Veja a evolução do processamento de alimentos e bebidas pelos olhos de especialistas de longa data da Dennis Group.

Os engenheiros do Dennis Group estão constantemente avançando, enfrentando um projeto após o outro. Cada um deles traz novos desafios e, muitas vezes, novas tecnologias ou processos a serem dominados. Entrevistamos alguns dos engenheiros de longa data da DG sobre as mudanças mais significativas que testemunharam no campo e como eles acreditam que o setor poderá evoluir a seguir. Válvulas à prova de mistura
Just like cooking requires lots of dishes, food and beverage processing requires lots of equipment. And just like in cooking, all that equipment needs to be cleaned. Clean-in-place, or CIP, is the go-to method of cleaning the interior of different types of equipment in food and beverage manufacturing. CIP systems circulate cleaning fluid through equipment without requiring major disassembly or shut down. The CIP process itself was a game changing innovation when developed back in the 1950s, but it was the introduction of mix proof valves that brought it into the modern era. Double-seat, or mix proof, valves allow the flow of two different fluids at the same time without risking contamination. Although they were developed in the late 1970s, this technology wasn’t incorporated into food and beverage manufacturing until the early 2000s. Their implementation eventually became standard in CIP systems. Today, mixproof valves have a huge impact on liquid processing.

Para realmente apreciar o que essa inovação fez pelo setor de alimentos e bebidas, precisamos olhar para um mundo que existia antes das válvulas à prova de mistura. O engenheiro de processos sênior, Scott Hurd, um dos primeiros funcionários da DG, nos deu uma ideia de como era a limpeza em algumas das primeiras instalações. "Nos primeiros projetos, não havia válvulas para direcionar o CIP ou o retorno do CIP", disse Scott. "Eles tinham estações de balanço em que o operador tinha de fazer fisicamente todas essas conexões."

During the All-American Gourmet project in 1990, the USDA issued guidelines that any “sanitary” pipelines include a clamped connection every 20 feet and at every change in direction. “Operators were required to manually disassemble the system and inspect the pipes and fittings for cleanliness at each connection,” Scott continued. “How effective it was really depended on the operator.” Dairy processing whiz, Steve Guericke also reminisced on the days before mixproof valves, when an entire valve group would need to be shut down to wash the line, resulting in significant time loss.

Steve has seen this technology evolve substantially in the industry, noting that “the way they’re designed, the way they’re built, the way they see arrangements, the way the vent ports are, the control tops, are all different from twenty years ago.” Back then, Steve was on the Dreyer’s Bakersfield project, where Dennis Group became one of the first to use mixproof valves for allergen control. At the time, mixproof valves weren’t commonly used in food processing, so this innovative approach to keeping allergens separate was one of the factors that landed the massive ice cream facility the 2004 Food Plant of the Year award. Mixproof valves continue to be used in CIP systems on countless DG projects, and there’s anticipation for further development of the technology and its uses. “I think there’s a lot of little things out there that we can use [mix proof valves] for that they’re not being used for yet,” says Steve. “How much further can we take them? How can we use them? I think there’s more coming.”

Nos últimos anos, os robôs entraram de forma acelerada na fabricação de alimentos e bebidas, assumindo um número cada vez maior de operações: fatiamento e corte em cubos, separação e embalagem, paletização e manuseio de caixas, entre outras. Muitos funcionários da DG já foram a feiras comerciais em que os fornecedores exibem equipamentos robóticos brilhantes que prometem otimização e eficiência máxima. Conversamos com Christy Starner, especialista em modelagem do Dennis Group, sobre como ela viu a robótica evoluir durante seus 21 anos de trabalho no setor de alimentos e bebidas. De acordo com ela, houve mudanças significativas na robótica na última década, especialmente em veículos automatizados, como veículos guiados automaticamente (AGVs) e veículos automatizados de transporte de mercadorias.
Robôs móveis (AMRs).

AGVs have long been a solution for material transport within facilities. First developed in the 1950s and now a widely adopted automation solution, an AGV will follow a predefined path—guided by tracks, wires, or embedded sensors— to move items between processing and storage and shipping areas. “But AGVs are somewhat limited,” Christy told us. “They don’t work well if there are people in the environment. While they can use sensors to detect if there are any obstructions, they can’t modify their path.” AMRs, on the other hand, are a more recent development that work better in an environment with people and employ more advanced technology.

AMRs also offer greater flexibility and adaptability for pallet storage and retrieval. While a single crane failure in a traditional Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) can block access to an entire aisle, AMRs can be added or removed from a system. Their ability to move within the rack allows for denser racks and more storage capacity. “The [cranes] do have some value in that they’ve been tried and tested,” says Christy. She’s been working on a project with a leading dairy processor where they are looking at implementing AMR technology. They have yet to commit to the AMR tech, since you can’t help but consider the risk that comes along with being an early adopter. “Some of the struggle is being one of the first to adopt the technology. You know there’s a lot of promise, but can it actually deliver?” she points out. “And that’s the client’s concern about this [AMR] system.”

