Fruit Growers News

New Product Roundup: What’s new from the fresh-cut industry

Check out what's new in products and solutions from around the fresh-cut produce industry. Here's the latest from Ready Pac, Triangle Packaging Machinery, Key Technology, 3M Food Safety, Turatti, Schober, CombiScale, Douglas Washing & Sanitizing Systems, ScoringAg, Eagle Packaging, FTNON, Crunch Pak, Zebra, Baumer and ThermoWorks.
 

Ready Pac offers
Disney-themed meals
Ready Pac has introduced new Disney-themed Mini Meals and Salads designed specifically for children ages 6-12.
Salads come in pizza, taco, Caesar and Harvest. Meals include apples, ham and  yogurt; pizza bites, turkey crackers; and veggies, chicken and pretzels.

The latest
from Triangle
With fast changeover and speeds up to 150 bags per minute, Model XYS08 from Triangle Package Machinery is a continuous motion bagger that saves customers time and improves productivity. Ideal for high-speed applications such as small-cut produce, the X-Series can run a variety of bag styles in both supported and unsupported film.
In addition, Triangle’s XYS Model allows users to change from supported to unsupported film in less than 15 minutes, and features a start/stop button on the back of the machine.

Key Technology announces
enhanced vision capability
Key Technology has introduced an enhanced vision capability for its popular Tegra® in-air color sorters. Featuring twice the number of cameras as other Tegra sorters with the same width, the new Tegra 7755E achieves line-of-sight for better all-around viewing with virtually no hidden areas. Designed for customers looking to improve product quality and food safety, this sorter’s full-object view increases detection and removal of foreign material (FM) and defects, with the greatest gains in small defect removal.
 

3M Food Safety's
new E. coli assay
3M Food Safety has received AOAC-PTM Certification for its new Molecular Detection Assay for E. coli 0157 (imcluding H7) from the AOAC Research Institute’s Performance Tested Methods program. The assay combines two technologies — isothermal DNA amplification and bioluminescence detection — to provide a fast, reliable method of pathogen detection in enriched food, feed and food process environmental samples.

Turatti rolls out
new sterilizer
Turatti has just introduced a new continuous fruit sterilizer.
Safefruit cleans and sterilizes the skin and external surface of various types of fruits including melons, watermelons and pineapples. The system utilizes hot water, but is configured to be easily changed over for processing products that don’t require hot water treatment. It also includes a chlorination option.
“The system utilizes an environmentally friendly technology that is very  useful in cleaning and disinfecting melons destined for fresh cut without affecting quality after processing,” according to the company.
The machine can be supplied with a small stand-alone steam generator, heated by natural gas, oil or electricity.

Schober offers new
robotic stacking system
Schober has introduced the high-velocity Twin Spider Automated Robotic stacking system for its RSM Rotary Die Cutting Machines. Specifically designed for precise stacking and counting of products up to 40 inches in length (1000 mm), this new delivery technology is designed for IML and other labels as well as nested product configurations and different profile jobs that have been ganged together into one print repeat. The Twin Spider Robotic system is used in line with Schober RSM rotary die cutting technology. Speeds of up to 195 f/min (60 m/min) are attainable with a maximum cycle rate of 50 cycles per minute.
In addition, Schober USA has expanded its VentPerf family of needling tools and systems is a compact micro-perforator designed for film, paper, foil, laminates, nonwovens and more.  The Schober Compact Micro-Perforator can provide ventilation, moisture release and enhanced product expansion of agricultural and consumer goods packaging as well as technical materials and are specially suitable for produce packaging. It can be operated entirely from the front, with no walk-around space required – further minimizing its production footprint.
 

CombiScale incorporates
time-saving software
PrimoWeigher combination scales from CombiScale provide an extensive range of time-saving software features that reduce start-up time, increase productivity and give the manager remote control.
The control panel includes a 15-inch color touch screen and choice of several languages. A Primo Pocket Control eliminates the need to go back and forth between scale and control panel or assistance from a second person. Managers can access real-time data, see all of the screens of the control panel and view actual product flowing in the scale from a digital camera amounted above. Triggers and alerts can be set up to send emails automatically to managers for a broad range of performance indicators as well as report production delays. A multi-level security system gives managers control of what different users can access.

