Sustainability and Energy Efficiency in the Canning Industry: Gaictech’s Value Proposition

In the canning industry, sustainability and energy efficiency are not just goals, but fundamental pillars for long-term profitability and competitiveness. How are these principles integrated into production? In this article, we will explain how Gaictech implements solutions focused on sustainability in our machinery.

Our constant commitment to innovation and the development of cutting-edge technologies drives us to be a leader in offering machinery designed to optimize processes, reduce consumption, and maximize resource utilization throughout the production chain. This approach not only encompasses individual equipment but also the integration of complete lines for total plant optimization.

Key Trends in the Canning Industry

To understand the significance of sustainability in the canning industry, it is important to note that it is more than a fad or a trend: it is a fundamental issue for the future of the sector.

The Alimarket Report on the Canned Fish and Seafood sector, which analyzes the state of the sector in Spain in 2024, points to a significant investment: the industry plans to invest over €140 million between 2024 and 2025 in various improvements focused on sustainability.

Some of the overarching trends in the sector are as follows:

• Energy as a competitive lever. After the peak in energy costs during 2022-23, efficiency has become both an export advantage and a margin protection tool.
• Renewable mix. Photovoltaic energy dominates due to its rapid integration and is complemented by improvements in steam and biomass for thermal processes.
• Digital Twins and real-time control. Online sensors allow for adjustments in kWh, steam, and water consumption per batch, facilitating ISO 14001/EMAS certifications.
• Circular economy. Numerous companies are beginning to include lines to valorize discards (collagen, flours) and meet the requirements of European funding in this regard.
• Replacement of olive oil with high-oleic sunflower oil. In addition to reducing costs, this substitution also lowers the carbon footprint of the coverage.

In summary, environmental sustainability has ceased to be just a tactic and has become a central pillar of the competitiveness of the Spanish canning sector, supported by European Union public funding and a solid portfolio of ongoing projects for the coming years.

Sustainability and Efficiency in the Cooking Process of Tuna, Sardines, and Mussels

What does Gaictech offer in this field? Our machinery for the industrial cooking of tuna, sardines, and mussels incorporates several key features focused on efficiency, circular economy, and Zero Waste philosophy.

• Vacuum cooking of tuna: This cooking method reduces the oxidation of the fish, which in turn minimizes product loss during the cleaning process and allows for significant energy savings by cooking at lower temperatures.

  Cooking without oxygen prevents the fish, especially if it is large and cut into pieces, from oxidizing, maintaining its whitish color and reducing waste in the cleaning phase.

• Upside-down cooking of sardines: Gaictech’s continuous cooker for sardines allows cans to be cooked upside down. This method allows liquids and fats exuded during cooking to drain out of the cans, improving the product’s flavor and enabling the collection of these liquids for further processing.

  This transforms what would be waste into a valuable byproduct, rich in nutrients such as amino acids and Omega-3, useful in the food or aquaculture industry.

• Recovery of cooking exudates: All Gaictech industrial cookers are designed to recover liquids, fats, and water released during cooking. These fats have high value for secondary processes, such as fishmeal production or cosmetic products.

  By differentiating high-value fatty waters from those with lower organic loads, the load sent to treatment plants is reduced, generating economic savings by avoiding the over-dimensioning of water treatment plants and allowing the resale of byproducts.

• Real-time yield control in mussel cooking: The integration of advanced control systems (high-performance PLCs) allows the entire mussel processing line to be managed from a single panel. Specifically, it is possible to control the weight of the mussel entering the cooker using load cells in the pre-hopper.

  This enables real-time yield determination and optimization of cooking parameters based on the origin and size of the mussel, improving efficiency and minimizing waste.

Can Washing and Waste Management

The production of canned fish and seafood incorporates a range of efficiency and sustainability measures across all stages. Processes such as container cleaning and abrasive waste handling can be optimized to reduce unnecessary waste and make full use of available resources.

• Can washer: Gaictech’s can washers are sustainable because they do not use detergents and recirculate the water to recover surface oil. This way, they avoid generating extra waste and optimize resource usage.

• Mussel waste management: The debyssing machines use water filtration systems to eliminate marine debris and recover viable mussels. Saltwater can be directly discharged into the sea if the factory is nearby, while freshwater is filtered and recirculated to reduce consumption.

  Additionally, Gaictech manufactures shell crushers to optimize the storage volume of this abrasive waste, facilitating its transport and subsequent management.

Energy Efficiency in Food Sterilization: Autoclaves and Pasteurizers

Sterilizing products is one of the critical points in any canning plant. To meet the high hygiene standards required in the food industry, powerful equipment is essential to ensure proper sterilization. How does Gaictech optimize this process to save energy and resources?

• Dual Autoclaves: A unique advantage of Gaictech is the capability to manufacture dual autoclaves. These machines integrate two different sterilization systems (such as steam and water spray overpressure, or SST and SWS) within a single unit.

  This duality offers flexibility to clients for processing various types of containers (cans, glass, aluminum, plastic, and even flexible pouches) and adapting their processes to new products without the need for additional equipment, translating into space and energy resource savings.

• Energy and water savings in autoclaves: Gaictech autoclaves are designed with water and steam recirculation solutions to significantly reduce energy and water consumption in each work cycle. The recovery of steam condensate is a key feature, as it generates substantial energy savings.

• Automated loading and unloading: While the sterilization process itself is batch-based, Gaictech offers comprehensive automation systems for loading and unloading carts. 

  This peripheral automation (cart circuits, doors, PLC) is part of the strategy to minimize downtime and, consequently, the specific energy consumption per processed ton.

Conclusion

In summary, Gaictech’s proposal for sustainability and energy efficiency in the canning industry is based on an innovative machinery design, the integration of key processes such as by-product recovery and automation. This approach results in superior levels of energy savings and production efficiency optimization.

This series of measures not only provides a scalable and strategic return on the initial investment but also offers a competitive advantage in a market increasingly influenced by environmental regulations and rising energy prices. Moreover, a reduced carbon footprint supports a premium pricing policy and enhances the company’s standing, particularly with European and North American distributors and consumers who prioritize the product carbon footprint label.

Furthermore, there are financing lines (such as the EU Recovery Plan and its Next Generation funds) that prioritize projects with energy and environmental improvements.

Lastly, the investment in sustainable machinery also strengthens brand image, in alignment with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Sustainable companies are more attractive to institutions, investors, customers, and partners.