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GEA has announced the launch of the GEA ProCoater, a wet coating machine developed to help food processors achieve more stable batter flow, more consistent coating pick-up and higher line efficiency.
Demand is growing for coated convenience foods as consumers seek crispy textures, visual appeal and new formats in categories such as plant-based and hybrid, GEA noted. However, manufacturers are facing cost pressures and challenges around complex coating recipes, scrutiny over quality and limited access to skilled operators.
The GEA ProCoater aims to address these challenges by enabling precise, repeatable control of batter application across poultry, pork, fish, cheese, plant-based and hybrid food products.
According to GEA, the solution’s patent-pending guided return flow system reduces air entrainment and foam formation by up to 80%. This aims to allow for a more consistent batter flow and more uniform curtain, enabling processors to reduce defects such as voids and white spots, while maintaining coating performance over long production runs and across a wider range of batter viscosities.
Adjustable scrapers are included to deliver fine corrections during operation without stopping the line, while smart air knives deliver even blow-off across the full belt width to support accurate coating weight and uniform appearance.
An optimised infeed transfer is designed to support smooth product entry, while a patent-pending batter retention plate and optional bottom batter layer device ensure full coating coverage on the product bottom side. This also keeps products firmly positioned during coating to prevent floating or drifting, GEA noted.
The ProCoater is available for belt widths of 400, 600 and 1000 mm, allowing for alignment with different line layouts, capacities and product portfolios.