Water-saving washer
new from Douglas
Douglas Washing & Sanitizing Systems has introduced its water-saving Model SD-36 Bucket Washer. Coming equipped with separate wash and risk tanks, self-containe water heating, recirculating wash water and a 15 horsepower pump, it also offers optional racking to process a variety of other containers.

ScoringAg aims to
reduce food losses
The Ag-Pack Hydro-Cooler/Sanitizer from ScoringAg.com is designed to reduce post-harvest food losses, increase the quality for consumers at retail and extend shelf life. The Hidro-Cooler-sanitizer Model 275 uses food-grade ice to do the cooling either from an ice machine or site or purchased ice. The Iceless Hydro-Cooler-sanitizer Model 250 has a five-ton stainless steel coil water conditioning cooling system. A video link of the machine and refrigeration unit operating can be found at http://youtu.be/xkoYdV9wpJw

New case erector
from Eagle Packaging
The new Boxxer T-18 automatic case erector and bottom tape sealer from Eagle Packaging Machinery can run both regular-slotted and half-slotted style boxes and will erect and tape up to 18 boxes per minute. Capable of producing a wide range of boxes, its size changeover is quick with no parts changes required.

FTNON purchases
Key's Freshline
FTNON (Food Technology Noord-Oost Nederland B.V.) recently purchased Key Technologies' Freshline products. The FTNON purchase includes the Freshline Automatic Dryers (1, 2 and 4 drum), AV Sealer Packaging Machine, Basket Wash and Compact Dryer. The products are now being sold, manufactured and serviced by FTNON.

Crunch Pak introduces
flavored apple slices
Crunch Pak has introduced new peach mango-flavored sliced apples. Dipped in a solution that infuses the apples with the aroma and taste of peaches and mangos, the produce is offered in a 1-lb. bag and is especially suited to salads and drinks, according to the company.

Zebra has new printers
for barcode labels/tags
Zebra has introduced the new ZT200 series printers for barcode labels and tags.
According to company data, it’s well-suited for those who print between 500 and 1,500 labels a day. Its newly designed media access door folds out of the way. Its design results in minimizing the space required for full use of the printer. It’s also easy to replace labels and ribbons.

New measuring wheel
encoder from Baumer
Baumer's new MA20 measuring wheel encoder provides position and speed feedback for conveyor systems. The two-in-one device combines a high-resolution optical incremental encoder and a highly precise measuring wheel. Capable of resolutions as high as 25,000 ppr, the encoder provides precise measuring results even at low conveyor speeds, according to the company.

Gentler packing aim
of Adept ClamPAC
Adept Technology has introduced its new Adept ClamPAC Packaging Automation Cell.
It gently packs clamshells into cases at high speeds and is designed to reduce the total cost of ownership by delivering a standardized, fully integrated solution that can be dropped into any line. ClamPAC reduces the food processor’s integration complexity and deployment time while providing the flexibility, dexterity and speed of a world-class robotic solution.
ClamPAC’s launch marks the first product to be released by Adept’s new packaging solutions group.

Hunkar's new labeling system
features user-friendly controls
The new Brute 3550 Side Panel labeling system from Hunkar Packaging consists of a Brute 3550 Wipe-On Labeler with a belt conveyor and top trap or hold-down conveyor. By matching the speed of the product conveyor, the Brute 3550 Labeler can provide smooth and accurate label application onto most product surfaces. The top trap holds products in place as labels are wiped down.
With label feed rates in excess of 1,000 inches per minute, the 3550 has user-friendly controls with a touch-screen interface and programmable presets.
 

Handheld thermometer
makes HACCP easier
ThermoWorks is introducing the Saf-T-Log, a handheld thermometer that measures, stores, downloads and prints temperature reports for easy HACCP and food safety compliance.
Easy-to-use Windows desktop software allows users to build lists of food items or equipment and set pass/fail temperature ranges. When connected to a PC, the Saf-T-Log automatically uploads selected user checklists.

Originally posted Monday, Sep. 17, 2012

Tags: food processing, food safety, fresh-cut produce, fresh-cut products