TOMRA Sorting Food has announced it will showcase the TOMRA 5A, its newest state-of-the-art potato sorter, at the new biennial processing event ProFoodTech.
The first edition of ProFoodTech takes place in Chicago, from 4 April to 6 April. Processors who visit TOMRA at Booth 1721 will discover more about the company’s latest additions to its family of food sorters.
The TOMRA 5A supports processors by combining a straightforward and brand-new graphical user interface with stable sorting performance, while increasing the level of food safety and quality with minimal product waste.
With food safety and quality being a top priority for consumers and processors alike, this innovative machine goes the extra mile to achieve optimum performance with the new peel control module, an extra add-on system. The TOMRA 5A also has one of the highest sort capacity at 55 tons of potatoes an hour, which is a very high capacity combined with its small footprint.
The peel control module can connect to multiple sorting machines. It takes potato data from the TOMRA 5A sorter for dependable measurements of the peel removal levels. Using proven process control techniques to achieve the desired peel removal, the optimal steam time is then calculated and sent directly to the steam peeler. Consequently, the result is lower peel loss and less food waste, with no operator supervision required.
The TOMRA 5A ensures superior foreign material removal, effectively discarding items such as corn cobs, wood, stems, plastics, glass, and even stray golf balls. This process minimises the risk of food contamination further down the line and leads to improved product quality.
The sorter also has improved sanitation features designed and developed in accordance with the latest food hygiene standards and specifications.
In addition, the TOMRA 5A has unrivalled potato quality sorting controls, which provide processors with the opportunity to recover product not good enough to accept, but at the same time not bad enough to send to waste. The leftover product can be sent to re-peel or trimming lines. It can even be made into alternative end products, such as potato flakes.
Moreover, the TOMRA 5A has an intuitive, unique, and functional graphical user interface design, which makes it convenient to use for all operators. TOMRA ACT, the brand-new graphical user interface, encompasses a one-screen layout so users can see all critical sort information and real-time sorting data at a glance. Quick monitoring and fast adjustments are possible at all times, which means the customer is always in control and can easily optimize the sort themselves.
The interface is dynamic, responsive, and easy-to-use, resulting in a sharper learning curve and quicker training to proficiency for operators.
TOMRA’s sales director Americas and Oceania Karel Strubbe comments: "A faster response to varying product conditions, with an output of more consistent product quality and higher yields, is now possible, regardless of who is operating the TOMRA 5A. There is no longer a need for a specialist to operate and adjust the sorter."
The TOMRA 5A contains on-board 24 hour sorting statistics, which makes it possible to review all data within an operator-specified time window. The on-screen display of potato quality data and size distribution is quick to access, with easy-to-read graphic displays of production for all or part of the day. Detailed product data is also available.
Another new feature of the sorting machine is the self-monitoring capability. The system will alert the plant of detected issues affecting the sorter’s operation and performance.
Karel Strubbe concludes: "The TOMRA 5A sorter, equipped with TOMRA ACT, represents the latest innovation in whole product sorting systems technology. This sorter has improved performance and added functionality to help customers address the increasing demands on the processor for food safety assurance, improved yields and lower running costs."
