Food machinery consists of a number of things. There are equipment to handle the food, store the food, production, freezing, etc. there are a number of machines that need to be used in the food industry. Also, different food items require different machinery. For baked food, a different set of machinery is used, for something fried, a special type of machinery is used. First, we should know the importance that the food machinery holds in the industry and in general as well.
Importance of food equipment
Food machinery is really important as it makes the whole process really easy and everything can be done in uniformity. The food is supposed to go out in the market, so a type of uniformity is very important. Different types of machinery are used in different processes and for different food items. The same equipment cannot be used for everything.
The main functions for which food machinery is used
- Preparation: The first step is preparation. Food machinery is used in preparation of food. To prepare raw materials, different kinds of machinery are used. To keep the production in a uniform manner, these machines are used. Also, to produce raw materials, certain types of machinery are used and it is good to use these equipment as it is not possible to do that with man power. Preparation includes cleaning, grading, skinning, sorting. All of these processes are done by using these equipment.
- Processing: Processing is the next step. There is heat processing equipment, mechanical processing equipment. These can be used to process the food according to the type of food it is.
- Preservation equipment: Preservation of food is a very important step. Food preservation is required to make sure the food is fresh and can be consumed. Preservation needs to be done at every level. Even raw materials are needed to be preserved properly because that is the first stage. If it is not done properly, the complete procedure will be incorrect.
- ● Packaging equipment: the last step is packing the food. This step also required=s equipment to get the food packed in the same way. It should look the same before it goes out in the market. There are several functions of food packaging: containment, protection and preservation, convenience and communication. All of these functions can be covered in packaging of food. Packaging is usually the last step and after this step is done, the food goes out to the seller.
These are the main things that are done in the food industry. All of these processes use different types of machinery and these machines are very much needed in the food industry. The way of using food machinery really depends on the type of food item and also the process and the machinery. Every machine that is used has a different way of using it. Packaging equipment should only be used for packaging food. That is how the food industry works. How a machine is to be used depends on the function of it. If you want to process raw materials, the machine would be different and the way of using it would also change.