Dosing technology for flexible food testing systems

The Challenge

A food manufacturer is building a pilot plant to develop new, alternative food products. To achieve this, both the hygienic cleaning of the equipment (CIP) and the pH adjustment of the products had to function reliably, reproducibly, and without interruption. At the same time, different chemicals needed to be used flexibly, as processes and recipes frequently change during the development phase. Manual or unstable dosing would have skewed test results, caused downtime, and jeopardized operational safety. Additionally, it had to be possible to switch chemicals without interrupting the process.

The sera Solution

sera supplied several coordinated stainless steel dosing stations for three tasks: CIP cleaning, continuous pH control, and flexible pH adjustment from 200-liter containers. For CIP cleaning, dosing stations for caustic soda, nitric acid, and disinfectants were implemented, including safe piping, valve technology, and IBC withdrawal stations. For the production processes, additional dosing stations were installed for the continuous addition of alkalis and acids; all components in contact with the media are FDA- and EC-compliant. For experiments with varying chemicals, additional stations using 200-liter containers complement the system. The overall concept ensures that dosing, media supply, and container changes can be performed without process interruptions.

Customer Benefits

• Safe, reproducible CIP cleaning of production systems
• Stable and continuous pH control during product development
• Uninterrupted operation even when changing IBCs or chemicals
• High flexibility for future experiments and new formulations

Summary

The project demonstrates how development and pilot plants with modular dosing technology can be designed to simultaneously ensure hygiene, process stability, and flexibility.