Pizza problem solved

By pre-grilling and browning prepared slices in Food Point’s food production facility, the packaged slices can now be baked quickly on board the aircraft without burning the bread base. A light crisp texture is achieved in just 15min in the dedicated aircraft ovens; the cheese topping already has a baked, brown appearance prior to cooking.

Heraeus sent an infrared test unit to Dubai for trials. These were so successful, both in melting the cheese and in providing the browning to improve the overall pizza appeal, that a full-scale oven was ordered and retrofitted at the facility. The oven has six, 2.3kW carbon medium wave emitters, with a total power of 13.8kW. It has been designed for a throughput of 1500 pizza slices per hour, and has been coupled up with a state of the art cryogenic freezing system, capable of achieving a -18°C core temperature in 7min straight from the infrared oven.

Steve Carlyon, senior operations manager at Food Point, says: "The infrared oven has helped to ensure the high quality of our food products, right up to point of use. Its introduction into our production line, from pre-production tests to final installation and commissioning has been easy and seamless.”