KMC builds new state-of-the-art spray tower for potato based starches

Early 2014, KMC started operating its new spray tower. 

When applying the spray cooking technology on native or modified starch, you pre-cook the starch and make it cold soluble. 

Cold swelling starches have been along for decades. Most producers, however, use a drum drying technique. In fact, KMC is the only producer to apply the unique spray cooking technology on potato-based starches.

Spray cooking is unique because of a more gentle treatment compared to its alternatives. This gentle cooking keeps the starch granules intact and maintains their high water binding properties. Therefore, KMC calls this product range High Performance Starches. 

From idea to action

The new spray tower is KMC's second spray tower. They built their first tower in 2003 and ten years later as KMC started to face capacity shortages, the idea to build a new tower was quickly transformed from idea to project. "Being a cooperative, our owners are also our main suppliers," explains CEO Nicolai Hansen, "and this structure gives us the benefits of a very quick decision process."

After project approval in January 2013, the project team worked fast and efficiently and the construction of the new tower started in April 2013. Eight months later it was ready for test trials. "We knew precisely how we wanted to design the new tower as we had 10 years of experience with our existing tower," says project leader and technical director Jesper M. Jensen, "You may say that the new tower is a simplified version of the first one – taking all the good things from the original project and modernizing it where needed". The new tower is thus very similar to the first tower, which makes it possible to produce all products from the existing product range at identical quality. "In the packaging section the new equipment has been prepared for a pressure cabin", Jesper Jensen points out as an example of an improvement compared to the first tower. "This allows us to produce products that meet stricter microbial requirements than those known for standard food starches".

The operation of a spray tower requires profound knowledge and the operators at KMC have built up this knowledge over the past ten years. Now they understand precisely how to select the right settings and how to adjust them. KMC's operation team has worked closely with local smiths to develop several components specifically for this purpose. You may say that the two towers are both "one of a kind" in the world. 

A unique technology resulting in High Performance Starches

In short, this unique technology combines cooking, pre-gelatinization and drying into one continuous process. The spray cooking technology is optimal as it reduces the time of heat exposure and damages on the granules are therefore minimal. 

At KMC, the primary raw material is potatoes and potato starch is renowned for having the highest viscosity performance among the commonly used starch types. Applying this gentle and unique spray cooking process on potato-based starches, KMC is able to produce a starch with absolute maximum water retention capacity.

Or put differently, with the spray cooking process it is possible to maintain the same water binding and texturizing properties in both cook up starch and its equivalent cold water swelling starch. Due to this particular feature, KMC has designated its range of ColdSwell "the all temperature starch". Because of their high performance, spray cooked starches can typically be dosed 10-15 % lower compared to standard pregelatinized starches. For specific application areas, recommendations go up to 30% dosage reduction.