannot enter the confectionery production process.

Safe air purity also plays an important role in the production of OTC sweets. These are innovative products that have health-promoting, biologically effective properties through the addition of various ingredients, such as enrichment with vitamins. In the production process, these are often added in powder form, so that any cross-contamination with the regular confectionery plant must be avoided.

Efficient dedusting technology for reliable removal of powdery dusts

The particle content of dust must also be controlled in confectionery production to minimize product contamination and ensure hygiene. Processing powdered pigments from vegetable color extracts for coloring confectionery produces powdery dusts. These must be extracted from the production area. This task can be reliably performed with NEXX filter bags or Twist & Fix / Snap & Fix filter cartridges from Freudenberg Filtration Technologies. This ensures reliable compliance with emission limits and reduces energy costs.

Maximum safety in potentially explosive atmospheres

Dust explosions can have devastating consequences, so the protection of employees is fundamental. The production and handling of sugar can generate sugar dust, which can ignite if the oxygen concentration is high and form then a highly explosive mixture. Therefore, explosion protection according to ATEX is an essential safety aspect in productions. Selecting the right ATEX filter elements according to an existing ATEX zone - for example cleanable filter cartridges - can minimize this risk.

Gas phase filters reliably remove vapors from the air

In addition to particles, the air can also contain harmful gases. During confectionery manufacturing processes, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are sometimes released, for example ethanol. Some of these vapors cause unpleasant odors and can be harmful to people and machinery, thus affecting the end result of confectionery production processes. In this case, gas phase filters with activated carbon are the solution, because they reliably separate harmful gas molecules from the air. This way, you protect employees and processes, create better working conditions and comply safely with workplace limits (GefStoffV - German Ordinance on Hazardous Substances). 

Saving energy during confectionery production

Intelligent air filtration solutions are not only important for the product quality of confectionery and consumer safety. Due to rising energy costs and the demand to reduce CO2 emissions, the energy consumption of HVAC systems is also playing an increasingly important role. The optimization of the filter efficiencies used and the use of high-quality, energy-efficient air filters enable significant energy savings.

Benefit from our specialized expertise in confectionary production.

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Reference

Food for thought: energy savings at a UK confectionery manufacturer

Reference

Energy saving potential in a confectionery cold store

Brochure

Manual for hygiene of foodstuffs

Practical guide on a scientific basis

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