IKEA is hoping to add to its environmental credentials by selling lettuce grown in its stores from hydroponic farms. The company announced the project late last year, and recently demonstrated how it would work.
Lettuce and other greens are grown hydroponically, meaning without soil or pesticides, using LED lights powered by renewable energy. This method uses 90 percent less water and half the area of conventional farming, and produces a harvest in just five weeks.
The growing system is a 30-meter-long “agritech container” made by Swedish company Bonbio. Four shelves can hold up to 3600 plants. They feed on nutrients extracted from organic waste, including leftover food from IKEA restaurants.
Because lettuce is grown in the same place where it is used, its environmental footprint is minimal. According to the company, production can be scaled to meet specific store demand, reducing food waste. Over the course of a year, one container can produce 5 tons of lettuce.
Lettuce grown on hydroponic farms will be sold in two stores in Helsingborg and Malmö in Sweden.
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It is specified that modules for growing vegetables and herbs will be received by the end of 2018 at RSAU-MSHA named after. Timiryazev, Volgograd State Agrarian University, Stavropol State Agrarian University and Astrakhan State Technical University.
“The installations will be small in size and modular so that students can assemble them themselves and set up technological modes. We will also prepare teaching materials for teaching students city farming technologies,” said project coordinator Yulia Goncharova.
It is noted that the designers have different architectures: hydroponic - horizontal, aeroponic - vertical. The Russian Farms team will select plant varieties and crops for cultivation in installations together with representatives of universities, based on the characteristics of regional agricultural production markets. The goal of the Russian Farms project participants is to produce similar installations for the mass consumer.
“According to experts, the cost of equipment for the end user will be about 15 thousand rubles,” added Yulia Goncharova.
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Russia is following in the footsteps of the global trend - in the last few years, the share of purchases of vegetables that are as ready to eat as possible has increased significantly - washed and peeled vegetables, vegetable mixes and sets. Russian manufacturers are responding to demand by introducing more and more types of such products to the market. What to expect in the coming years on the shelves of Russian supermarkets?
Russia is following in the footsteps of the global trend - in the last few years, the share of purchases of vegetables that are as ready to eat as possible has increased significantly - washed and peeled vegetables, vegetable mixes and sets. Russian manufacturers are responding to demand by introducing more and more types of such products to the market. What to expect in the coming years on the shelves of Russian supermarkets? Trend No. 1. Russia is increasing the production of greenhouse vegetables
Over the past 3 years, the market for protected soil vegetables has been growing. Both the area of greenhouses and the volume of harvested crops are growing. Moreover, if the area increases by 1-4% per year, then the harvest volumes increase by 13-14%.
Thus, in 2017 alone, the total area of protected soil increased by 136 hectares. Based on the results of 2017, 922 thousand tons of greenhouse vegetables were harvested. According to the State Program for the Development of Agriculture and Regulation of Markets for Agricultural Products, Raw Materials and Food, by 2020 the volume of production of protected soil vegetables will increase to 1.4 million tons, that is, by 52%.
As for 2018, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, the gross harvest of greenhouse vegetable crops as of May 15, 2018 in the country amounted to 333.6 thousand tons, which is 40.4% higher than the level of 2017 (237.6 thousand tons) . Including cucumbers - 235.7 thousand tons (+23.6%), tomatoes - 89.1 thousand tons (+51.85%), other vegetable crops - 8.8 thousand tons (+53.4 %).
The leaders in the production of greenhouse vegetables in agricultural organizations and farms among the constituent entities of Russia were the Krasnodar Territory - 27.7 thousand tons, the Moscow Region - 23.2 thousand tons, the Stavropol Territory - 21.9 thousand tons and the Volgograd Region – 19.8 thousand tons.
With the growth of the market and stricter requirements for product quality, there is a need to offer new solutions. Moreover, they concern not only finished products, but also modern technologies for producing vegetables.
