Technology of Baked Goods - Sourdough Biotechnology - page 64

Fig. 3.6 Carousel system (Courtesy of Sancassiano S.p.A., Italy)

than that of the ingredients (mixers with dual arms or spirals, 20-60 rpm) or may
increase even by 10-12°C in the case of ultra-high-speed mixers, working at
500-1,000 rpm.
The mixers previously described work discontinuously. The developed dough
must be removed and the bowl emptied ready for the next batch. This system has a
limited effect on the organization of the work at artisanal level but at industrial plants
it creates serious problems. One proposed solution consisted of the carousel, a modu-
lar system which, although it did not shorten the mixing times, guaranteed the avail-
ability of a well-developed dough at set times, with standardization and an almost
continuous feeding of the machines. As shown in Fig. 3.6 , the carousel (

www.
sancassiano.com ) is formed by a number of stations that move automatically (con-
trolled by a Programmable Logic Control, PLC), rotating and occupying different
positions at set times. It passes from the first position (raw materials are dosed into
the first bowl) to intermediate mixing and kneading positions up to the last position
where the dough is discharged and poured out into the feeding hopper of the next
machine. The time between the first and the last position corresponds to that neces-
sary to develop a mass with the desired rheology and texture characteristics.
In recent years, the companies working in this sector have put forward solutions
for further improvement of the automation and versatility of this stage of the indus-
trial process. The different stages of dough development and leavening are con-
trolled by PLC in robotized plants. A variable number of bowls are handled and
moved by a robot shuttle which takes each bowl from a parking area and subjects it
to the various work stations, on the basis of the sequence of the production cycle.
The advantages of this plant are many, including high flexibility, capacity to satisfy
all types of technological cycles (direct, indirect, etc.), possibility of feeding several