Os AMRs já são amplamente utilizados na Europa, e é provável que seja apenas uma questão de tempo até que se tornem mais comuns na fabricação de alimentos e bebidas nos EUA. Quando perguntado sobre o futuro da tecnologia de robôs móveis, Christy destacou o potencial para melhorar a colaboração entre robôs e trabalhadores humanos. "A principal área de aprimoramento será a capacidade de trabalhar com pessoas", explicou ela, enfatizando a vantagem dos AMRs de redirecionamento em comparação com os AGVs. Ela prevê que, no futuro, os robôs operarão com segurança ao lado de caminhões de trabalho manual, mantendo a eficiência. Com os robôs móveis avançando a toda velocidade, não parece haver nenhuma desaceleração nas inovações que estão por vir.

Controles

In the early days of control systems, food and beverage facilities relied on large panels with manual switches, dials, and hardwired relays. Since then, control systems have come a long way. The introduction of PLCs in the 1970s, followed by SCADA and Distributed Control Systems (DCS), revolutionized the industry by allowing operators to manage entire facilities from centralized control rooms. More recently, advancements in data collection and storage have come on the scene. Chris Bryant, a Senior Automation and Controls Engineer at DG for over fifteen years, highlighted how the focus has shifted from simply automating processes to maximizing data extraction for efficiency. “It used to be ‘make it work,’ but now it’s ‘make it work as best as possible,’” he explained.

As an example of how far controls have evolved in food and beverage, Chris talked about a project he’s working on with a greenhouse company growing produce. The client is placing sensors directly in the plants to track their reactions to temperature, humidity, water intake, and more. This data helps the company identify the best conditions to grow, for example, the perfect strawberry. Chris is working with the client to establish a Unified Name Space for their operations—a centralized data architecture that collects information from all the different systems and devices in a facility and serves as a single source of truth for the facility operations.

É claro que, com a inovação, surgem novos desafios. Muitos clientes de alimentos e bebidas agora coletam dados, mas o obstáculo é organizá-los e utilizá-los. Chris mencionou que, antigamente, apenas as empresas de alto nível tinham acesso a dados históricos, pois eram caros e considerados um luxo. No final da década de 2010, a coleta de dados deixou de ser um "item interessante" para se tornar um padrão, com quase todos os clientes usando alguma forma de historiador e ferramentas de processamento ou análise de dados em seus sistemas SCADA para agregar vários tipos de dados.

When asked about the future of controls, Chris noted that a major shift is in automating the automation process itself. He’s seeing a push in the industry to automate tasks traditionally handled by controls engineers, such as AI tools that write PLC code. The goal, Chris explained, is “to make how we deploy automation faster so that we can cascade the implementation of new equipment and new systems for clients

ESL/Processamento asséptico

Aseptic processing was developed in the mid-20th century. It works by sterilizing both product and packaging separately before combining them in a sterile environment, improving food safety and creating a product with extended shelf life. This process gained widespread use in the 1940s and 1950s with advances in sterilization and packaging, and is commonly applied to dairy, juices, soups, and sauces. ESL (Extended Shelf Life) processing, introduced in the 1960s, is a similar technique but focuses on extending product shelf life by reducing microbial growth rather than achieving full sterility. Both methods help preserve a wide range of food products.

Antes da ESL e do processamento asséptico, o enlatamento era a principal solução para fornecer alimentos "frescos" e estáveis nas prateleiras aos consumidores. No entanto, o processo estava longe de ser eficiente, pois cada lata
exigiam aquecimento individual antes de serem envasados, o que atrasava a produção. O processamento asséptico mudou o jogo ao permitir o bombeamento contínuo do produto, melhorando significativamente o rendimento e agilizando a produção para atender a demandas maiores. Ele também reduziu a necessidade de distribuição da cadeia de frio, com produtos capazes de manter a vida útil em temperatura ambiente.

We spoke with Senior Partner Kyle Kartchner about aseptic processes and their growing presence in the F&B industry over the years. “Extended shelf-life (ESL) and aseptic products are much more common today than 20 years ago,” Kyle explained. Advances in this technology has allowed for a wide range of packaging options, much more appealing to consumers than a can. Now products can take on formats like pouches, cartons, cups, bottles, and more. Companies like SunOpta utilize these processes, packaging products like almond milk and oat milk in sterile cartons.

There have been numerous improvements to ESL/aseptic technology since arriving on the F&B scene, and advancements continue to be made. Kyle mentioned High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP), which offers a ‘kill step’ without significant thermal processing, and therefore doesn’t degrade natural heat-sensitive colors, textures, and flavors in the product. When asked about future progress to the tech, Kyle pointed out the substantial amount of heat energy used in aseptic processing. “There is significant focus today on electric heat instead of steam generated by fossil fuels at the plant level,” he told us. Electric heat could be generated from various sources and prove to be a more energy efficient alternative. It seems aseptic processing will continue to evolve, offering exciting possibilities for the future of food production, and there’s no doubt that DG will interact with new innovations and keep growing
juntamente com o setor.