Aug 21, 2019

TOMRA machine to sort veggies live at Pack Expo

The TOMRA 5B will sort French fries and green beans live at the Pack Expo 2019, Sept. 23-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

This machine is capable of sorting a variety of food products, from vegetables and potatoes to leafy products, according to a press release from the company. The TOMRA 5B incorporates TOMRA’s smart surround view technology, which features high-resolution cameras and high-intensity LEDs, providing 360-degree inspection and SmartSort.

“These innovations result in improved product quality, and also improve foreign material removal while ensuring a reduction of false rejection rates,” Mark Host, Regional Sales Director Americas at TOMRA Food, said in the press release.

With worldwide demand for potato products continuing to grow, TOMRA Food is supporting potato processors by offering an enhanced sorting solution which removes more than 98 percent of all typical foreign objects found in product streams after washing and peeling.

Food processors who struggle with filtering out such foreign materials and defects such as stones, plastics, glass, wood, metal, corncobs and rot before peeling, will welcome another sorting machine, the TOMRA 5A. The new technology ensures the food safety of the whole potato along the entire processing line, TOMRA said in a release. It also dramatically reduces the risk of foreign objects damaging cutting equipment or otherwise contributing to a line stoppage.

“TOMRA is already responsible for peeling an estimated 85 percent of the world’s potatoes for French fries,” Host said in the press release. “In addition to improving yields and lowering operational costs, the TOMRA 5A enhances food safety with its sophisticated ability to remove foreign material and minimize the risk of food contamination.”

One of the most important new features of both machines is their ability to help customers meet the latest regulatory food safety and quality standards.

“The new sorters offer enhanced sanitation features that have been designed and developed in accordance with the latest food hygiene standards and specifications,” Host said. “The TOMRA 5B, in particular, has a fast and efficient cleaning process that results in fewer unreachable areas and reduced waste material.”

The TOMRA ACT, an intuitive graphical user interface, encompasses a one-screen layout, enabling users to see all critical sort information and real-time sorting data, according to a press release from the company.  Quick monitoring and fast adjustments are possible at all times, which keeps the operator in control of the quality of the sorting.

Above, a TOMRA 5B sorts green beans. Photo: TOMRA