South St. Paul Community and Sanimax

At Sanimax, we’re committed to ensuring our facilities are equipped with the best technology and equipment available. This allows us to operate efficiently and ensures that we continue to play a key role in the circular economy by transforming unconsumed materials from the agriculture and food industries into valuable resources.

In 2024, we successfully replaced one of our cookers.

The new cooker replaces a machine that served our facility for over 25 years. In all industries, machinery and equipment gets tired. Over time, it becomes less efficient and requires more maintenance. Think of it like an old car – you can keep fixing it, but eventually, it’s better to invest in something new. By upgrading to a new cooker, we’re not just maintaining our current operations, we’re ensuring that we’re ready for the future.

So, what exactly is a cooker and why is this such a big deal?

In the rendering process, a cooker is exactly what it sounds like – a specialized machine that uses heat, typically steam, to cook and break down the material that comes to rendering plants.

This step separates the material into three different products: water, protein, and fat. During the cooking process, 50% of the material that goes into the cooker is water and evaporates during cooking. This leaves 25% that is separated into protein and 25% that is separated into fat or tallow. After cooking, the protein and tallow move on to the next step in the rendering process (we’ll have more on that later).

This major upgrade aligns with our commitment to environmental sustainability. The new cooker comes with advanced technology that improves energy efficiency, reduces emissions, and enhances the overall quality of the products we’re creating – all things we are dedicated to at Sanimax.

If you have questions, feel free to email us at SSP-Community@sanimax.com.