LGH1590C RFT for the Supply, Installation & Commissioning of Laboratory and Pilot Scale Equipment for Teagasc

Tender description

TEAGASC request the supply, installation and commissioning of (Lot 1) A Pilot Scale Rapid Automatic Cheese Slicer, (Lot 2) A Pilot Scale Rapid Cheese Shredder and (Lot 3) A Laboratory or Pilot Plant Based Texture Analyser including on-site training. This equipment and analysis instrument will be primarily used for qualitative and quantitative determination of the functional characteristics (sliceability, shredablity, stretchablity, etc) of cheeses. Lot 1: (Lot 1) A Pilot Scale Rapid Automatic Cheese Slicer Lot 1 – A Pilot Scale Rapid Automatic Cheese Slicer: This must be a model for slicing cheeses, controlled via a programmable touch screen facilitating rapid sample product changeovers, with a facility to be configured for product width. The system must be easy to clean ensuring hygiene control. The slicer must be able to handle cheeses of various dimensions, examples being 150mm (height) x 250 mm (width) and 800 (length), and must be able to facilitate a varying product slice thickness, examples being from 0.5 mm to 50 mm. Lot 2: (Lot 2) A Pilot Scale Rapid Cheese Shredder Lot 2 – A Pilot Scale Rapid Cheese Shredder: This must be a model for shredding cheeses and easily controlled facilitating rapid sample product changeovers. The system must be easy to clean ensuring hygiene control. Although not limited to the principal of centrifugal shredding, it must be capable of producing shreds of varying length with the potential for flexibility in cuts and shapes. It must be capable of shredding various cheese types including Cheddar, continental and Mozzarella cheese types. Lot 3: (Lot 3) A Laboratory or Pilot Plant Based Texture Analyser Lot 3 – A Laboratory of Plant Based Texture Analyser: This must be capable of measuring the physical product characteristics of cheeses such as hardness, fracturability, adhesiveness, gel strength and extensibility. It must be able to measure both compression (hardness, fracture stress, fracture strain) and tension (in particular stretchability and stringiness) characteristics of unmelted or molten cheeses with specific applications in the suitability of cheeses under melt in pizza applications. It must also offer the facility to measure the firmness of cheese blocks using a cutting wire, the force used to fracture cheese, and an ability to undertake an assessment of suitability of cheeses for grating.