The National Food Lab and Allpax Announce Availability of the Most Versatile R&D Retort in the World
Livermore, CA and Covington, LA - The National Food Lab (The NFL) and Allpax Products, a division of Pro Mach, announced today the installation of the most advanced laboratory retort in the world in The NFL's pilot plant. Using the Allpax Stretch 2402 multimode R & D retort, The NFL can identify the optimal combination of processing parameters (agitation and heating media) that will result in the highest quality product and maximum process efficiency.
"The NFL's new retort capability means faster time-to-market for new products and potentially better sterilization solutions for products already on the market," said Terry Berman, director of commercialization at The NFL. "Companies can now use one pilot plant, not two or even three as they had to do in the past, and have product preparation, multiple retort processes, and control strategies at their fingertips."
"The NFL wanted to provide the most versatile retort testing service in the world and was the first Allpax customer to specify every Stretch 2402 mode available," said Adam Reichert, Allpax process engineer/thermal processing specialist. "They also requested a longer retort for greater capacity."
The unique Allpax Stretch 2402 at The NFL offers saturated steam, steam air overpressure, water immersion, water spray, and water cascade processes in combination with seven easily changeable modular agitation modes - still, end-over-end, swinging, Gentle Motion shaking (low-speed), The Shaka Process(R) shaking (high-speed), hydrostatic simulation, and axial rotation. The unit can handle cans, bottles, pouches, cups, trays, metals, glass, plastics, and double seam film and foil closures.
This retort is equipped with the production version of the Allpax control software, which is 21 CFR Part 11 compliant for recipe editing, batch logs, and security functions. The Allen-Bradley PLC-based HMI makes switching between sterilization processes fast and easy, creating an almost infinite number of processing possibilities as manufacturers look for optimum efficiency, quality, and taste.
For more information on the new retort capabilities at The NFL, call Terry Berman (925-556-4813) and visit www.TheNFL.com. For information on Allpax laboratory and production retorts, call 985-893-9277 and visit www.allpax.com.
About Allpax
Allpax Products, the market leader in retort technology and retort room automation, designs, manufactures, and delivers turnkey sterilization solutions for the food, beverage, pet food, and pharmaceutical industries. The company is recognized for helping customers become more successful by decreasing time to market with laboratory retort equipment, lowering overall labor costs through automation, and increasing the overall throughput of the sterilization process. The company is headquartered in Covington, LA, and is the sole U.S. licensee of the Shaka® retort process.
Allpax is powered by Pro Mach, a Cincinnati, Ohio based provider of integrated packaging products and solutions for food, beverage, household goods, pharmaceutical, and other diverse consumer and industrial companies. Through three business units and related divisions, Pro Mach provides equipment, training, installation, and parts in primary packaging, end-of-line packaging, and identification and tracking.
For more information about Pro Mach visit www.ProMachInc.com.
Media Contact:
Jack Aguero
770-965-9458
Allpax provides processing and sterilization machinery with industry leading controls to fully automate the retort process for any container.
