Colombian Banana Puree Facility acquires the innovative Ripening Rooms by Thermal Technologies

Thermal Technologies, one of the leading designers and constructors of commercial ripening rooms, recently finished installation of a ripening room facility of a new type in Nueva Colonia, Colombia. 

The company was selected for the project due to their expertise in banana ripening, and the configuration and energy consumption of their design.

These new rooms are part of the ripening and processing facility constructed by FruBaTec SAS Zomac, a joint entity between Greenland, the South American parent company of Banacol, and the global producer of natural ingredients for the food and beverage sector, CT Finance AG, parent company of Frutco AG (Switzerland). 

David Byrne, Thermal Tech VP of Sales, says that developing a new type of banana ripening room for an absolutely new application was a challenge that they were looking forward to, because there are no other ripening rooms of this kind in the puree industry. 

Jim Lentz, President of Thermal Technologies, comments that they managed to keep costs down, thanks to manufacturing key components at their headquarters facility in South Carolina, and utilizing their sources in Mexico and Colombia for others.

Unlike traditional ripening rooms, which receive palletized bananas at 14°C then raise them to the proper temperature for gassing, the new puree rooms receive bulk bins of bananas at ambient harvest temperature, then lower them to the proper temperature for gassing by quickly removing field heat.

The new rooms are bigger than traditional ones, and are able to hold 288 metallic bins, each containing 500 kilos (1100 pounds) of loose bananas for a total designed ripening capacity of 144 metric tons per room. 

The wire bins enable airflow through the loose bananas and are stacked in 2 double-wide rows on each side of the room, 12 deep and 6 high. 

When gassing is completed, bananas are ripened as required for sugar content and viscosity depending on the kind of puree that is needed. 

The 7 new rooms represent the first stage of the project, with another 5 to 7 rooms projected for the future. 

According to Byrne, their initial project targets were to lower waste from 10 to 6 percent, but early testing has shown a decrease from 10 percent down to 3 or 4 percent, which is very promising for an even quicker return on investment for their clients.

For more information about Thermal Technologies,  visit their website.