Stages of production of roasted seeds. Own business: production of roasted sunflower seeds. Business plan for seed production: technology and equipment Production of fried seeds

Roasted sunflower seeds are a very popular food product among the majority of the population. Many people are accustomed to popping seeds from time to time, and for some, consuming products packaged in bright bags has become a kind of pleasant leisure time.

Despite the relatively low selling prices for the finished product, production roasted sunflower seeds is a reliable investment for entrepreneurs. A seed business is a profitable and relatively simple process with a minimal payback period.

Where to begin?

How to organize a technological process for the production of fried seeds from scratch? After registering a business entity, you must obtain permission to open a workshop from Rospotrebnadzor. Issuing a certificate of conformity for this type of product is now a voluntary procedure - you can acquire it at any time by submitting a package of documents and a sample of the final product.

Seed frying technology

The process of industrial preparation of roasted sunflower seeds consists of a number of stages:
— calibration and rejection of raw materials;
— cleaning and rinsing;
— frying and cooling on special devices;
- packaging of ready-made seeds.

To open a production facility, you need a premises that meets all sanitary and fire safety standards for food facilities. Maintenance of devices and packaging in a small workshop will require the efforts of a team of 2-3 workers.

The most simple equipment for industrial roasting of seeds is electric or gas drum oven.The basis of this unit is a metal drum with a turner, windows for removing moisture and temperature regulators.

Other popular equipment for the production of roasted seeds is oven with a “fluidized bed” frying function. The technology consists of placing the raw material in a special bunker and treating it with hot air under pressure supplied by a fan. The use of such models has an important advantage - when frying seeds in suspension, carbon deposits in the hood without contaminating the finished product.

Infrared units for frying seeds are based on drying raw materials in a production circuit using highly targeted thermal radiation. The stoves have high efficiency and good efficiency, since they do not use energy to heat the surrounding space. The device produces a high-quality product without impurities and soot particles. The use of this model guarantees cleanliness technological process, preventing contamination and excessive temperature rise in the production area.

The work process for roasting seeds cannot be organized without additional devices. The conveyor includes cooling devices and machines for cleaning and polishing the product. If the raw materials are heavily contaminated, you will need washers various designs. For initial seed calibration and debris removal, calibration devices or simple fractional vibrating screens are required. The choice of a specific model of units depends on the size of the room, financial reserves and the operating principle of the production line.

The final stage of the industrial process is the packaging of finished seeds into bright bags of different sizes using special devices. The better the packaging design, the higher the demand for your products will be. At the initial stage, a good lever for increasing consumer interest will be promotions, increasing product recognition.

A properly adjusted production process and 100% sale of the finished product allows us to achieve a profitability rate of 85%. The funds invested in production will pay off within a month of operation, subsequently bringing a stable profit to the enterprise and its owner.

Video showing fully automated seed frying production

In our country, seeds are a folklore and even cult product. When it comes to them, the image appears of local punks or village clowns who litter. Part of the population has a negative attitude towards seeds, but even they cannot resist the attraction to them.
Sunflower seeds are hypnotizing, addictive, and even after a person’s tongue begins to hurt, he is unable to stop.

In the 90s, all the free places near grocery stores were occupied by grandmothers who sold sunflower seeds in paper bags, chewing gum and single-piece cigarettes. Old women had to master such a business because of small pensions.
Previously, raw seeds were bought at the nearest wholesale and retail market, then washed them. After this, the largest frying pan was placed on the gas burner. The seeds produced by grandmothers in this way were really tasty. They were subject to high levels of control.
However, time does not stand still. Production of roasted seeds reached a new level. Today, hundreds of thousands of bright plastic bags of seeds come out of the workshops of various organizations every day. Now there are a huge number of different brands, but among them there are leaders whose products people know, the quality of their products remains unchanged. They are developing their own business plan, which makes it tasty for people and not at a loss to them.

But how do they produce the roasted seeds that we crack in our time?

In our country, raw materials are produced in two regions - Altai and Krasnodar region. Thin and long seeds are collected in Altai, and pot-bellied and short seeds are from Krasnodar. Sunflower seeds are delivered to the frying and packaging workshops by train. After the harvest is harvested, it is loaded into wagons and sent to the producers.

Roasted seeds must be produced every day. Therefore, regardless of the number of harvests in a year, seeds are always present in producers’ warehouses. The main enemies of seeds are: rodents, time and moisture. In large warehouses where seeds are stored, you can always see hundreds of mouse and rat nests. From moisture, heat and time, the seeds become moldy, which is why they acquire a bitter taste.

