Hygienic automated bagging line with CIP for dehydrated yeast (powder & flakes)

Customer objectives

As part of its industrial optimization strategy, a dehydrated yeast producer (powder and flakes) sought to significantly reduce the cleaning time required for its bagging line. Previously, two operators had to completely disassemble the line for thorough cleaning on weekends. This process required four hours of labor on Friday and led to 2.5 days of production downtime, representing a substantial loss in output.

The product, highly sensitive to moisture and bacterial growth, necessitated a bagging process meeting pharmaceutical-grade hygiene standards. It also had to be packaged immediately after drying with no intermediate storage. Avoiding product retention was critical.

Key technical requirements

• Automated multi-format bagging (10, 15, and 25 kg / 22, 33, and 55 lbs): The line needed to support flexible production with quick format changes without complex manual operations or disassembly, ensuring maximum productivity.
• Bag-in-box cartoning integration: To minimize contamination risk and ensure mechanical protection during shipping and storage, the solution required automatic carton insertion. This also enabled a more hygienic and ergonomic final package, ready for use by industrial clients.
• Preservation of yeast flake texture: As the product is fragile, the packaging system needed to prevent compaction and heating. The filling had to be gentle, controlled, and avoid free fall, preserving the physical integrity of the flakes while maintaining proper density.
• Complete Clean-in-Place (CIP) system: A fully automated washing circuit including pre-rinse, alkaline/acid wash, and hot air drying was required. The goal was fast production restart within ≤ 4 hours, with no residual moisture or cross-contamination.
• High containment level: To prevent powder dispersion, protect operators, and maintain strict hygiene, the system needed containment features at each step (sealing sleeves, enclosed filling zone, source dust collection), reducing dust emissions and complying with health and safety regulations.
• Centralized control and integrated traceability: The entire line had to be automated and managed through an ergonomic HMI, capable of handling product recipes, CIP cycles, data logging, maintenance alerts, and quality settings.

Proposed solution by Palamatic Process

Palamatic Process designed and installed a 100% hygienic automated bagging line, directly connected to the outlet of the drying system. This layout ensured immediate packaging without intermediate storage, preserving the yeast's physical properties, especially the low hygroscopicity of flakes.

The system uses bottom-up filling technology tailored to fragile powders. The bags are filled from the bottom, following the product level, eliminating free fall and reducing dust and flake breakage. The bagging station includes a deaeration and progressive compaction device for uniform filling, excellent bag shape retention, and optimized volume.

The bagger supports three formats (10, 15, 25 kg / 22, 33, 55 lbs) with quick changeover and no mechanical disassembly. To enable bag-in-box packaging, an elevating conveyor was integrated. This module automatically adjusts height based on the configuration, enabling controlled bag placement inside the box without drop or distortion, while ensuring full batch traceability.

The entire system is built for stringent hygienic environments. Fifteen CIP nozzles are positioned at critical points to clean the entire station automatically. These nozzles work with a closed-loop drying unit with filtered hot air, allowing production to resume just four hours after cleaning, eliminating residual moisture that promotes bacterial growth.

The system is operated via an ergonomic HMI with visual access to CIP cycles, product/bag recipes, production data, and compatibility with the client’s quality protocols.

Palamatic Process equipment and benefits

Bottom-up progressive filling system

The bottom-up filling system ensures clean, accurate filling with no product damage. The bag is filled from the bottom as the product level rises, preventing free fall, reducing dust, and preserving particle integrity.

Filling speed is automatically adjusted based on bag size (10, 15, or 25 kg / 22, 33, or 55 lbs), ensuring optimal throughput. The process offers ±20 g (0.7 oz) dosing accuracy, maintaining consistency, quality, and minimal waste.

Deaeration and compaction system

The filling station includes two micro-perforated lances inserted into the product core, connected to a high-efficiency vacuum generator that removes air during filling.

This ensures uniform product density and structural integrity, especially critical for fragile flakes. Deaeration also improves transport stability by preventing air pockets and bag deformation.

Elevating conveyor for bag-in-box packaging

This integrated conveyor is central to the secondary packaging process, providing a clean transition from filling to carton placement across various bag sizes.

• Auto-adjusting drop height: The motorized conveyor adjusts its vertical height in real-time based on bag size (10, 15, or 25 kg / 22, 33, or 55 lbs) and carton height. This automatic positioning ensures optimal ergonomics and seamless adaptation to on-site secondary packaging formats.
• Controlled drop with no deformation: Filled bags are directed through a vertical funnel into the carton, avoiding free fall. This preserves the bag shape, prevents sagging or damage, and ensures a clean, safe presentation inside the box. Carton presence is automatically detected to avoid errors.
• Dual mode operation: Supports both bag-in-box and direct bagging formats for maximum flexibility.

Clean-in-Place (CIP) unit

The line includes a fully automated CIP system with fixed nozzles across all critical zones. The cleaning cycle includes pre-rinse, alkaline wash, acid rinse, and filtered hot air drying (0.01 µm / 0.0004 in). A 122°F (50 °C) blower enables full production restart just four hours after cleaning, with no residual moisture.

High-precision vertical screw dosing system

The vertical dosing screw with agitator provides precise, consistent feed for both fine powder and flake yeast. Its design prevents compaction and ensures reliable flow, even when residual moisture is present.

The screw assembly is fully removable, allowing for easy visual inspection, cleaning, and maintenance without compromising production speed.

Detection, quality control and automation

The line includes multiple inline quality control devices to ensure full process compliance:

• High-sensitivity metal detector
• Dynamic checkweigher for continuous weight verification
• Industrial labeler for lot identification
• Automatic reject conveyor for non-conforming products

These features provide complete traceability, enhanced food safety, and controlled quality parameters for each production cycle.

Full integrated system

The system is managed via a PLC connected to an OPC/UA interface, ensuring seamless integration into Industry 4.0-compliant supervisory control systems.
All exposed components are rated IP69K, enabling robust, durable performance and maximum hygiene in high-pressure washdown environments.