What makes Nutriroast Different?

Thank you for your interest in our Advanced Forced Convection Technology!

Our patented FCCTR Roasters are manufactured by our South African design engineer.

The machine is based on high performance heat transfer combined with a simple working principle.

Heat transfer to the roasted product is the highest on the market. The product is very evenly roasted and this is not easily matched by other technologies.

The working principle and simplicity make it easy to understand and to operate.

FCCTR means: Forced Convection Continuous Tumble Roaster

Working Principle

Forced convection roasting is new in the sense that hot air is forced right through the product, while the product is continuously mixed and moved through the machine.

Electric elements are used to heat the air.

The heated air is continuously re-circulated, resulting in efficient energy usage.

The temperature of the heated air is controlled precisely with an adjustable electronic thermostat.

A perforated rotor with a screw conveyor inside gently conveys the product in the machine while it is exposed to the hot air treatment.

The rotor speed is adjustable to enable the operator to find the exact optimal roasting conditions for his product.

The operator can easily find the optimal temperature and time settings for the required roasting result.

When the optimal speed and temperature is set, the roasting conditions are stable, resulting in continuous precise roasting of each of the particles of the product stream.

The total surface area of each of the particles in process is utilized to transfer heat, resulting in a very evenly roasted product.

The temperature of the hot air is accurately controlled, so particles will not be exposed to extreme hot surfaces. (In fact, the maximum temperature inside the machine will not exceed the set-point of the temperature controller.)

Moisture from the product replaces the hot air inside the machine within 15 minutes from start-up.

This super heated steam (at atmospheric pressure) results in faster and very even heat transfer to the product.

The machine is thermally insulated, resulting in low heat loss and effective usage of energy for processing of the product. The typical running cost is less than 20% of conventional gas fired drum-type roasters at the same capacity.

Most of the machines are equipped with an incubation unit where the product is kept at the outlet temperature to incubate. This is an effective way to cook the products further at the downstream side of the machine and to develop Maillard browning if necessary.

Electrical interruptions does not cause any serious problems. The machine shuts off when a power dip occurs. When the power supply has been corrected, the operator puts the machine on; evaluate the residual temperature; wait for the machine to reach the desired temperature level, and start the rotor, and production carries on.

The machine does not have to be monitored continuously.

It runs in a “steady state” where all parameters are fixed and every particle receives the same treatment.

The machine is safe in handling impurities in the product like stones and even dangerous particles like bolts and nuts.

As soon as the set-point temperature is reached, and the rotor speed is set, the machine can run on its own.

The product must have a very low dust content, for too much small particles will result in smoke and more frequent cleaning.

Our clients range from Dairy Farmers, Grain Farmers, Macadamia Nut Roasting Co., Veterinarians, Industrial Processors, Business People, Suppliers to big chain groups, and Universities, both in South Africa and international.

We are continually improving the performance of the machines and we do intense research on more applications and new products.

This precision roasting technology has already replaced micronizing equipment and extruders for many customers.

It is successfully used commercially for roasting of peanuts, cashew nuts, chickpeas, buckwheat, wheat, flax seed, soy, corn, coriander, groundnuts (blanch, roast in the shell and normal roast), macadamia nuts, oats, caramelizing of dehydrated onions without oil etc.

No oil is needed for nut roasting and a very even roasted product is produced with many health benefits.

Our roasters can also pre-heat sunflower seed before cold-pressing.

No particles are burnt, because the operator has full control of the temperature set-point and thus the maximum temperature inside the machine.

We have initially developed this technology for whole soy beans. Tests have been done at the University of Free State, Eskom and private entities on several grains. They are very excited about the capabilities. Roasting of Soy is very successful, without losing any proteins and vital fiber. The trypsin inhibitor has been destroyed to almost 2mg/g. It deactivates urease activity to negligible levels.

The dust tray is installed to catch small particles that would fall through the screen. It can be cleaned daily if necessary.

Close the dust tray underneath the unit before you start the machine, otherwise the machine will not work.

The continuous roaster is adjustable in two ways :

Temperature and Time.

If you would like to roast the product at a high temperature for a short time, you set the temperature at the set-point and the adjust the speed of the rotor fast to achieve short-time high-temperature roasting.

If you want a low temperature slow roast, you can set the temperature at a the chosen set-point and adjust the rotor speed slow to achieve your desired result.