According to technology, seeds should not be washed. Firstly, it is very difficult to do, and secondly, washing spoils the taste of even those seeds that have not been spoiled. For frying, producers take seeds from new and old harvests. The proportion in which mixing occurs depends on many factors. The main factor is the integrity of the manufacturer.

Then the mixed raw materials go to calibration. For this purpose, a special machine with several levels of mesh is used. Each grid has its own cell size. Thanks to this, the seeds are cleaned of dust, dirt, and small debris. The seeds are also divided into fractions. Then the largest seeds go into small bags. They are fried separately, since they are large, they require a special method and a different frying time. Medium seeds are placed in a large container, and the smallest seeds are packaged in bags for home frying. The finer fraction is used in the production of sunflower oil.
Salted seeds are obtained by pouring a salty solution over them, which is poured into large, spinning, hot frying pans.
After roasting, the seeds are again sent for calibration to clean them again. Then they are automatically packed into bags.

Video workshop - roasted sunflower seeds production line:

In this article:

Almost every person has eaten fried sunflower seeds at least once in their life. For some people, systematically eating such a product becomes a kind of leisure activity. Why not take advantage of this human weakness and organize your own roasted sunflower seeds business?

Some entrepreneurs are confused by the extremely low selling price of the finished product. However, reality shows the opposite results. The production of roasted seeds will pleasantly surprise you with its simplicity, profitability and quick payback period.

Despite the variety of similar products on store shelves, new bright packaging continues to appear steadily.

Several organizational points

At first, you should choose the organizational and legal form of the enterprise being created. The most preferred options are:

IP (individual entrepreneur);
LLC on a simplified taxation system. In both cases, a fixed payment will have to be transferred to the state treasury, but when choosing the second option, a certain amount must also be available authorized capital, production of a seal, development of a charter, etc.

It is advisable to choose an LLC if you have two or more partners. Individual entrepreneurs are characterized by a simplified registration procedure, accounting and reporting forms.

When registering an enterprise, you must indicate the following OKVED code:

15.33 “Processing and canning of fruits and vegetables not included in other groups.”

First of all, it is necessary to issue a sanitary and epidemiological conclusion for production(contact the Rospotrebnadzor office at the place of registration of the enterprise). To date, the mandatory certification procedure has been cancelled.

If desired, you can issue a voluntary certificate of conformity. Documentary evidence of compliance with hygienic and sanitary-ecological standards finished products will contribute to increased demand. To obtain such a document, you must provide samples of roasted seeds and the following documents:

technical passport for seeds;
characteristics of production equipment;
certificates of state registration enterprises;
charter;
lease agreement for industrial premises.

Choosing the most preferable model of equipment for the production of fried seeds

The most popular option is the electric drum oven. It consists respectively of a drum, agitators, a thermostat, windows for removing moisture and a paddle for sampling.

Some models have additional equipment in the form of coolers. Drum furnaces that run on gas are also quite in demand. They perform all the necessary functions, while at the same time saving energy. Bottled gas is used as fuel for the furnace.

The next popular model is equipment that works on the principle of frying in a stream of hot air.

A distinctive feature of such models is a special technology in which the seeds are placed in a hopper and fried “in a fluidized bed.” The frying itself is carried out in suspension due to the operation of a pressure fan. The main advantage of such equipment is the powerful blowing of raw materials, in which all carbon particles settle in the exhaust pipe and do not mix with the finished product.

There are also models that work on the principle infrared radiation . The seeds are fried or dried using such a flow, heating only the raw materials, and not the surrounding air. Often such furnaces are characterized by a continuous operating cycle and a correspondingly high level of productivity. The equipment allows you to obtain a completely ready-to-eat and evenly fried product, in which there are no burnt particles.

The main characteristic features of the operation of such furnaces are:

energy saving;
purity production process and the resulting product at the exit;
absence of heating (carbon deposits) on the surface of the product and the walls of the oven;
natural air temperature in an industrial room;
absence of soot and burning, prompt and extremely precise adjustment of operating modes.

Such devices are ideal not only for roasting seeds, but also nuts, vegetables and even potatoes.

Another model, which is quite common in the market for the production of roasted seeds, are microwave roasting ovens. Compared to the last oven, it has many more advantages. Fryers in modern production lines often contain two of the above models. Their average cost is about 1.5 million rubles.

