GEA has developed a saw-tooth edge for involute blades which the company says enables slicing without the need to first crust freeze products, such as cooked sausage and ham. The machine is designed to deliver a direct and sustainable improvement to a plant’s energy footprint. 

Owing to GEA’s slicing technology and purpose-designed blade, the company says, it’s possible to slice without crust freezing, which is typically required to prevent the product from deforming during slicing. Slicing with a saw-tooth edge reduces the cutting force exerted on the product. At the same time, the involute blades with saw-tooth edge reportedly reduce wastage and ensure a high proportion of on-weight portions. 

The company also says no retrofitting is required to take advantage of this slicing technology. GEA offers a range of involute blades in various sizes. They facilitate slicing speeds of up to 1,500 revolutions per minute and support the company’s idle-cut technology, which eliminates sliver slices. An involute blade is suitable for larger products because it slices through a larger log cross-section. 

“From a business perspective, the advantages are clear: The new blades eliminate the need to form a hard crust on the product using an expensive and energy consuming nitrogen crust freezing process. Likewise, they slice soft, fragile products accurately and precisely. Preparation time is shortened and the slicing process itself is simplified when crust freezing the product surface is taken out of the equation,” said Norbert Brunnquell, Senior Product Manager Slicing & Loading at GEA. 

GEA’s saw-tooth blade is designed for use with cooked sausage and hams which are optimally sliced at temperatures ranging from -1 to +2 degrees Celsius without crust freezing. Some of the technology group’s customers are already using the new saw-tooth technology and benefiting from this sustainable process optimisation.