How Tuna Processors Increase Profitability With New Sorting Technology
Tuna processing is demanding, complicated and laborious. Normally it requires a large volume of labor for the complete extraction of bones and scales, as well as to carry out a correct classification of the meat based on its color and quality. In these cases the risk of human error is always present. Also, in this process other foreign materials such as fibers from clothing and workers' hair, can come into contact with the product.
However, there is currently an innovative optical sorting technology that automates the processing of both minced and minced tuna. This enables you to meet your processor challenges with unprecedented efficiency. This unique technology developed by TOMRA Food specifically for this application increases food safety and product quality. It is therefore a new example that demonstrates TOMRA Food's leadership in the “resource revolution” that manages to optimize the use of food.
For this new development, TOMRA Food has worked closely with researchers from a Belgian university and with several tuna processors in Thailand. This has allowed TOMRA's Genius TM optical sorter to be renewed. Along with the traditional high resolution cameras of the original model, this unit has been equipped with a new sensor for fish and shellfish. This sensor is capable of detecting bones, spines, scales and tiny objects that cannot be perceived by the human eye or any other sorting equipment. TOMRA's R&D team, together with several experts in the industry, has made possible the development of this new, more precise and reliable technology, suitable for an increasingly demanding market.
Tuna processing is demanding, complicated and laborious. Normally it requires a large volume of labor for the complete extraction of bones and scales, as well as to carry out a correct classification of the meat based on its color and quality. In these cases the risk of human error is always present. Also, in this process other foreign materials such as fibers from clothing and workers' hair, can come into contact with the product.
However, there is currently an innovative optical sorting technology that automates the processing of both minced and minced tuna. This enables you to meet your processor challenges with unprecedented efficiency. This unique technology developed by TOMRA Food specifically for this application increases food safety and product quality. It is therefore a new example that demonstrates TOMRA Food's leadership in the “resource revolution” that manages to optimize the use of food.
For this new development, TOMRA Food has worked closely with researchers from a Belgian university and with several tuna processors in Thailand. This has allowed TOMRA's Genius TM optical sorter to be renewed. Along with the traditional high resolution cameras of the original model, this unit has been equipped with a new sensor for fish and shellfish. This sensor is capable of detecting bones, spines, scales and tiny objects that cannot be perceived by the human eye or any other sorting equipment. TOMRA's R&D team, together with several experts in the industry, has made possible the development of this new, more precise and reliable technology, suitable for an increasingly demanding market.
Thai Union has been one of the first users of the Genius with the new sensor for fish and shellfish. It is the largest canned tuna processor in the world. Its plant, located in Thailand, has already proven the many benefits of the new TOMRA Food technology. Its production manager, Wilaiphan Sangkaphan, explains: “Our plant processes tuna that normally contains 3,000 to 5,000 pieces of bones and bones per 100 kg. Removing the bones manually, required the work of 40 people per hour to produce 600 kg of final product ready for sale. Now, thanks to the Genius sorter we only need 10 to 15 people to achieve a production of approximately 900 kg per hour. Thus, labor costs have been reduced by between 60% and 75%, while productivity has increased by 50%. "
Finally, it should be noted that another of the great advantages provided by the new Genius is the significant reduction in product that was previously discarded as waste. At Thai Union, the machine rejects between 8 and 15% of the tuna it classifies. It has been shown that if a second pass is made, the Genius recovers 5% of the white meat discarded in the previous process. The advantages and results are therefore exceptional and allow the cost of the investment to be recovered in just 6 months. You don't have to be a genius to see the benefits of the Genius!
Source: TOMRA