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Degassing Phase: a challenging compromise
Particular attention must be paid to the degassing process. Degassing is a natural chemical reaction that happens inside the beans once roasted and ground. Preventing package inflation and avoiding oxidation are the main factors that have led to the spread of degassing technologies over recent years, especially in the single-serve market.
Depending on the room temperature, on roasting parameters, granulometry and the pressure of the coffee inside the storage silos, degassing time can range from 4 to 48 hours.
Production requirements mean degassing time must be reduced to as little as possible, without any aroma loss. The technologies used to accelerate degassing times make it possible to reduce the time, while still preserving the quality of the product.
There is no single answer to identify the degassing level to be adopted to suit every different customer. In fact, several parameters that affect the degassing process must be considered, and this requires specific analysis of coffee-to-consumers production and distribution. This analysis means you can find the perfect degassing time for a certain application, depending on the specific needs of the extractions. Every case needs its own analysis, but some common strategies are applied as a rule.
IMA Coffee Petroncini has developed systems capable of accelerating the degassing time with a nitrogen (N2) injection, in a deep vacuum environment at -800 mbar, thus controlling the temperature. The recirculation of the product used in the new Petroncini degassing system enables the ground coffee to homogeneously make contact with the N2, so as to speed up the degassing process itself and keep the product temperature homogeneous in the silo.
CO-Tube
Next-generation Degassing System
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CO-Tube
Evolutionary Process
IMA Coffee Petroncini has designed CO-Tube: a step ahead in degassing technology.
Zero Oxygen Inside the Circuit
CO-Tube is a system capable of accelerating the degassing time with a nitrogen (N2) injection, in a deep vacuum environment at -800 mbar, thus controlling the process temperature. A closed-handling system almost allows zero-oxygen process conditions making it unique on the market. The oxygen does not enter in contact with the product, so as to guarantee the maximum aroma preservation with a significant impact on the product shelf-life.
Degassing time reduction
As a result of the closed-circuit adopted, CO-Tube is the only system available on the market today able to partially recover the nitrogen needed during the process. A nitrogen closed circuit reduces the quantity of nitrogen dispersed in the environment with significant savings in terms of inert gas to be added to continue the process, so as to have a nearly-free-from-gas working area and environment as a consequence.
Maximum aroma and shelf-life preservation
The recirculation of the product is another innovation of CO-Tube, compared to other existing systems. It enables the ground coffee to homogeneously make contact with the nitrogen from the top to bottom of the silo, keeping the product homogeneous in the silo. The recirculation the coffee is done by controlling the gas temperature, avoiding product overheating. This process results in a further acceleration of the degassing time.
Superior consistency of the product
ExtraMAX
A superior consistency of the product completes the CoTube advantages. The final high-quality product is guaranteed by piping and extraction systems designed to ensure the particles distribution preservation, which is a key factor to ensure that the capsule produces a quality brew. ExtraMAX, the flat extraction system, has been especially designed for Espresso and Moka coffee, avoiding product demixing and agglomeration. Thanks to the gentle extraction of the coffee, ExtraMAX guarantees a long life to the silo components.
Perfect Process Control
Furthermore, the specific process engineering enables the temperature control of the inert gas so as to maintain the temperature stable inside the system, despite the environmental temperature. As a result of the gas temperature modulation, it is possible to customise the degassing times, recipe by recipe.
Perfectly Integrated
CO-Tube can be tailored in size and configuration according to the production plant and to the packaging machines’ speed. IMA Coffee processing and packaging solutions can be perfectly integrated resulting in the best choice for the coffee plant a roaster can dream of. Working together on developing the ideal configuration enables IMA Coffee to adapt key features according to specific customer needs, leading to no less than a tailor-made solution. Ultimately the goal is to provide all the answers needed to create an integrated processing and packaging line which will maximise production efficiency, performance and achieve the required product quality.