International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

In commercial kitchens, deep fryers are essential for frying various foods, particularly frozen products. These appliances, available in multiple models and capacities, typically use gas or electricity and utilize significant amounts of cooking oil. For instance, a standard commercial deep fryer may have a cooking chamber with a capacity of 22 liters of oil. However, over time and with repeated use, the quality of the cooking oil deteriorates, leading to the formation of waste oil. This waste oil affects the quality of fried foods and presents significant environmental challenges. The improper disposal of waste oil contributes to environmental pollution, necessitating businesses’ careful management and disposal. In response to these concerns, our research and development (R&D) efforts have focused on designing and developing a novel eco-friendly commercial deep fryer with an integrated filter system. Unlike existing models in our product range, this innovative deep fryer is designed to achieve energy savings and reduce the amount of waste oil produced. Specifically, the new deep fryer has demonstrated energy savings of at least 25% compared to our current models. Additionally, this fryer can operate using alternative solid oil, offering further flexibility and sustainability in commercial kitchen operations.

Commercial kitchen products have a larger capacity than household products and are required to withstand harsh conditions because they are used more intensively. In addition, commercial refrigerators, among these products, are critical for the long-term preservation of food and beverages for many commercial businesses. Commercial refrigerators are generally expected to provide operating conditions between -2ºC and +8ºC. Variations in cooling conditions are observed due to the intensive use of commercial refrigerators in businesses (refrigerator doors being opened too much, irregular placement of different food products, etc.). Therefore, this situation does not allow the commercial refrigerator to be used efficiently. It can also cause food waste. It was first evaluated on a vertical commercial refrigerator using mathematical modeling to eliminate these drawbacks. This study aimed to obtain data to provide the most suitable cooling conditions by evaluating the temperature and air circulation at different points of the vertical commercial refrigerator through simulation studies.

With the developing food industry applications, the use of gastronorm containers is also increasing rapidly. It is widely used to transport, cook, preserve and serve gastronorm containers and food products. In line with international standards (EN 631-1, EN 631-2, etc.), the production process becomes more complex as the depth of gastronorm containers increases (from 20 mm to 200 mm / 6 different depths) and the process steps increase. Due to the errors arising from the process stages, there is an increase in the number of rejects, and thus energy efficiency is adversely affected. An automatic pressure balancing system design has been developed in accordance with the workflow in gastronorm container manufacturing with deep drawing technology. Providing the elimination of excess pressure steps and heat treatment needed in deep gastronorm containers (sizes and depths respectively: 1/2 200 mm, 1/3 150 mm, 1/3 200 mm, etc.), as well as the unique design of the integrated deburring machine, a significant innovation with industry 4.0 application has been imparted. Thus, in addition to the increase in product quality, it contributed to reducing unit costs by reducing high waste rates below 5%.

In recent years, the problem of food safety and traceability has been one of the difficulties faced by restaurant and hotel businesses. Food spoilage can occur at any stage of the food chain; most of all food spoilage is due to improper storage conditions in refrigerators. Increasing attention to food quality and safety requires the development of sensitive and reliable analysis methods as well as innovative technologies for maintaining freshness and food quality. Freshness is a factor that has both health qualities and features that affect customer satisfaction and business profitability. Within the scope of this study, simulation studies were carried out to improve the cooling performance with mathematical modeling on a horizontal commercial refrigerator (operating temperature: -2/+8°C) prototype. Along with the original design, evaluations were made with mathematical modeling according to many different variables (temperature, airflow distribution, etc.) that affect the cooling performance, and R&D gains were achieved in developing the prototype according to the most suitable working conditions.

Cookware is one of the indispensable equipment for commercial kitchens. The very large size of commercial cookware (up to Ø1200 mm) requires precision manufacturing processes. In our current manufacturing process, the fact that different processing stations are separate from each other and the processing stages are dependent on the workers, carrying risks in terms of occupational safety (cutting with scissors, grinding, etc.), prevents the product from being obtained with high processing quality and causes high wastage rates arising from the manufacturing process. In addition, it creates negative effects in terms of efficient use of energy and production time, causing an increase in unit costs. Within the scope of this study, the design and prototype production of an energy-efficient and work-safe innovative processing system for commercial cookware, based on R&D systematic studies, is carried out by international standards (EN ISO 12100, EN 614-1, EN 12983-1, etc.) and the results of our current manufacturing process. As a result of this research, occupational safety risks and excessive process steps are reduced, product quality and efficiency are increased, and thus production costs and energy efficiency are increased. Results are promising for further optimization.

