Kronen provides gentle processing for delicate salads

Kanes Foods is one of the largest food manufacturers in England, producing a large range of washed and ready-to-eat salads and prepared vegetables.

The company approached Kronen to develop an optimised manufacturing process incorporating a thorough and careful wash and treatment, both to prevent damage to the product and to improve its quality and durability.

The new Kronen lines are an extension of four existing salad washing lines.

Weighing belts and sorting systems transport the salad products to be washed to a water flume (for immersion or prewatering) in a GEWA 5000B PLUS washing machine. The machine is equipped with an insect drum, WMS (water management) system, automatic filling and emptying system and lateral fines removal drum. The specially developed stainless steel cover over the entire washing unit can be raised pneumatically.

Control of the entire production line takes place in one control box via a touchpad.

After the washing process, the salad products are transported over the outfeed belt and then gently flushed via a flume into the large bore piping system for posttreatment. The piping system is built in a compact and modular design and the dwell time is flexibly adjustable across the full range. At two viewing windows, the product flow can be checked visually.

The washed, treated salad products are gently carried by an innovative outfeed belt system (equipped with a suction fan below the conveyor belt and two tapping units) for further processing and drying.

There, the products will be dewatered to remove excess water. In combination with the air knife system which is placed on top and below the conveyor belt discharge, swept water can be reduced by more than half.