Bühler helps Blåtand’s berry business
The system ensures consistency in the shape, flavour and color of produce.
The company supplies frozen berries, jam and fruit preparations to caterers, restaurants, wholesalers and retailers. Berries include bilberries and lingonberries.
It supplies the confectionery, bakery and dairy markets, as well as the pharmaceutical sector, which uses bilberries as an ingredient in supplements.
Blåtand processes 5,000 tonnes of berries on its 50 metre processing line, designed to handle delicate fruits without breakage.
The Sortex F optical sorter with PolarVision technology enables Blåtand to increase capacity and grow the business.
Ulf Hagner, managing director at Blåtand, said: “We need to ensure the separation of color defects, such as brown berries as well as the removal of stones, sticks, leaves, pine needles and mud balls, which are collected from the forest floor as the berries are gathered.
“By combining the Sortex F PolarVision optical sorter with our other cleaning equipment, we have achieved our goal and can now fulfil the requirements of the most demanding customers by supplying them with the highest quality frozen, cleaned berries.”
Zhanna Zhehet, area sales manager at Bühler Sweden, said: “Sortex PolarVision technology combines two dedicated FM detection cameras – the Sortex PolarCam and high definition InGaAs, which remove difficult-to-detect defects and challenging FM, such as plastic, pieces of wet wood and small stones.
“Importantly for Blåtand, Sortex PolarVision is installed on the new Sortex F optical sorter, which is hygienically-designed for zero-tolerance for product build-up, meaning there’s a much lower risk of product contamination.”