Without coolers, it is quite difficult to imagine the production process for the production of fried seeds.

The seeds cool down slowly and have a long shelf life high temperature inside the product shell leads to a decrease in labor productivity and, accordingly, a low volume of output. Coolers will also prevent the seeds from overcooking, which in turn will contribute to the production of a quality product. There are currently two types of coolers: the conveyor type model and the open circular design with agitators. The choice of the most preferable model depends on the area of the production workshop and the operating principle of the equipment.

Polishing seeds involves cleaning them from debris and soot.

For this purpose, specialized cleaning and polishing machines are used. If it is used, there is no need to pre-wash the seeds.

Filling and packing are the final stage of the production process. From attractiveness appearance seeds depends on the level of consumer demand.

The standard packaging option looks like a three-seam bag consisting of a “pillow” (two horizontal and one vertical “Euro seams”). This type of roasted seeds is provided by filling and packaging machines that have a volumetric or weight dispenser.

Let's consider some aspects of equipment operation

Roasted sunflower seeds are poured into the storage hopper of the filling machine, then they are fed into the dispenser, where the required doses are separated and the packaging is formed. The key factor when choosing equipment is the productivity of the installation, namely the number of packages produced per minute. It is also desirable to have a function for changing to a different package size in case of production need and a different dosage of the product. Thus, a universal device will allow you to achieve efficiency and high productivity. In conditions of limited financial capabilities, you can purchase a semi-automatic packaging machine without a dispenser (bag former and sealer).

To work with such equipment it is necessary to use two operators. One - using a measuring cup, pours in the required amount of the finished product, and the second - measures a certain section of the bag, seals it, cuts it off using a semi-automatic machine and puts packs of sunflower seeds in carton boxes(large packages).

Roasted sunflower seeds production technology

The following stages of production of roasted seeds are distinguished:

calibration;
salting, washing and cleaning;
frying;
cooling;
package.

The calibration stage involves separating large seed grains from small ones. The raw materials are also cleaned from debris. For such purposes, special calibrating machines or vibrating sieves are used, which perform the function of dividing the original product into several fractions.

In the process of selecting technological equipment for washing seeds Special attention attention should be paid to its productivity, the desired level of which should reach 100-150 kg/hour.

The sinks have a tunnel type design, differing in functions:

top watering;
top and bottom watering (for thorough washing of seeds);
with one or two heaters at the outlet.

Salting the product is necessary when making salted seeds. The coating drum, which is also sometimes called an additive adding machine, is responsible for this function. Often, such equipment is used in conditions of high productivity and in companies of impressive size.

The direct frying process is carried out using a variety of ovens, which are intended for bulk products. A calibrated seed is poured into the oven, which will be roasted for one hour. At the same time, operators must visually monitor the quality, if necessary, turning off the rotation drive of the equipment drum. If the result is satisfactory, the worker turns off the burner, places a container for the finished product under the drum, and pours the fried seed into it. After this, it’s the turn of a new batch of raw materials for immediate production.

Constantly setting a certain amount of time (for example, 1 hour) is possible if the following roasting conditions are met:

identical burner fire (regulated by tap or reducer);
the seed must have the same level of moisture;
same ambient temperature.

Cooling of the finished sunflower seed occurs in special apparatus, thanks to which labor productivity increases significantly. Then, using a packaging machine, the seeds are packaged.

Business plan for the production of roasted seeds

Choosing a production facility

The set of requirements for the premises for the production of fried seeds are similar to the requirements for buildings in which any food products are produced. It is necessary to comply with construction and sanitary standards, implementation of fire safety measures. On the area of the production premises (at least 60 m²) there will be a workshop and warehouses for temporary storage of raw and finished products. Reliable protection from rodents is also necessary: for this, the floor is concreted and iron doors are installed. The production workshop may be located outside the city. In this case, the rent will be much more affordable, amounting to about 6,000 rubles.

Raw material costs:

the cost of 1 ton of raw seeds is 22,000 rubles (including transport costs);
1 kg. packaging film – 150 rubles.

We are recruiting staff

Two auxiliary workers can operate the roasted sunflower seeds production line. One will combine his immediate responsibilities with monitoring the implementation technical specifications. The second operator can act as an agent for the supply of raw materials and sales of finished products.

The monthly wage fund is 10,000 rubles.

