Controlling flour temperature reduces variability in industrial bread production
Ambient storage conditions can cause large temperature fluctuations in flour and powdered ingredients, directly influencing dough behaviour during mixing and fermentation. Agriflex has developed a patented ingredient cooling system that stabilises raw material temperature before dosing into the mixer, enabling bakeries to maintain consistent process conditions and dough quality.
Fluidised Air Cooling and Dehumidification for Powdered Ingredients
In many industrial bakeries, flour is stored in silos or handling systems where temperature and humidity vary depending on climate and storage duration. These variations can affect dough hydration, fermentation kinetics and mixer performance. Agriflex addresses this challenge with a two-stage cooling process. First, ambient air is cooled and dehumidified through a tubular heat exchanger connected to a refrigeration circuit. The treated air is then separated from condensate in a vertical treatment unit, producing cold, dry process air that can be used for ingredient conditioning.
Inline Ingredient Cooling Through a Spiral Heat Exchange Circuit
The cooled air is introduced into a pneumatic conveying circuit where the ingredient passes through a spiral stainless-steel pipe immersed in a cooling exchanger. This configuration maximises heat transfer surface area while maintaining continuous ingredient flow. Sensors and probes monitor the temperature in real time, allowing the system to stabilise ingredient temperature automatically before dosing to the mixer. Depending on process conditions, the system can reduce ingredient temperature by more than 30°C while maintaining homogeneous thermal conditions and avoiding thermal stress on the flour. Because the process operates in a closed circuit, no ice or external cooling agents are required, ensuring recipe integrity and hygienic handling of raw materials.