AlfaPlus™ A continuous process for high-yield surimi processing AlfaPlus™ is a continuous, hygienic and automatically controlled surimi processing line. The use of centrifugal separation instead of the rotary screens and presses used in conventional surimi processing increases yields substantially as well as eliminating several process stages. AlfaPlus handles all kinds of fish, in fillets or trimmings, and features exceptional flexibility in handling capacity changes. AlfaPlus is compact and easily modified to fit existing plants. High yield – high quality – single grade of surimi The AlfaPlus system produces surimi from butterfly cuts (with or without the backbone attached), fillets or trimmings. Protein losses from washing and dewatering are kept to a minimum in the AlfaPlus system equipped with Alfa Laval decanters specially designed and optimized for surimi processing. The combination of the optimal decanter configuration and process control allows seafood processors to recover 70% of the incoming mince into high-quality surimi. The surimi produced using AlfaPlus is of highly consistent quality compared with conventional processing, which produces two or three different grades. Process description To isolate the fish proteins from minced fish, the mince is first mixed with conditioned water in a mixing tank. The washing takes place continuously and the ratio of mince to water is automatically monitored and precisely adjusted. This feature ensures optimum conditions since the washed mince is then pumped to the refining stage where the fish proteins are effectively separated from non-muscle tissue such as bone, skin, connective tissue and other impurities. For whitefish, the refined slurry is continuously pumped to the decanter centrifuge for separation of water and fish mince. If dark-fleshed or fatty fish are being processed into surimi, a second washing stage may be necessary before decanting. All Alfa Laval surimi decanters are equipped with the unique Alfa Laval Direct Drive System®, an automatic solid control system that ensures a consistent moisture content of 82% or less. The dewatered mince from the decanter is pumped to a blending system where it is mixed with sugars, sorbitol and polyphosphates to prevent freeze denaturation. The mixer is equipped with a cooling jacket, which keeps the temperature as low as possible and maintains the high quality of the fish protein. The surimi enters an extruder, which forms the surimi into blocks that are then frozen. Sanitary production The AlfaPlus line improves sanitary levels by using CIP (Cleaning-in-Place) procedures that reduce the number of man-hours necessary to complete cleaning of the process line. Tanks, pumps and decanters can be automatically cleaned on a daily basis by the attached CIP module. The total cleaning cycle lasts about 212 hours, and during this time the refiner, mixer and extruder can be manually cleaned. Daily cleaning significantly reduces the bacterial count. Flexible production planning AlfaPlus not only makes existing production more flexible and more efficient, but also adds more hours to the production schedule. In an AlfaPlus plant, for example, different raw materials such as lean and fatty fish species can be processed in successive cycles. The production time is reduced to about fifteen minutes compared with two hours in a conventional surimi processing system.

How to contact Alfa Laval Contact details for all countries are continually updated on our website. Please visit www.alfalaval.com to access the information direct. PFT00003EN 0207 Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification. Expand your processing capacity with optional equipment - Fish Mince Module - Recovery line - Data Logging System Fish mince Module The AlfaPlus system can be modified to produce a washed fish mince from species not suitable for surimi production. The fish mince is mixed in the washing tank to wash out blood and odour, and is then pumped...