Success Stories: Thermal Treatment of Meat with Scraped Surface Heat Exchangers

How to optimize meat cooling for pet food production?

In 2019, a major French company specializing in pet food production contacted us for support in the thermal treatment of meat by-products intended for animal feed processing.
The main goal was to cool four different meat mixes, with varying compositions and densities, using a Hercules H10 scraped surface heat exchanger (www.mbs-europe.com/prodotti/superficie-raschiata/scambiatori-di-calore-a-superficie-raschiata).
The project stemmed from the need to reduce cooling times, optimize energy efficiency, and ensure consistent product quality, even under challenging climatic conditions.

The Challenges of Cooling Industrial Meat By-Products

Tests were carried out on four different types of meat mixes intended for pet food production:
-two soft and moist mixes, characterized by a low bone content;
-two harder and drier mixes, with a higher presence of bones and solid residues.

The goal of the process was to reduce the temperature of the mixes from 18°C to 8°C, while assessing the performance of the Hercules H10 scraped surface heat exchanger under unfavorable climatic conditions.
The tests were conducted in July, between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m., when high ambient temperatures represent a significant challenge for cooling.

As demonstrated in other MBS success stories (www.mbs-europe.com/storie-di-successo-scambiatori-di-calore-a-superficie-raschiata-e-mayo-veg/), the Hercules line, ideal for processing medium- to high-viscosity products—even with suspended particulates—proved to be perfectly suited for handling complex fluids such as minced meat mixes.

Optimizing the Cooling Process in the Pet Food Industry

Thanks to its design, the heat exchanger prevents product burning or sticking to the walls, ensuring consistent and uniform heat transfer even in the most demanding processes.

The results obtained during the tests were extremely positive:
-For soft and moist mixes, the temperature was reduced to 5°C, exceeding the initial expectations.
-For harder and drier mixes, the integration of an inverter was recommended to optimize the blade rotation speed and ensure even more precise process control—without compromising overall efficiency.

The experience confirmed the versatility and reliability of the Hercules H10 heat exchanger, capable of adapting to different operating conditions without affecting product quality.

An Exemplary Case of Innovation for the Pet Food Industry

This project represents a concrete example of MBS Europe’s ability to tailor its systems to specific customer needs, even under extreme working conditions.
The Hercules range, already widely used across various food sectors, once again demonstrates its efficiency in industrial meat cooling and in maintaining the quality of products intended for pet food.
Discover More MBS Europe Success Stories.

Explore our projects in the food and industrial sectors: visit the “Success Stories” section at www.mbs-europe.com/storie-di-successo/