TOMRA Sorting Solutions to demo in-line fat analyser at US show

TOMRA will showcase its QVision 500 fat analyser at the International Production and Processing Expo at the Georgia World Congress Centre in Atlanta, from 28 to 30 January 2014. 

TOMRA Sorting Food, says the QVision 500 allows suppliers to provide consistent product quality and secure large savings by increasing profitability and simplifying daily operation. 

The system has proved extremely popular since its introduction, with installations taking place in countries including Germany, Poland, Austria and the USA.

Tom Krueger, technical sales manager, process equipment and analytics, TOMRA Sorting Food, explained: “The QVision’s unique transflection technology sets a new standard for in-line analysis, as we’ve made great efforts to design the system to meet the food industry’s demanding needs. Durable and simply-designed, it can measure fat, moisture, protein and color simultaneously, and in real-time, with outstanding accuracy. The hygienic and robust analyser penetrates far into the meat, measuring across the full 500mm width of its conveyor belt and offering automatic reference calibration.”

QVision applications include: fresh or frozen ground meat, of any grind size – including mechanically separated products - for which the machine is immune to surface effects; diced meat, for which it can be used to blend trim meat better or as the initial step in some dried sausage production processes; and small pork trim, as it standardises this without grinding or dicing.

The in-line analyser offers benefits like consistent end product quality; large savings in reduced lean giveaway; smarter purchasing through quality control of raw materials; reduced human and sampling errors; full quality traceability and documentation of batches; and increased throughput – it can handle 30 tons per hour easily.          

Mr Krueger said: “The QVision 500 has no horizontal surfaces where water droplets can remain and the system is never in contact with the meat. The design is open, so all surfaces can be visually inspected and sanitized, using high pressure water, without disassembly.

 “Ease-of-use is another key feature, as the machine is intuitive, offering an automated and simple process interface. Key information is directly available on the self-explanatory touchscreen and operators need only minimal training to use it. The analyser also provides impressive data access, with daily reports being exported or integrated to the customer’s existing IT system.”

Among the US users of the QVision 500 are a ground beef and burger producer, which initially owned one unit and then requested another two. In addition, a major American case-ready beef producer has this year invested in four analysers, following its acquisition of a pair in 2012.

European customers include T?nnies Lebensmittel, headquartered in RNIKE AIR FORCE