Attendees at Foodex 2014 will have the chance to hear about TOMRA Sorting Solutions’ wide portfolio of leading-edge food sorting and processing systems.
Foodex, the UK’s premier event for the food and drink processing, packaging and logistics industries, takes place at the NEC in Birmingham, from 24 to 26 March. TOMRA representatives will be at stand G321.
Steve Raskin, sales director, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, TOMRA Sorting Food, said: "We hope food producers and processors will come to Foodex and share their requirements with us, so we can recommend customised solutions, tailor-made for their needs, given that our numerous systems are fully modular and offer many feature combinations."
Among the machines on which TOMRA’s team at Foodex will be able to provide information and answer questions are the Genius optical belt sorter, which works with French fries, potato crisps and vegetables, among other foods. They will also be ready to supply advice on its groundbreaking Nimbus free-fall sorter, incorporating the company’s unique biometric signature identification (BSI) technology, which is suitable for nuts and dried fruit.
Mr Raskin said: "The Genius and Nimbus machines use combined technologies to meet the continuously increasing requirements of food producers and processors for safe and excellent quality output, by removing unwanted material highly effectively. Both machines also offer additional benefits to customers, including extreme user-friendliness, the demand for only low maintenance and ability to work at high capacities, among other advantages."
TOMRA says its Genius achieves an unequalled performance by sorting based on features such as detailed size, geometry and shape, plus subtle colour differences and defects. Equipped with high resolution cameras and lasers, the machine has different inspection technologies in its various zones, with state-of-the-art air guns rejecting unwanted items within milliseconds, in two or three separate streams, and sound product proceeding in the processing line.
Genius applications in the vegetable field include carrots, corn, beans, broccoli, garlic, green beans, mixed vegetables, peas and peppers. In addition to French fries and crisps, it works with whole potatoes, cubes, slices and dices. The system has a range of other applications, covering foods such as fruit, nuts and fresh cut vegetables, too.
Mr Raskin said: "The Genius is a flexible sorter, providing gentle handling and consistent, long-life accuracy, plus a very fast payback on investment."
The Nimbus’s BSI technology was developed by TOMRA’s own in-house experts. It works by detecting the biometric characteristics of nuts and dried fruit it scans and comparing them to features in its stored database, to decide whether they should be accepted or rejected, providing a huge contrast between sound and defective elements.
Mr Raskin said: "Sorting multiple applications by a range of criteria, including blemishes, damage, foreign material and biological characteristics – such as chlorophyll, mycotoxins, water and oil content – the Nimbus BSI is easy to set and operate, with one programme fitting all varieties.
"Benefits of the Nimbus with BSI technology for nut and dried fruit sorters include its delivery of a fully-optimised sort and increased uptime, quality, throughput and yield."
