The use of fresh-cut vegetables for foodservice has seen significant growth in the past few years, driven by hygiene regulations, customer preference for fresher meals, and convenience factors such as quicker cooking times and reduced prep time. Restaurants, caterers and other foodservice outlets see tremendous benefit in value-added produce products that are pre-cut, partially cooked or pre-seasoned yet retain the quality of more expensive fresh produce.
Likewise, time-strapped, health-conscious consumers see similar value in the fresh-cut convenience category. Indeed, according to the Fresh-cut Produce Association, fresh-cut fruits and vegetables make up one of the fastest-growing food categories in U.S. supermarkets, with U.S. sales of fresh-cut produce increasing from $3.3 billion in 1994 to $15 billion in 2005 with expansion set to continue.
However, innovative new packaging and processing developments are essential to the industry's further growth. Food producers, having traditionally focused on more heavily processed products-such as raw ingredients, bulk or frozen items-are now seeking avenues to deliver their products to the market in a refrigerated fresh-cut format. To take advantage of this opportunity, food manufacturers are turning to a new array of packaging and processing technologies.
Breaking into Fresh-cut
Keystone Potato Products, based out of Hegins, Penn., exemplifies this trend. Founded in 2003 by Keith Masser, president of Sterman Masser, a potato-growing company, Keystone's core business is producing dehydrated flakes and flour. Using Sterman Masser as its main source for raw potatoes, Keystone achieved considerable success in these product categories. However, as demand for refrigerated fresh-cut potatoes grew, the company saw an opportunity to expand into a new market sector, add value to its product and drive profitability. The organizational structure of Keystone-essentially a cooperative of dozens of growers-gives the company an almost unlimited supply of raw product, including whites, russets, reds and yellows. Thus, it was simply a matter of building the processing and packaging capacity to break into the fresh-cut market.
New Facility Expands
With the objective of producing a shelf-stable refrigerated product of fresh-cut in four formats (french fry-cut, dice, slice and quarter potato wedges) and two package sizes (five- and 10-pound bags), Keystone made the decision to expand its capacity with a new production line at its Hegins, Penn., location. In specifying the processing line components, a key requirement was a packaging solution that could handle a wide range of product formats and package sizes. Keystone turned to Bosch Packaging Technology for a packaging solution: the SVE 3800 AB Vertical Form-Fill-and-Seal machine.
The SVE is well-suited to many of Keystone's needs. Specifically, the flexibility of the machine is crucial for a number of reasons. Keystone's goal was to process and package fry-cuts, dices, slices and quarter wedges. Within each one of these formats, there is a diversity of sizes.
For example, dices come in sizes from 3/8-inch square to one and a half-inch square. The SVE is specifically designed to package free flowing, loose products and can handle a wide variety of product sizes and formats. Incoming product flow is continuous and enters the machine from the top, fed by an Ishida weigher that is integrated into the SVE's control system. Simple adjustments to the weigher allow for a quick changeover between product formats and sizes, dependent on the target weight for the bag.
Keystone is using the SVE for two bag sizes: five and 10 pounds. A key consideration that led to the company's decision to select the SVE was the ease of changeover between bag sizes. The SVE uses one forming tube to create both bags, so it is only a matter of changing the bag length and adjusting the fill weight-an almost immediate operation. The machine currently runs 30 bags per minute for the five-pound bags, but is capable of up to 120 packages per minute, depending on upstream product flow and bag size. If necessary, the SVE can package bag widths ranging from two inches to 15 inches and lengths of three inches to 24 inches.
Extending Shelf Life
Because Keystone is moving into the refrigerated fresh-cut market, shelf life concerns are paramount. The difference in shelf life between frozen and refrigerated is months versus days. An extension of shelf life means more time available for distribution and storage, thus facilitating deeper market penetration and broader regional access. The two methods of addressing this challenge, barrier films and gas flush, are both facilitated by the SVE.
Currently, Keystone is using a wide range of barrier films and experimenting with different gauges with different oxygen transfer rates. The SVE is designed to process a wide variety of packaging films and varying gauges, including heat sealable and polyethylene materials. Likewise, the SVE is equipped with the capacity to implement gas flush for modified atmospheric packaging (MAP). With nitrogen flush to displace the oxygen within the package, Keystone is able to inhibit the growth of aerobic pathogens and other agents that lead to product spoilage, thus lengthening the shelf life of its potato products.
Smooth Processing
The SVE's servo motion control technology adds to the efficacy of Keystone's operations. The film sealing system features servo motion control for both film handling and independent jaw movement. Designed around a Rockwell/Allen-Bradley integrated control system for total system awareness, the SVE's online machine documentation allows real time diagnostic capabilities.
The packaging material is fed continuously and precisely by a vacuum-supported servo belt system, without any friction between the belts and forming tubes. Simultaneously, a strong longitudinal seam with minimal overlap is formed. The cross seal jaws are synchronized with the packaging film advance to ensure precise top and bottom seals and to enable smooth separation and finish.
Servo drives also electronically control the vertical and horizontal motions of the cross seal jaws. One servomotor is dedicated to the vertical movement of the cross-jaw assembly. The second servomotor drives the opening and closing of the cross seal jaws. These features facilitate many different movement profiles to enable Keystone to reap the benefits of a wide array of sealing parameters.
Flexibility Key to Growth
With the line up and running since August 2008, Keystone is currently producing packaged fresh-cut potatoes for the foodservice market and is soon to break into the consumer space. As growth continues, the company is expanding its work force and capacity to accommodate more volume. The SVE is well equipped to handle the increased volume with its high-speed capacity. However, perhaps more importantly, the flexibility of the machine-
a variety of bag sizes, sealing configurations and packaging films-will enable Keystone to adapt to the notoriously fickle demands of the restaurant and retail consumer markets.
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