The company said the Cracker Vantage solution had potential for food manufacturers from around the world. “Enzyme technology for crackers is nothing new, but this combination of enzymes is,” said Keith Clemens, director of sales for Caravan Ingredients’ nutritional premix division.
“When a line goes down, a cracker manufacturer will usually have to scrap or rework a batch of dough. This solution gives it [the batch] a window of tolerance, enabling it to still be usable after several hours of downtime.”
In addition, the technology, the detail of which he did not go into, enabled crackers to show a greater resistance to chipping, again reducing the waste this creates. In addition, chipping is a common source of consumer complaints and Clemens said the solution would cut down on incidences of this as well.
Crackers are always chipping
“Crackers are always chipping and this all gets chucked out,” he said. “The enzyme technology works on the flour and gives the cracker flexibility in its make-up and rigidity without chipping.”
Cost savings could be proven, said Clemens, but they varied from processor to processor, depending on the size of batches being worked with, existing waste levels and downtime rates and current cracker formulation.
Major global cracker manufacturers were Caravan Ingredients’ first win with the new solution in initial trials. One customer had an average throughput rate of 82% and increased this to 98% by using the company’s solution, said Clemens. “But that was the perfect storm,” he added.