Causes of Coating Failure
Abrasion
Mechanical abrasion from equipment or practices in your bakery may wear through the AMERICOAT® Plus coating. Although AMERICOAT® Plus was designed to withstand the typical conditions of a high-volume bakery and is resistant to abrasion, care must still be taken to prevent unnecessary abrasion from wearing the coating prematurely.
SHOW HOW TO PREVENT DAMAGE FROM ABRASION
Preventing Damage from Abrasion
Brushes – Cleaning brushes should be soft and adjusted so they do not ride too close to the surface of the pan to avoid marring the coating.
De-Panners – Adjust the de-panner to lift the product out of the mould as straight as possible. Ensure that the de-panner head and pan conveyer are traveling at the same speed.
Excessive Air Pressure – When the air pressure is too high, it can blast seeds, crumbs and cornmeal into the pan surface. This will cause the coating to wear prematurely.
Pan Indexers – Adjust the indexing fingers to prevent scratching the coated surface. Padding the fingers with Teflon® or rubber will help reduce friction and wear.
Stacking – Avoid dropping pans at an angle to minimize scraping the coating on the inside of the pans. Use extra care when using a pan as a cover for pans in storage.
Accumulation of Ingredient & Product – Incomplete cleaning allows ingredients and product to gather on the coated surface and will cause a degradation of non-stick properties. Mild brushing with a soft brush, or the vacuuming of food residue, is essential to obtain maximum coating life.
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Excess Moisture & Heat
AMERICOAT® Plus coated pans should not be allowed to sit wet or be exposed to high temperature water or steam for a prolonged period of time. Exposure to too much moisture can cause the release mechanism in the coating to not work properly and cause unwanted sticking, and ultimately, premature failure of the coating.
SHOW HOW TO PREVENT DAMAGE FROM EXCESS MOISTURE & HEAT
Preventing Damage from Excess Moisture & Heat
Proof Boxes – A “wet” proof box can cause the release mechanism in the coating to not work properly. Ensure the humidity settings on your proof box are appropriate for your product, but not too high.
Wet Pans – Pans that are washed or become wet should be dried thoroughly. Never store pans that are still wet, and store pans in a dry location in your bakery.
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