ZELFIWU, Inc
Designer and Manufacturer of Automated Injera Machine
254 Sunrise Dr.
Moscow. Idaho, 83843
Injera is a specific type of bread that is part and parcel to the Ethiopian culture. Injera is a necessity food item for almost all Ethiopians and is utilized in almost all-traditional cuisine. The bread is unique in appearance and texture. It is one of the most delicate food items to automate due to its characteristics that include; “bubbly eye”, circular flat geometry, very elastic, smooth back surface and a fluffy texture. These unique properties require a thorough understanding of the “overall” injera making process, i.e., fermentation of the teff flour under controlled environment, viscosity of the batter, amount of batter per injera, the spreading of the batter to obtain the right geometry and thickness, the precise temperature at which the injera is cooked, and its removal from the cooking surface using a delicate removing mechanism. Even though the injera itself looks a simple product but, to make it, it requires very sophisticated and computer controlled process. This in mind, ZELFIWU Inc. has designed and manufactured the first automated “Injera making Machine” that can produce 500 units per hour (patent pending). This was accomplished with advice and cooperation of Maru Grocery of Dallas Texas, which is the only entity that operates this continuous automated process that manufactures this product for the past five years. The second generation ZELFIWU Inc machine is put in place in Washington DC in the summer of 2004 and produces 1000 units per hour 24 hours a day. Currently, in the United States, all Injera is made at home or in a facility that utilizes a “Circular Pan” made of clay or metal. This process is “time-consuming” a “one-at-a-time” production units, which tend to be inefficient. Due to this production mode, the variability from production to production of Injera has been a known fact, i.e., no two individuals will produce the same product at all times. This exact process is used in Ethiopia today. To make matters worse, majority of Ethiopians (in Ethiopia) traditionally cook over pans heated by “wood” and “wood coal”. This has resulted in and will severely impact the environment and undoubtedly will lead to deforestation and the consequence will be extended drought in the country. As mentioned above, one “ZELFIWU Inc” machine can produce 1000 unit per hour consistently and uniformly 24 hours a day using available electricity which can be enough to feed up to 8,000 to 10,000 people. Therefore the Injera machine can easily be installed and operated wherever electric power is available. The Injera made using this technology has a shelf life of at least 5 to 7 days which is another improvement over the old way of making Injera which becomes moldy within 1 to 2 days of shelf life.
The President, Dr. Wudneh Admassu who is Professor of Chemical Engineering is the lead inventor, and the principle engineers of Zelfiwu, inc. are Chemical and Mechanical Engineers. The Board of Directors has over 30 years combined experience led by Mr. Kasshun Maru, in both wholesale and retail of Injera and other related businesses.
The Ethiopian traditional bread making process requires several steps. The process that is going to be utilized to produce Injera using the “ZELFIWU” process is as follows:
1. The first step is to mix Teff (Ethiopian Grain) flour with water to a consistency of a little thinner than a pancake mix so that it flows freely when poured on a cooking surface. This batter is then allowed to ferment for few days before it is ready to be cooked. This process is done in a well- temperature controlled environment to maintain optimum fermentation condition. In some occasions other flours, such as Barley and Wheat, are added in order to vary the taste of the end product. It is also important to know that when raw ingredient (the flours) does not come from the same lot (which happens on occasion) food grade yeast is added to the batter in order to facilitate the fermentation process.
2. In the next step the fermented batters are transferred into a mixing tank where they are mixed well using a food grade mixer that has a low shear to minimize shearing effect due to the batter being a “Non-Newtonian Fluid”. Since the mixture is a type of suspension (Non-Newtonian Fluid), viscosity measurement is done to monitor the consistency of the batter to avoid using batter which is not ready for use to make Injera. Once this is done, the batter is transferred to feed tanks attached to depositors ready to start producing Injera.
3. In the third step we use sophisticated processes to deposit known amount of batter on a special intermittently moving surface. Then the deposited batter is moved to the next stage where the batter is spread to a desired uniform diameter and thickness using an internally designed spreader.
4. Once step three is accomplished the surface containing the batter goes through several cooking steps:
a) The surface is moved to the first heated zone where the temperature is controlled automatically within a degree and left for a precise time. This stage is what we call “Eye Formation” stage.
b) In the next stage the “Injera” is moved to the second heating zone, where again the temperature is controlled within a degree, for a precise measured residence time to be cooked. This is what we call the “cooking” zone.
c) In the third zone, which we call the “finishing or polishing” step, the Injera is cooked more for an accurately measured time at a precise temperature where the cooking process ends.
5. In the fourth step the Injera goes through a cooling zone, where it is cooled to approximately room temperature. Then the Injera is removed from the cooking surface using a combination of “Gyration” and “Levitation” mechanism with a spindle rotating unit into a second moving unit. Once there, the Injera is packed by weight and labeled and stored in a cool room until it is ready to be shipped to customers.
We at ZELFIWU Inc. are proud to introduce this one of a kind modular and sophisticated continuous Injera machine which can be operated at any place in the world. We hope this technology will be a step forward to meet the need for having Injera when and where it is needed at all times.
Wudneh Admassu
Professor of Chemical Engineering
|
