Tempura Nugget Line

Crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside, tempura chicken nuggets are among the favorite convenience food choices around the world. JBT Marel knows the ins and outs of a consistent and high-quality production of tasty, golden-colored nuggets.  

The starting point for the Tempura Nugget Line is the meat mass preparation. Chicken meat and functional ingredients are processed to a workable meat mass, which is chilled. This is done to create the proper viscosity, needed for forming the nugget shape in the RevoPortioner 

Innovative coating process

The coating process begins as usual, by pre-dusting the nuggets in by the Active Flour Applicator to increase pick-up in upcoming coating processes. The flour absorbs water, creating a fluffy layer around the nugget. The nuggets now go through a heat treatment process. In the oven, a steam environment is created, which ensures that the nuggets cook steadily and quickly to a safe temperature. The steam also benefits the quality of coating.

Now the nuggets are ready to run through the final coating process. A second Active Flour Applicator applies another layer of flour to create an adhesive layer between the product from the oven and the wet tempura. The dry coated nuggets enter the Active Tempura Applicator where they are dipped into tempura (a thick batter with leavening agents, producing CO2 when fried), acquiring their typical appearance. Excess tempura is removed leaving just the right amount of coating.

Restaurants and supermarkets

As the nuggets are freshly coated and already fully cooked, they're ready to be par-fried in the GoldFryer. Immersion in frying oil is for fixating the tempura layer only. Here, teflon strips prevent nuggets from sticking to the conveyor belt. 

Finally, the tempura nuggets are frozen and packed, to be sold in restaurants or supermarkets. The final frying is done just before eating at home or in a QSR restaurant.

The dedicated JBT Marel Food Processing Software functionality for convenience lines benefits the Tempura nugget line too. It includes several useful tools for convenience lines. A real differentiator is that product data, equipment data and process data are gathered for use in a process analysis tool. This helps the operator/manager make smart decisions and prevent products from going out of spec.

The JBT Marel Software QC solution automates quality control procedures. This digitalization prevents operators from making mistakes and creates a paperless working environment. The Line Profiler tool is particularly useful for a convenience line. It configures the required line set-up per master recipe and with the single click of a button can send the programmed settings for this specific configuration to the machines.

• Real-time data analysis ensures production to specification
• Continuous OEE insight to improve the production process
• Recipe management ensures product consistency
• Reliable, digitized QC process

Your trusted service partner throughout the equipment lifecycle - maximizing uptime, optimizing performance, controlling costs and delivering lasting peace of mind. The benefit of well-maintained equipment directly impacts your bottom-line. It prevents unexpected breakdowns, enables peak performance and quality output. It also extends the life of your equipment, protecting both your investment and your team with a more reliable and safe working environment.

Whatever your processing needs - from the products you run to the scale you operate in - our broad service capabilities, proactive service agreements, expert know-how and extensive coverage mean you’ve got the support you need – where and when you need it.