Trend No. 2. Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in artificial media without soil. Plant roots receive nutrition from the solution. Such cultivation of greenhouse crops is one of the main trends in Europe. Hydroponics is especially popular for growing salads. It is actively used in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Great Britain. Many greenhouse farms in Russia are also actively implementing this system. Plants are grown in a protected environment where there are no insects or pesticides. As a result, the consumer receives a completely pure, healthy product. To extend its shelf life, it is packaged together with the pot in which it continues to grow, including on the supermarket shelf. True, deprived of a nutrient solution, the plant quickly withers and loses its presentation.
To solve this problem, the Dutch Viscon Group has developed a packaging method in which the product remains alive and continues to grow on the store shelf for at least another week and a half, remaining fresh and without losing its presentation.
Roman Kultenko, regional manager of Viscon Group in CIS countries: “Viscon hydroponic systems are designed for plants with a short life cycle, ideal for growing in water, such as herbs, cabbage or parsley. In addition, Viscon has gone further than just growing salad crops. We offer the client a living, still growing product. According to our technology, a plant in a pot for growing is placed in a compact, tightly closed glass of water, then, together with the glass, it is packaged in hard transparent film and in this form goes for sale online. That is, it continues to grow in a greenhouse package on the store shelf.”
According to Kultenko, such a plant feels great in the refrigerator for two weeks. “Now it is profitable for producers of such products to grow seedlings themselves, using the latest European developments. The ability to pack the salad in a bright, attractive greenhouse package, where the roots of the plant remain in the water, also extends its shelf life. The offer of such “live” products is interesting, first of all, for chains, as it allows them to reduce the percentage of spoilage and returns,” comments Interagro General Director Ekaterina Babaeva.
Trend No. 3. City farming
This is a new trend that is becoming more and more popular all over the world. Vertical or container hydroponic setups for growing greens are becoming affordable for many. Huge farms appear on the roofs of buildings, supplying entire areas with fresh greens. And in restaurants, diners can see their salad being cut from the “garden” before serving. Startups are being created to develop and install hydroponic structures and bio-vegetarians of individual format. People grow vegetables, herbs and salad crops not only on the windowsill and balcony. An impromptu “dacha” in an office or cafe no longer surprises anyone.
Keeping up with global trends, Russian inventors are also looking for high-quality technological solutions for “dachas on the windowsill.” For example, scientists from the Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K.A. Timiryazev patented a technology for city farmers. This is a container for growing vegetables that maintains a given soil moisture and temperature. The innovative container allows the greenery grown in it to contain the entire range of tastes and aromas that are found only in ground-based, “country” plants.
“Now there is a great demand for products that you can grow yourself,” says Ekaterina Babaeva, General Director of the Interagro company. “Ready-made kits with a system for providing plants with moisture throughout their entire life cycle have long been in demand in Europe. In Russia, this trend is only gaining momentum, but, without a doubt, will soon take leading positions on the shelves of supermarket chains. People are interested in growing salads, herbs, or potted plants. There are “bar kits” that include mint and other herbs used in cocktails, or a set of greens for housewives. Without any effort, the consumer always has his own harvest at hand.”
Trend No. 4. Vegetables for children. BABY SIZE
Feeding your child vegetables is a big problem for parents around the world. Our children enjoy eating sweets and are almost always against carrots, peppers, cabbage and radishes. European vegetable producers found a solution. Mini-vegetables in mini-packages are produced specifically for children, which instills a culture of healthy food consumption from childhood. These are mini cucumbers, tomatoes or peppers in glasses with a bright pattern. The child believes that all these little vegetables are grown especially for him. You can take them to school or eat them on the way.
Trend No. 5 – Mixes on a substrate, ready-to-eat products in a vacuum
Competition in the product sales market is a harsh thing. Therefore, vegetable producers offer products for different target groups in different packages, ranging from vegetable sets - tomatoes and cucumbers, to washed, peeled, cut vegetables, ready for consumption. Manufacturers are working on branding, looking for interesting ideas and slogans. These are no longer just chopped, washed or cooked packaged potatoes, carrots, beets or salad. This is a “breakfast for little champions”, a ready-made offer in the form of a salad or borscht set for busy housewives.
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This spectacle is pleasing to the eye: bunches of lettuce planted in even rows create a motley field of emerald and ruby. As the sun begins to shine and temperatures begin to rise, Belgian company Dejonghe Salads expands its outdoor lettuce production, where it is grown in trays. After a few weeks, the lettuce is harvested and leaves the company the same day, mostly cut and packaged.
