Company: Luxme

Website: luxme.com

Equipment Snapshot: In response to industry demands for an enclosed, hygienic, certified solution for conveying all types of dry and wet food ingredients, Luxme International has launched a food-grade tubular chain conveyor, believed to be the only USDA-accepted solution for transporting dairy, meat, and poultry products using this specific method.

The SaniLux Tubular Chain Conveyor adheres to the highest standards of food hygiene. The enclosed system is beneficial in keeping the product protected from atmospheric, airborne contaminants and other bacterial elements. By maintaining a safe and sanitized processing system all the way to the packaging line, the risk of product recall is significantly reduced.

Optional independent clean-in-place (CIP) technology is isolated from the upstream or downstream machinery and interlocked for operation. As well as ensuring the conveyor is sanitized to industry standards, the CIP technology avoids the dismantling and reassembly of equipment and is capable of cleaning the SaniLux system from dry to dry in just 60 minutes. The chain assembly for the CIP washdown application is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The conveyor itself comprises a fixed drive and tension assembly, which automatically tensions the chain continuously during the process and regulates it according to friction, product flow and variation in atmospheric/product temperature. Capable of 300, 500 or 1,100 ft3/hr capacities, the system is suited for the automatic conveying of all types of food, from milk powders to raw meat, at any stage of receiving, processing and packaging.

Now more than ever, allergies are a serious matter, with approximately one in ten US citizens suffering from at least one allergy. Another issue is pathogen contamination. According to The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, around 48 million Americans get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die each year from foodborne illnesses.

By enclosing ingredients during the conveying process, the USDA-accepted SaniLux system reduces the risk of pathogen and allergen contamination. What’s more, the independent CIP technology ensures the conveyor is free from residues between batches without adversely affecting the product quality and efficiency of a factory line.

Navam Jagan, president of Luxme International, states: “As well as providing manufacturers with peace of mind that their system is microbiologically clean, machinery designed to a recognized standard such as the SaniLux Tubular Chain Conveyor typically requires less cleaning time, saving on water, product, labor costs, and energy.”