The production of toast bread in 3 key steps
Being a flagship consumer product, toast bread is a staple food in many parts of the world. To meet local demand, market players must not only adapt their recipes but also ensure the industrial performance of their line. To meet market requirements, Mecatherm has designed the MECATOAST line, the solution dedicated to the production of toast bread that combines the advantages of convection cooking and vertical mechanization systems to ensure product quality and industrial performance.
Discover the MECATOAST line through the 3 key stages of the sandwich bread production process: proofing, baking, and cooling.
Precise and adaptable proofing
First determining step in product quality: proofing. “For this step, the MVS vertical solution offers the possibility of precisely adjusting the dwell time and the proofing conditions (heat and humidity management). Suitable for heavy loads, thanks to heavy duty chains, this solution is ideal for toast bread pans that combine several moulds” explains François Retailleau, line product manager at Mecatherm.
The efficiency of convection baking
One of the challenges in the production of toast bread is to obtain even baking that prevents the products from collapsing. “The FDA “Toast Bread Edition” convection oven that makes up the Mecatoast line is specially designed to address this issue. We recommend the convection baking technology because it guarantees even baking around the entire periphery of the product, including its sides” explains Marie Laisne, Marketing manager and oven product manager at Mecatherm.
The efficiency of this oven also contributes to optimizing the footprint of the Mecatoast line by allowing reduced spacing between the moulds. Finally, energy consumption is also optimized thanks to precise management of heat transfers to the products’ quantity in the oven as well as a precise management of the waste from the oven.
Cooling for performance
The last key step in the Mecatoast line, the toast bread loaves are depanned and cooled in an MDC cooler, before the slicing and packaging steps. “This multi-level equipment helps to limit product losses through an integrated and automated buffer function allowing products to be stored in the event of a line stoppage” adds François Retailleau. “This benefits the operators, as it avoids the manipulation of heavy pan”, he precises. To guarantee the line the best conditions of hygiene and food safety of the products, it is also possible to install a cooling circuit on cold trays, independent and separated from the rest of the line.
At the service of the quality of your products and your industrial performance, the Mecatoast line is adaptable to the production of different recipes, formats, and personalizations of sandwich loaves. For this, its 100% automated version can include, in addition to the main stages of proofing, baking, depanning and cooling, the customization, lidding and uncovering stages, as well as the storage of different types of pans.
As with all Mecatherm projects, a dedicated team supports you throughout the life cycle of your project. Following the installation of their Mecatoast line in Suriname, the Fernandes Bakery teams highlighted "a very smooth installation and line start-up", "The implementation process went very well thanks to good project management” they added.