Lettuce production for over 30 years
More than 30 years ago, Lieven de Jonge and his wife Bee began producing lettuce. Their sons Christophe and Olivier must be delighted that the company now also collects and packages its products. Christophe began experimenting with producing lettuce using water in 2008, and the idea to process lettuce in-house came soon after.
Olivier: "For the new production method we had to look for suitable varieties. We settled on the Salanova variety from Rijk Zwaan. Using this variety simplifies the harvesting process because the leaves can be easily cut with one movement, in addition, prices on the market were not high, so it wasn’t such a difficult task.”
In 2012, Christophe left the company and Olivier created a cutting factory. The business began to develop rapidly, and in 2017 a new warehouse was built specifically for the cutting plant. Dejonghe Salads supplies to wholesalers and distributors who pick up the product en route to REO Veiling in Roeselare. In addition, Olivier supplies salad every week to restaurants near Roeselare.
Salanova mix
Various varieties of lettuce grown by Dejonghe Salads are packaged in a mixture. "The mix contains five types of Salanova, and we add frisse lettuce, which gives the mixtures a variety of colors and textures. Twice a year we visit the test fields of various seed companies to discover new varieties. We select the best ones based on criteria such as color , leaf shape, weight and other product characteristics.Not all varieties grow in winter, so we also use lettuce from France and Spain.
For larger buyers, lettuce is supplied in bulk, although most lettuce is sold in 150g packs for retail and 500g for the food service industry. At the request of the store, we can print their logo on the packaging of our products.
Manual cutting
Lettuce is cut by hand. Olivier never thought about mechanical cutting. "Because we cut by hand, we can change the quality for the better. Salanova lettuce can be cut quite easily. Unlike the first type, Butterhead lettuce (head lettuce with a buttery leaf) needs to be torn by hand rather than cut, which is a little more labor intensive. We We remove the veins because consumers, and especially children, do not like to eat them.”
During the peak season in the summer, four full-time employees cut the lettuce. It is important that the salad is kept refrigerated during this period. Olivier: "The Salanova mixture has a shelf life of eight days in summer, but if stored correctly this can be extended to ten days. In winter the mixture can be stored for seven days, which is slightly shorter; the lettuce is softer and therefore more vulnerable because it is grown in greenhouses.”
Sales growth
Sales are growing every year, and according to Olivier, there are several reasons for this. “Consumers are now more likely to choose convenience, so they are choosing salad mixes rather than cutting their own lettuce. Restaurants don't mind being served chopped salad either. Even after Belgium introduced the so-called white register – a system that is supposed to combat unregistered employment in the catering industry – we have seen that the industry is happy to let the cutting plants do their job.”
Translation of the article from www.hortidaily.
The “salad” direction appeared relatively recently, so there are still few companies producing ready-cut vegetables on the Russian market. “Of the large companies offering such products, we can only name Belaya Dacha and us,” says Vladimir Shipulin, commercial director of the Green Terra company (production of vegetable and salad mixtures, Moscow). He sees the reason for the low prevalence of this business in the “narrow target audience” of consumers of ready-made salads: “Basically, our client is business women who do not have time to prepare food, but are focused on a healthy lifestyle.”
Moreover, such products are new for both buyers and representatives of retail chains, which means they require a lot of costs and efforts to promote, adds Ksenia Kimelman, marketing director of the company “ Belaya Dacha Trading" (production and supply of ready-to-eat salads, vegetables, fruits, Moscow).
Russians have not yet developed a culture of consuming vegetable salads, explains Shipulin. In our country, this phrase most often means a mixture of tomatoes and cucumbers or a vinaigrette, and not at all the leaves of the green crop of the same name. The difficulty is that people simply don’t know many varieties. Usually only those who have been abroad understand what Iceberg or Romano lettuce is.
But, despite the difficulties described above, manufacturers, in particular Green Terra, still do not sell salads from tomatoes and cucumbers. The fact is that these crops have a shelf life of only 2-3 hours, while lettuce leaves, carrots and radishes remain fresh under production and transportation conditions (at temperatures from 0 to 6°C) for 5-11 days, explains Shipulin.