Automation

The cheapest option for the production of roasted packaged seeds is to organize the production process using the following equipment:

gas machine for frying seeds – 33,000 rubles;
cooler (with cleaning function) – 32,000 rubles;
packaging complex – 45,000 rubles.

Total – 110,000 rubles.

Let's calculate the cost of 1 package of seeds weighing 50 grams:

cost 50 gr. sunflower seeds – 1.10 rubles (at the rate of 1 kg of raw sunflower seeds – 22 rubles);
1 package for packaging - 0.3 rubles (at the rate of 1 kg of film for 150 rubles per 500 packages);
work of operators for roasting, calibrating and packaging the product for 1 package of seeds - 0.36 rubles;
costs for electricity, rent and gas - 0.69 rubles;
costs for public utilities(electricity, gas, water) – 0.03 rubles (for 1 pack of seeds).

Thus, the cost of a package of roasted seeds will be: 1. 10 +0.3+ 0.36+ 0.69= 2.45 rubles.

The declared equipment has the ability to fry and pack 1800 bags of 50g each per shift (90 kg).

Thus, in 22 working days the monthly output will be 39,600 packages of the finished product (1 ton 980 kg).

The retail price of one package is 16 rubles -20% (VAT) = 12.80 rubles.

Thus, the income from 1 bag will be equal to: 12.80 – 2.45 = 10.35 rubles. Revenue for the sale of roasted seeds per month will be: 10.35 rubles. x 39,600 pcs. = 409,860 rubles.

Total costs for monthly production are 97,020 rubles (2.45 rubles x 39,600 rubles). Gross annual profit (revenue - cost - equipment costs) = 409,860 rubles. –97,020 rub. – 110,000 rub. = 202,840 rub.

Profit after tax (15%) – 172,414 rubles (net profit).

The profitability ratio (net profit/revenue) will be 85%. Thus, subject to 100% sales of products and the absence of unplanned costs, the equipment will pay for itself in the first month, bringing profit 172,414 rubles.

Deciding on sales channels

Better stimulation of consumer demand- this is the application of an innovative idea that will be a distinctive feature from competitors. For example, you can put a folding bag for husks or some kind of flavor (with the taste of bacon, cheese, etc.) in the package. If desired, the consumer will be able to open the package and enjoy a familiar product with their favorite flavor.

The good tradition of adding extra product to the packaging has become incredibly popular. People bought dozens of packs in the hope of finding a gold pendant or a large bill. Even an ordinary lollipop inside the package will be a pleasant surprise for people of all ages. Advertising in the media, billboards around the city, etc. require a certain expense item, but they will soon justify themselves with product recognition and a significant expansion of the clientele.

IN Lately A product such as fried sunflower seeds is especially popular, especially among young people. In addition, a certain (and considerable segment) of the market for this kind of snack consists of fried pumpkin and, again, sunflower, but peeled, seeds.

Along with its undoubted usefulness, such products have another advantage: high return on investment and very low cost of production equipment. This fact is known to few, since novice entrepreneurs often ignore this fast-growing market segment, embarrassed by the low selling price of the product.

It is this fact that makes them refuse to open a business for the production of fried seeds, without even studying the issue. In addition, residents of the northern regions of the country often simply do not want to get involved with production based on imported raw materials, fearing inflated prices and supply disruptions.

Thus, the real coverage of needs, i.e. The output volume does not at all correspond to consumer demands. Therefore, fried sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are often imported to regions where these crops do not grow, from afar, and already in the form of finished products, the price of which is “inflated” by intermediaries, transport company and so on.

All of the above makes the production of roasted sunflower seeds (in the original packaging) very profitable business, if, of course, you manage the funds invested in it wisely.

Requirements for production and warehouse premises and personnel of a sunflower seed roasting business

Production room for the business of roasting sunflower seeds is no different from the premises for the production of any other food products- it is only enough that it complies with sanitary and construction standards and regulations. Taking into account the type of equipment - electric frying oven or gas - fire safety measures must also be adjusted.

By and large, it is believed that an electric oven is more expensive to operate, but a gas oven requires additional investments at the starting stage ( project documentation for gas equipment; installation of an additional fire shield, etc. - in most regions, gas equipment also requires a separate room).

Ultimately, the choice is made in favor of the type of stove that matches the equipment of the room - i.e. If the room is not equipped with a gas pipe, it makes no sense to install it on purpose if the production volume is small.