Commercial dishwashers are among the most important products for commercial kitchen personnel as they clean dirty products (plates, glasses, cutlery, etc.) in a short time (between 1 and 4 minutes according to the program). In recent years, customers’ demands for energy-saving products have been increasing. Therefore, instead of using the electrical energy to be obtained after the combustion of natural gas in power plants, the use of direct natural gas in a commercial dishwasher contributes to reducing the carbon footprint. In this study, the original design studies of the combustion system of the innovative commercial dishwasher prototype using water heated with gas were carried out. For the first time in our country, the system that enables the heating of water with gas was designed as a module other than the existing commercial dishwasher. An independent combustion system has been developed to provide easy use to other commercial dishwashers on the market. Simulation studies have been used effectively in the design verification phase in order to provide the most efficient combustion conditions for different gases (natural gas and LPG) in the original designed combustion system. Combustion analyses were carried out by parametric study for different operating conditions. In the innovative commercial dishwasher prototype that uses water heated with gas, optimum temperature values have been obtained for effective washing at the water inlet and water outlet points of the uniquely designed combustion system. As a result of the tests and evaluations, the most effective working range of the innovative prototype was determined.

Commercial kitchen cookers are widely used in various capacities and fuels (natural gas, LPG, etc.). Depending on the decrease in fossil resources and the increase in energy needs, several researches in alternative fuels have been accelerated. Especially in recent years, R&D studies and investments in renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources (solar, wind, biomass etc.) have increased. In line with the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (Directive 2018/2001/EU), it is aimed to use at least 32% renewable energy sources by 2030. Significant R&D gains have been achieved with the cooperation of industry-university in order to use hydrogen as clean energy as an environmentally friendly alternative energy source for commercial kitchens. In this work, we developed an environmentally friendly commercial kitchen cooker prototype using hydrogen with a uniquely designed burner has been achieved. Results show that using hydrogen in commercial kitchens is promising if hydrogen safety is locally possible.

Commercial dishwashers in different performance classes are used in all industrial kitchens. In contrast to existing commercial dishwashers, there is an increasing demand for products that use drying technology to meet customer wishes and needs. Various household dishwashers having zeolite mineral during drying prevents water droplets and detergent stains (including surfaces of plastic containers) on the surfaces of dishes and rinsing of sensitive products (crystal glass glasses, etc.). By pointing out that they prevent excess steam from spreading when opened, they highlight these products as environmentally friendly and value-adding compared to conventional household products. In this work, we developed a new commercial dishwasher prototype using a mineral in the drying process. Technical simulations and experiments are used during the development of our innovative prototype with a drying system using a mineral that stores moisture and converts it into thermal energy. This is the first prototype in commercial dishwashers with its innovative drying system.

Blood storage refrigerators are one of the indispensable products of the medical sector. Blood storage refrigerators are produced in various capacities and per different blood components. Although there are commercial refrigerators with various features among our company’s products, we do not have a blood storage refrigerator for the medical sector. Although there are a few companies that manufacture blood storage cabinets in our country, there is no company that fulfills high-security requirements per the ATEX Directive (2014/34/EU). In the field of an industrial kitchen, our various international competitors develop blood storage refrigerators and offer them to the market as a product with high added value compared to industrial refrigerators. Innovative blood storage refrigerator, which meets the safety requirements by the ATEX Directive for the first time in our country with studies based on R&D systematics, is a prototype that can compete and commercialize with international products in the medical field, after testing and evaluating it with its original design and prototype developed.
Our prototype is designed to meet high safety requirements according to the ATEX directive (2014/34/EU). The innovative blood storage refrigerator meets the safety requirements of the ATEX directive. Simulation of the cooling process of the innovative prototype is made together in cooperation with a local university. In contrast to our commercial refrigerators, we meet the refrigeration, hygiene, health, and safety requirements of the original blood storage refrigerator prototype, which meets with all international standards for the medical device sector (EN 60079-0, EN 60079-15, etc.) and ATEX directive (2014/34/EU).

Industrial dishwashers, which are widely used in the field of an industrial kitchen, are among the indispensable products. It stands out with its efforts to reduce water and detergent consumption in industrial dishwashers, and the consumers’ preference for these products is increasing. Our company produces industrial dishwashers in various models and capacities. Unlike our existing products and our competitors’ products, the washing area and the products to be washed are technically detected by the users in R&D studies. An innovative prototype has been designed and developed that contributes to the reduction of detergent consumption. In the industrial kitchen sector, for the first time in our country, variable dish capacity (providing washing specific to various filling capacities) with an innovative smart technology (providing washing only in the filled section with the detection system) that reduces water and detergent consumption in the washing process according to their types (glass/plate, spoon/fork, etc.) is applied to the industrial dishwashers. It has been ensured that the industrial dishwasher prototype is obtained with several new and innovative features compared to the original and existing industrial dishwashers reducing water and detergent consumption. R&D studies have been made by using engineering calculations, simulations, and experiments in cooperation with industry-universities.