Chilean frozen fruit producer installs TOMRA 5B sorter in its facility in Chillán

TOMRA Food continues to offer solutions designed for the individual customers in times of the pandemic, when the food sector encounters the mobility restrictions and complexity in recruiting and managing the workforce.

Chile is one of the most valuable exporters of frozen berries and raspberries.

Paola Arévalo, Sales Manager TOMRA Processed Food at TOMRA Food Chile, explains that the raspberry has its highest added value when it is whole. When it breaks, it turns to a lower value by-product called crumble. Being capable of automatical processing IQF raspberries without damaging them or losing value is a big advantage for processors. In addition, TOMRA’s technology is easy to use, flexible and brings a high yield.

Vitafoods is one of the largest berry processors in Chile which seeks to consolidate its position as the largest frozen fruit exporter of the country. 

Vitafoods has chosen a TOMRA 5B for grading its delicate frozen raspberries. According to Fernando Larios, COO of Vitafoods explains, in times of the pandemic, consumers were looking for healthy products that would also have a longer shelf life, such as the IQF raspberries.

Vitafoods appeared as a result of the merger of Alifrut frozen food and the Hortifrut businesses. Today the company exports 93% of its production from more than 300 producers.

At Vitafoods they offer premium quality products, which allow them to work with the most demanding market, such as the U.S and Europe, or to meet the most demanding requirements of Asian markets, such as Japanese. In order to deliver what their customers expect from their brand, it is essential to have the right technology.

Concerning its customer base, the company’s sales from the retail channel versus bulk sales have increased to almost 50%. In terms of the type of product, Vitafoods offers organic and non-organic fruits.

As Fernando Larios explains, in Chile they have the huge advantage of a perfect climate that gives raspberries a nice flavor. Besides, their natural borders create a barrier against pests, which allows for greater phytosanitary control, which enables them to sell both types of product.

In regards to the trends in the domestic and international raspberry markets, Larios comments that the way the agricultural sector operates is changing. They are seeing a trend towards wider use of technology and self-cultivation in the main markets. This enables it to achieve the required volumes of product, avoid fluctuations in quality and not depend on suppliers.

The TOMRA 5B which was recently installed at the Chillán plant has become a vital tool for Vitafoods for sorting frozen raspberries. This belt sorter is destined to remove the smallest foreign materials and defects in fruit and veg, assuring the plant’s food safety.

TOMRA 5B efficiently detects such defects as albinism or sun damage. It also detects plant matter such as flower debris, leaves, or foreign matter such as wood or plastics.

Larios says there is no doubt about the machine’s productivity. Before they installed it, they had to assign 18 people to manual sorting, and they processed two tons per hour. With the TOMRA 5B they have been able to process 2.6 to 2.8 tons per hour, and they only need 6 workers for this stage of sorting. 

The operator can easily adjust the TOMRA 5B’s sorting criteria to obtain the required quality and the desired product. 

Fernando Larios says that the TOMRA 5B treats the product gently and prevents it from being damaged by free falling. Moreover, it is a very hygienic machine, which is now highly important. 

Its software is more intuitive than that of the previous models of sorters. According to Larios, they have also set up a program for sorting blackberries on this line, as it can process less delicate berries, such as blackberries or frozen strawberries.

According to Paola Arévalo, the great advantage of the TOMRA 5B is its gentle treatment, as it is not a free-fall machine like other solutions on the market, but a belt sorter. 

High-resolution RGBI cameras with 360-degree view and laser technology makes it capable of detecting color defects, unwanted plant material and foreign matter. 

After being hand-picked in the field, raspberries arrive at the plant to undergo quality control. Then, they are cooled in the freezing tunnel as quickly as possible. After that, they pass through a vibrating machine where whole fruit is separated from crumble. The latter goes to the TOMRA 5B. The discarded fruit passes to the grinder and is sorted along with the crumble in the Helius and the Blizzard.

According to Larios, the purchasing process developed after several tests. First, when they went to view the equipment at TOMRA’s demonstration site in Santiago de Chile, they were searching for alternative solutions for sorting their product, both in terms of quality and volume. Initially, they tested the sorter with a small volume and it worked well. Then they tested it with higher volumes and at more demanding rates, and they also were satisfied. When the global health crisis started, the TOMRA 5B was already in place, so they’ve been able to operate with a certain degree of normality in spite of everything.

They have been using TOMRA machines for 10 years. The equipment as a whole guarantees that the process goes smoothly. The Helius and the Blizzard do their job to assure that the crumble comes out clean, avoiding product losses and optimizing costs. The rest, foreign and vegetable matter, is refused.

Fernando Larios highlighted that calibration also makes a big difference to the end result, so the first adjustment of the season is essential, because you ensure that the other run will need less calibration. These machines are very stable and are able to enter parameters for new defects as they appear. In terms of training, the technical team of TOMRA evaluates the operators and tells if they need to be trained better to improve the process.

TOMRA Food is a producer of sensor-based sorting machines and integrated post-harvest equipment for the food industry. The company uses one of the world’s most advanced grading, sorting, peeling and analytical technology.

Their main goal is to help their customers to improve returns, gain operational efficiencies, minimise food waste, ensure quality and a safe food supply with sustainable technologies. 

Their solutions are installed at food growers, packers and processors around the world. This allows businesses to maximise productivity and recovery rates, while reducing food waste and developing the overall quality of the produce.

To learn more about TOMRA Food, follow the link.