Warehouse space It is advisable to equip it with additional options against mice and rats - a concrete floor, an iron door that closes tightly, etc., as well as birds that can fly into the windows (if any) or penetrate through a poorly covered roof.

There are also no special requirements for personnel: the presence or absence of a technologist in such a primitive, by and large, production will not in any way affect the quality of the products; ordinary workers will be considered unskilled, and accordingly, there is no need to talk about large labor costs.

Production and additional equipment for the production of roasted sunflower seeds

The main apparatus will, of course, be a roaster. There are several types of fryers: gas, electric, or microwave ovens (they are also powered, of course, by electricity, but differ fundamentally in the method of frying). The latter are quite rare and are made only to order.

Microwave ovens, being perhaps the most promising roasting method, should not be purchased only for the production of sunflower seeds - except as additional equipment when expanding production (see the section on business prospects).

According to the scheme for roasting sunflower seeds, a distinction is made between periodic loading and unloading ovens (i.e., each roasting cycle involves manual loading and unloading of seeds) and walk-through ovens (automated – on one side of the frying drum, raw seeds are supplied, on the other, fried seeds are unloaded).

As you might guess, pass-through ovens primarily eliminate the notorious human factor and can be built into a fully automatic line for the production of fried and packaged sunflower seeds. However, even large manufacturers are more willing to buy several dozen non-passable roasters.

Of course, the point here is not at all the price of the equipment: for large production volumes, an automated line is, of course, much more profitable. In this case, the consumer principle applies: “simplicity is a guarantee of reliability.”

The fact is that non-pass ovens allow you to control the roasting process manually; you can turn them off at any time and, for example, fix some problem, etc. Of course, for the start of production, for the moment of opening own business Cheap, no-pass furnaces (especially gas ones) that do not require qualified personnel are much more profitable.

Second, both in importance and cost, is packaging equipment. The packaging for sunflower seeds is a polypropylene bag (capacity from 50 to 300-500 g), welded from polypropylene tape with two horizontal “euro-seams” and one vertical overlap.

Polypropylene tapes can be metallized (opaque, with a mirrored inner surface) or transparent (this packaging is 2 times cheaper than the first).

The mini-line for frying and packaging fried seeds consists of a semi-automatic packaging machine and an electric (or gas) oven.

Its cost is € 2600 (less than 110 thousand rubles), and its productivity is 30 kg per hour. It occupies up to 10 meters of area (including aisles and an area for unloading under boxes or boxes on a pallet).

As you can see, the cost of the line is quite low. Based on the workshop area and financial capabilities, production can be equipped with any number of mini-lines.

The installation and list of additional equipment is determined by the type of raw materials that will be used and your ability to expand your business. Regarding raw materials: if you use sunflower heads, you will need a special crusher to extract the seeds (grain cleaning machine - approximately 320 thousand rubles or vibrating pneumatic table - approximately 180 thousand rubles).

In addition, sometimes before frying, sunflower seeds are washed in special baths, and after frying, they are passed through a cleaner-cooler, consisting of a rotating sieve with a fine mesh and simply sifts out black dust and ash deposits from the roasted seeds. See below for information about the extension.

Further prospects for business development

As mentioned above, ovens used for roasting sunflower seeds can (after appropriate one-time reconfiguration) also be used for roasting pumpkin seeds, peanuts, coffee beans, etc.

In addition, by purchasing separate equipment for cleaning, peeling and separating sunflower seeds (about 670 thousand rubles), you can sell sunflower kernels, which also have their own demand.

In general, there are a lot of development options: this includes the production of feed cake, flour, oil, drying oil, margarine, kozinaki, halva and much more, right up to biofuel from husks.

Video about the process of producing packaged roasted sunflower seeds

Over the past couple of years, we have been experiencing a boom in sales of bagged seeds. If 5 years ago you could only buy 200 grams of seeds from street vendors, now in every supermarket, shop or kiosk you can find a multi-colored bag with the coveted inscription.

Moreover, there are these bags for different tastes: white, yellow, black, transparent, 100 grams, 200, 500 - choose whatever you like. And what’s surprising is that, despite such an abundant supply, demand does not fall: the bags sell out with enviable consistency, and in return, like mushrooms after rain, new manufacturers and new packaging appear.

Seeing such a stir, only the lazy did not think about starting the production of packaged roasted sunflower seeds. But how to fry it on an industrial scale? In fact, everything is quite simple.

