tna helps gourmet chip manufacturer improve consistency and flexibility

Canada-based gourmet chip manufacturer Naturally Homegrown Foods supplies leading retail locations in Canada, the US and Asia. To meet growing demand, the company needed to replace its out-of-date steel coating drum and dry-powder applicator with an efficient automated system.

For its high-end brand Hardbite Chips, the company needed a flexible seasoning solution that ensured consistent and efficient application of eight different dry seasonings, with minimum machine downtime between flavour changes. The new system had to integrate and work seamlessly alongside other processing machinery in the facility.

Improved flavour consistency

With an objective to improve overall product consistency, Naturally Homegrown Foods installed the tna intelli-flav OMS 5 seasoning system, a responsive variable-mass seasoning system with a dynamic vibratory weigher to directly control powder application from the drum. This enables an accurate, proportional amount of seasoning to be consistently applied to the product for improved coverage and flavour dispersion — even for products with irregular surfaces such as batch-fried chips.

“We’ve seen a vast improvement in seasoning consistency as a result of installing the tna intelli-flav OMS 5 — most notably, we’ve been able to reduce our seasoning application rate from 8–9% down to 5–6%,” said Kirk Homenick, president of Naturally Homegrown Foods.

The positioning of the scarf plate on the system’s infeed realises further performance benefits. Positioned closer to the top of the tumbling product, the scarf adds dry powder into the flavouring area more accurately, providing high-quality, consistent seasoning. “The addition of this equipment has made such a difference for our facility compared to the older screw auger feature in our previous system,” noted Homenick.

The scallop-designed infeed conveyor curves to match the shape of the drum, which reduces product drop, helps control product direction and reduces product waste.

Flexible processing

With the Hardbite Chips range including eight different flavour profiles, Naturally Homegrown Foods required a seasoning system that offered rapid cleaning time for flavour changes and minimum downtime. The tna intelli-flav OMS 5 has a simple modular design that is fully enclosed to help prevent seasoning, dirt and other materials from building up, allowing for increased levels of hygiene and ease of cleaning. The system’s pivoting drum provides accessibility for hard-to-reach areas, simplifying day-to-day operations.

“As a small plant that is experiencing growing demand, it’s imperative that seasoning changeovers and cleaning downtime is kept to a minimum to ensure optimum production levels. Since the tna intelli-flav OMS 5 was installed, changeover times have been reduced by 15–20%. Now we are able carry out a seasoning changeover in less than 20 minutes thanks to the system’s simple design,” said Homenick.