HERBS & SPICES
Taking advantage of optical sorting machines for spices and dried chilli With consumer’s expecting food products to be perfect, finding the right solutions to help food manufacturers achieve this is crucial. Tomra Food, supplies the best products to help food manufacturers and recently made new sorting applications available for spices and dried chilli.
A
lthough India leads the world in exporting spices and dried chilli, producing these crops in
great quantities can no longer guarantee international sales success. Great quality is also necessary, now more than ever before. One reason for this is that increasing numbers of consumers around the world now expect food products to be perfect every time. If shoppers find serious fault with the food they buy and complain about it on social media platforms, their criticisms can reach enough people to damage brand reputations. Another reason is the food regulations defining maximum permissible levels of
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pesticide residues, mycotoxins, heavy metals, microbiological organisms and
Tomra Food team at the Demo Centre in India
additives. These rules are already so strict in some nations that products, including
spices and dried chilli. What’s more, these
manufacturing methods to global food
dried chilli spices, sometimes get turned
applications were fine-tuned in India, at
safety and hygiene standards. With the
back from export destinations at the point
Tomra’s Test Center in Bangalore and on
right investments, we believe that we will
of entry. Even where food regulations are
the premises of a small number of spice and
be able to satisfy our end customer market
not so strict, they are expected to get
chilli producers in Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,
requirements. Higher technology machines
tougher in the future.
Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
will help in improving the quality of the
The good news is that other sectors
These extensive validation tests led to
product at the same time as minimising
of the food industry have faced these
impressive results. The two key objectives,
wastage. Tomra sorting machines are
challenges and overcome them. One of
ensuring food safety and consistently
high-quality equipment that helps in
the most effective solutions is to replace
high product quality, were convincingly
solving industry issues. We have seen the
manual sorting methods with optical
achieved. In the words of one of India’s
improvement in end products and are happy
sorting machines. Whereas manual sorting
earliest adopters of this technology, Amit
to partner with Tomra.”
is unavoidably subjective, imperfect
Singhal of DKC Tradex Private Limited, “We
and especially, vulnerable to error when
were using conventional sorting machines
safety and product quality, Tomra’s state-
labourers are tired or bored, automated
in our spices and herbs business for quite
of-the-art sorting machines can also grade
sorters can work hour after hour with
some time and had some challenges
to specification, reduce line downtime, cut
superior accuracy, consistent standards
in pushing our limits. Now, with our
food waste by minimising false rejects and
and unflagging efficiency. Switching to
new Tomra machines, we see excellent
enhance profitability by maximising yields.
automation requires investment, of course,
results on our final products and our
but it pays back handsomely by delivering
end customers are also very happy with
HOW SORTERS SEE
greater throughputs and consistently
these results.”
Even though Tomra’s spices and chilli
higher product quality. This brings us to more good news.
Another early adopter of Tomra’s
In addition to acting as guardians of food
application is relatively new, the company’s
technologies is the leading coriander
expertise is founded on decades of
The industry leader in designing and
processor in India. The owner and
experience. To date, Tomra has installed
manufacturing sorting and grading
managing director of P.C. Kannan & Co,
more than 12 800 units around the world to
technologies, Tomra Food, recently made
P.C.K. Maheswaran explains, “The Indian
optimise capabilities and reduce waste in
new sorting applications available for
spices industry is shifting from traditional
the processing of fruits, nuts, vegetables,
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April 2022 | FOOD RE VIEW