Lower rotor speed means that the product stays longer inside the machine, and the machine will have a lower capacity and vice versa.

The capacity is adjustable, depending on the degree of roasting, and the thermal treatment of the seed.

The incubation unit (if needed) is a thermal insulated box underneath the roaster outlet. This unit helps to thoroughly after-cook the roasted product. It also makes a big difference in color development in roasted groundnuts (Maillard browning reaction).

The unit is equipped with a cooling section underneath to cool the product down after incubation.

The processed product is automatically discharged by the delivery auger or bucket elevator.

Temperature adjustments

Before starting the machine, make sure all control switches are in the “off” position.

Press the green button and start the Forced Convection Fan. Set the temperature to the desired value.
For most products an ideal starting temperature will be approximately 170°C, but at higher capacities the temperature must be higher for example : 225 °C at 90% capacity for soybeans. Please try to keep the temperature lower than 250 °C

Make sure that the big fan motor is running, because this motor drives the forced convection fan inside the machine (If the motor does not run, press the red button and get an electrician to attend to the machine.)

The temperature will start to rise gradually to the set value. The large red indicator light is on, indicating that the elements are turned on and is adding heat to the air stream inside the machine.

When the set temperature value is reached, the red light will turn off and on, indicating that the elements turn off and on. The electronic thermostat will turn the elements off and on as heat is needed to keep the air temperature at the set level inside the machine.

Rotor speed adjustment

The rotor carries the product through the machine.

The rotor speed is adjustable, so you can roast product fast or slow at a certain temperature.

By playing around with the temperature and speed settings, you can achieve optimal roasting conditions for your product.

Do not adjust the speed while your sample is inside, because you will not know if the initial setting was correct.

The variable speed controller can be adjusted between 0 and 120. This is an indication of the output frequency to the rotor motor. You must use it to see at what speed your product is roasted optimally.

Example :

Say you would like to roast groundnuts.

• Make sure the power supply is on and all switches are in the “off” position
• Close the dust cover under the processing unit.
• Press the green button
• Adjust the temperature to 200 °C
• Turn the rotor on and set the speed reading to 65 Hz
• Wait for the temperature to rise to the set-point.- The red light will turn off if the temperature is reached.
• Put a hand full of peanuts in the intake funnel.
• Start your stopwatch
• Wait for the peanuts to travel through the machine.
• The nuts will fall out within ± 8 minutes.
• Stop your stopwatch when the peanuts start to fall out. – Now you have the time that the product stays inside the machine at a speed setting of 65Hz and temperature of 200°C
• Evaluate the product.
• If it is too dark, it means that the time spent inside the machine was too long. – You must set the rotor faster for a shorter time.
• Set the speed to 70 Hz.
• Repeat the procedure from no.7, until you find the optimal speed setting and roasting time at 200°C.
• Continue to increase or decrease the speed setting to find the optimal roasting time for your product at 200 °C
• You can now do the same procedure for 190°C or 220°C.

Do not put in different size particles in one batch, because the small ones will all be darker and the larger ones lighter. You must have equal sized nuts or seeds if you want to get a proper result.

For a test run, make sure that the temperature set-point is reached and that the rotor is turning at the required speed. Put 5 kg in the inlet hopper.

You have to keep the inlet hopper full. The machine will continuously pull the product in.

Your electrician can re-tighten all the electrical connectors inside the control box after one week’s operation. The screws tend to relax with time and variations in temperature, causing a possibility of hot connections. (It is only necessary to do this once.)

The machine has an external bearing on the rotor drive shaft. This bearing can be greased every fortnight.

The other end of the rotor is supported in a Teflon Ring inside a taper-lock bush that may need replacement after about 2000 hours.

Elements may fail from time to time, but we use elements that has a life expectancy of more than 10 years.

The bearings of the Forced Convection Fan may be replaced after 1500 hours, or when necessary.

The speed reducing gearbox is designed for continuous use and an oil replacement may be necessary after 3000 hours.

The dust trap under the rotor has to be inspected and emptied daily. This must be done more frequently when small particles is not removed from the product prior to roasting.

It is possible to test the degree of roasting of soybeans with an urease test kit from your supplier.

Models are available in 3CR12 Stainless Steel, Grade 304 Stainless Steel (Dairy Grade)and also upon request 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel.

Models range from R50E, R100E, R300E, R500E, R1000E, R2000E, R2500E and can also be manufactured using alternative energy to electricity.