Making Better Jam: How Engineering and Food Science Save Your Batch

A premium preserve is defined by the integrity of its fruit. When scaling a strawberry jam recipe from the benchtop to a multi-ton run, the primary challenge is balancing rapid heating with the structural stability of the berry. Standard high-heat processes often result in cellular collapse; this transforms identifiable fruit inclusions into a homogenous purée. At the Blentech Innovation Center, we use the BlenTherm to prove that mechanical precision protects culinary integrity without sacrificing industrial throughput.

We recently ran a strawberry jam trial in our BlenTherm to show how specific engineering choices result in a better jar of jam.

Agitation without the damage 

The biggest challenge with premium preserves is keeping the fruit intact while still getting a good mix. Our agitators are built to handle high-viscosity batches with power, but they’re gentle enough that you don’t end up with a purée when you want clearly identifiable fruit inclusions. 

Efficiency that stays clean 

Burn-on is more than just a cleaning headache, it ruins the flavor of your batch. We use patented leaf spring scraper arms because they are the most efficient way to keep the jacket clean and the heat moving. Combined with our vacuum cooking option, you can cook at lower temperatures to keep the colors bright and the flavors fresh.

Reliability through AutoChef 

Consistency is usually where manual processes fall apart. Our AutoChef system handles the heavy lifting by managing recipes and temperatures. Even for the ingredients you still add by hand, the system tracks the process so the 100th batch is identical to the first.

Sanitary design that makes sense 

The design of the machine should make the operator’s life easier, not harder. We use smooth, contoured welds and integrated CIP spray balls because they’re the most effective ways to ensure a clean machine. Over the last 40 years, we’ve learned which designs are optimal and which ones need improvement—we only change things when it results in a better process for the user.

The Blentech Innovation Center 

This strawberry jam run is just one example of how we bridge the gap between food science and industrial scale. We use our Innovation Center to prove these processes every day, making sure the equipment is tuned to the specific needs of the product, whether that requires full automation or a more manual approach.

Contact our Applications Team to schedule a trial