Methods for frying seeds

The seeds are fried in special frying ovens, which come in two types: periodic loading and continuous loading. Accordingly, there are only two ways to fry seeds. Some, however, also consider heating options for frying ovens, such as gas, electric heating elements or microwave, as frying methods. But, in our opinion, these are just heating options, perhaps affecting the frying speed and its economy, but not the method of obtaining the finished product.

Periodic loading of seeds

This method involves frying the seeds according to the frying pan principle, i.e. poured it into the oven, stirred it, fried it, tasted it, poured it out of the oven. Naturally, this method of frying seeds, as in the situation with a household frying pan, requires maximum human participation. The operator must pour the seed into the oven, which is usually several tens of kilograms or a couple of bags, constantly monitor the process of frying the seeds, tasting it, and, having achieved the desired quality, pour the seed out of the oven. If a person lets his guard down, the entire loaded batch of product can be ruined.

The human factor is the key disadvantage of batch loading. The advantages include the low cost of the frying oven due to the simplicity of its design. Actually, thanks to their low cost, batch-feed frying ovens retain their popularity - the consumer principle works: “simple, cheap, reliable.”

Pass-through method of frying seeds

The second method of frying seeds minimizes human participation in the frying process. The seeds are roasted in a special drum, on one side of which the original product is fed, and on the other, the finished product is poured out. The seed essentially “passes” through the drum, frying along the way, which is why the oven and method are called pass-through.

Used in equipment:

Electric frying oven PZhP-70
. Automated line for frying and packaging seeds ALZHUS-70

In this case, the operator is required to only set operating parameters one-time (product feed rate and frying temperature) and in the future the oven can independently continue frying the seeds. The human factor does not play such an important role as in periodic loading - the quality of frying is guaranteed not by the attentiveness of the operator, but by the consistency of the process.

But such obvious advantages are compensated by the price: continuous-type furnaces are much more expensive than batch furnaces.

Our choice

After a long time weighing all the pros and cons, we ultimately decided on the pass-through method - and for about 5 years now we have been producing exclusively electric feed-through ovens. We also recommend that our clients, despite the price, give preference to continuous-type ovens. What caused this decision?

Roasting speed of seeds. In batch ovens, the average speed of frying seeds is about 20-25 minutes, while in continuous-type ovens it is only 10. In addition to the banal productivity, the increased speed of frying seeds has a number of other advantages. Firstly, 20 minutes in the oven is no longer frying, but rather drying. As the seed dries out, like any other product, it loses its taste. This does not happen in continuous ovens and the seeds are actually fried, maintaining optimal taste. Secondly, 20 minutes of being in a hot environment leads to charring of the outer cover of the seed and the formation of ash, which then, when the seed spills out, stains everything it touches: hands, clothes, packaging. Moreover, it gets so dirty that it is sometimes quite difficult to get rid of black spots. In a continuous oven, the seed does not have time to char.
Stability of quality. The notorious human factor in batch furnaces leads to the fact that simple inattention, fatigue or poor health of the operator leads to damage to a significant amount of the product. Anything put into the oven may either be undercooked or overcooked. Therefore, the operator is forced to constantly taste the product and monitor its stirring and uniform frying. In continuous-type furnaces, the influence human factor minimized - the seed passes the drum at a given speed. The operator only needs to set the necessary parameters once to constantly receive an equally fried product, without the risk of spoilage.
Cooling problem. Anyone who has ever fried sunflower seeds in a frying pan at home knows very well that this product has the ability to “cook.” Those. continue to fry even when removed from the pan. To stop this process, the seed is cooled, usually by laying it out in a thin layer on a flat surface (table), where air circulation extinguishes the roasting process. If you neglect this point and simply pour the seed into a pile, you are guaranteed to get a burnt product. Now imagine roasting several bags of sunflower seeds in a batch oven. When all this mass is ready, it needs to be poured out and cooled. Moreover, cool everything at once, not allowing it to remain in the general mass. And at this time you still need to pour a new portion into the oven (after all, the oven is working) and control its frying. In continuous ovens the situation is simpler: the seeds are not poured out in large volumes, but rather in small quantities. constant flow, so to speak, a “thin stream”, and therefore cooling it is not difficult.
Versatility. Pass-through ovens, due to the ability to independently support the frying process, seeds can be easily integrated into automated lines for frying and packaging seeds. These lines are capable, in the absence of direct human intervention, to provide a full cycle of packaging roasted seeds: from receiving the raw material (calibrated seeds) to issuing individually packaged portions. For batch furnaces, the question of inclusion in the line does not even arise: a significant proportion of manual labor makes it simply pointless. Thus, continuous-type frying ovens are more versatile than batch ovens and can function both independently and as part of production lines.

Used in equipment:

The above factors, in our opinion, are significant enough to justify the price of continuous furnaces and give preference to them. Moreover, having created our first line for frying seeds in 2006, we decided that the design of continuous ovens was not entirely optimal and worked for several years to modernize it.

Our innovations

Realizing that we can compete with cheap batch furnaces only through clear superiority in quality and performance, we persistently tried, and are still trying, to improve the efficiency of the continuous furnace. As of the current moment, we can add to our credit the following achievements in this field.

The design of the frying drum and heating elements has been changed, resulting in reduced frying time (less than 10 minutes) and increased efficiency. This made it possible not only to increase productivity to 70 kg per hour, but also to obtain the most optimal taste of the fried seeds. We can say that we have found the only case when, as productivity increases, quality does not fall, but rather strives for perfection.
Effective thermal insulation of the internal space of the drum is organized, which reduces heat loss and reduces energy costs. In other words, we are gradually moving towards a highly effective but economical product.
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) has been introduced into the standard equipment of the frying oven, the task of which is not only to equalize the “jumping” voltage of the electrical networks, but also to prevent the seeds from burning when the power supply is cut off. Those. in the event of a power failure, the UPS ensures the operation of the drum's electric drive and allows the seed poured into the drum to finish frying due to the residual heat and spill out of it.
A frequency regulator has been added to the design, allowing the operator to regulate the drum rotation speed and, accordingly, the seed frying time. This point is important when using raw materials of different humidity or changing the product being fried: for more humid (dense) ones, you can increase the frying time, and for less humid ones, reduce it. Thus, we, in fact, made the oven even more versatile.
Created Feedback according to the voltage of the vibrating feeder that supplies the seed to the drum, which is why it maintains a stable vibration amplitude during any “jumps” in voltage. The seed will always be supplied in the same and uniform flow. In our opinion, this is especially true for manufacturers located outside large cities.

But, probably, the most important thing is that when modernizing the furnace, we are constantly working to simplify its design, eliminate unnecessary elements and optimize the manufacture of parts. Thanks to this, we can afford to keep stove prices at least a third lower than our competitors. And this despite the fact that the advantages listed above are included as standard, while competitors, at best, have some of them installed for an additional fee.

And lastly, in the production of frying ovens we are faced with another important point - the more expedient it is to heat the oven.

Electricity or gas?

As mentioned at the beginning of this material, there are at least three ways to heat a frying oven: gas, electric heating element and microwave. The first two are the most common, the third is more exotic than reality (although some consider it quite promising). Accordingly, there are two energy sources suitable for heating the furnace: gas and electricity. Which one to choose and which one will be optimal?

In the race to increase demand, many manufacturers equip their stoves with gas heating, motivating this decision by the consumer’s familiarity with this species energy carrier, its availability and low cost. However, in our opinion, this is not entirely true and trying to get a cheap stove can have negative consequences.

Firstly, gas availability is a relative thing. OK, when production workshops are already equipped with a gas main and the only question is about connecting a separate installation, but if there is no gas supply to the room where the stove is located or gas is supplied for domestic needs, saving loses all meaning. After all, the cost of the furnace is in no way comparable to the cost of the project and the physical connection of the industrial gas main.

Secondly, the price of gas is a variable value and very much depends on various conditions: the political situation, quotes on world markets, exceeding the limit, etc. In this connection, sharp and hardly predictable jumps are possible.

AND, Thirdly, sunflower seeds are a product prone to absorption. The seed, although not strongly, absorbs gas combustion products, which leads to a change in its taste and, perhaps, is not entirely useful for the end consumer. Absorption can be avoided by using a heat exchanger in the design of the furnace, but in this case the cost of the furnace increases greatly and the main advantage is lost - low cost.

Therefore, our ovens are exclusively electric. We do not strive for mythical cheapness and do not incline our clients towards it; it is much more important for us to make a high-quality product that is justified in price. Electricity is supplied to almost every building, and if not, then the cost of connection is significantly lower than that of gas. The price for electricity consumption is more or less stable, and the combustion process, as such, is absent in principle - the seed simply has nothing to absorb.