Preliminary processing
The production process begins with the fact that vegetables entering for processing undergo quality control. “For this, we have certain standards for size, color, smell, taste. And, of course, we determine whether the product is spoiled,” says Shipulin. After a comprehensive analysis of the batch has been carried out, it is either accepted for processing or rejected.
Valery Chernov, leading equipment sales specialist at Agropak (equipment for processing and packaging vegetables and fruits), identifies the following stages of preparing vegetables before sale: removing soil and stones using a soil separator, dry washing (using brushes), diameter calibration (necessary for potatoes, onions) and length (for carrots), washing vegetables (modern automatic washers, as a rule, are drum-type machines that are used for all types of root vegetables - potatoes, carrots, beets). Also important are such stages of vegetable preparation as optical calibration (sorting the product by quality, size) and product inspection (carried out using an inspection roller table, the product is viewed from all sides before it goes into packaging), adds Chernov.
According to Svetlana Pronina, manager of the vegetable processing department of the Eurotechnologies company (supply of equipment for the food industry), there are two types of cleaning machines: corundum (using abrasive) and knife. In the knife version, a vegetable peeler is most often used for processing fresh root vegetables intended for sale in transparent bags. Corundum cleaning ensures low waste levels.
At the next stage, the products are washed. According to Pronina, this process can occur both before and after cutting - it all depends on the wishes of the customer. The washing system is based on constant controlled circulation of clean water. Modern automatic washers are usually drum-type machines that are used for all types of root vegetables. The quality of the output product is achieved by a sufficiently high speed of rotation of the drum and friction of products against each other in an aggressive environment (water with sand, small particles of earth). At the exit, the product is washed with running water (for final packaging), adds Chernov.
According to experts, today the leading manufacturers of washing equipment for vegetables are EKKO (Denmark) and GILLENKIRCH (Germany). “The sinks of these companies are easy to operate and maintain, quite economical in energy consumption and water consumption, reliable and practical, which means they allow you to save on employees’ wages. In addition, they are convenient because they are selected individually, taking into account the productivity and complexity of the soil,” says Chernov. “Unfortunately, such equipment is not produced in Russia. And they won’t produce it for the next 10 years,” Shipulin predicts.
The performance of the washers varies. For some models it is 1.5 t/h, while for others it is 35 t/h and higher. As for the price, it accordingly increases along with performance. It is difficult to give exact figures, says Sergei Mudrechenko, packaging manager at NovAgroTech-Service (supply of equipment for packaging fruits and vegetables), because the equipment is manufactured for a specific customer, and everything depends on his goals. “For example, the cost of one washing machine with a throughput capacity of 20 t/h can reach 300-500 thousand euros. But few farms need such power,” says Mudrechenko.
Washing and cleaning machines are among the most expensive in the production line, confirms Shipulin. According to him, the cheapest unit costs 5 thousand euros, but it is not suitable for industrial scale, where the minimum price threshold is 20 thousand euros and the maximum is 500 thousand euros.
After washing, the products are dried. Typically this is done either with felt or with air. In the first case, says Mudrechenko, rollers pass over the conveyor belt along the top of the vegetables, which collect excess moisture. In the second case, adds Pronina from Eurotechnologies, drying is carried out using a centrifuge with a set rotation speed.
Cutting and mixing
After pre-preparing the vegetables, the salad ingredients are chopped and mixed. There are a great variety of machines for these purposes, say respondents “ ATt» specialists: manual, automatic, universal (for different types of vegetables), specialized, as well as with and without replacement of components.
Universal machines are divided into root machines (for carrots, beets and potatoes) and salad machines (for cabbage and lettuce), says Shipulin from Green Terra. “By the way, cabbage, despite the fact that it has its own specifics, can be cut using the same equipment as salads,” he says. “That’s what we do in our company.”
Specialized machines, Shipulin continues, can not only shred cabbage and remove stalks from it, but also core apples and slice soft foods such as strawberries or tomatoes. The specialist recalls that he saw equipment for removing cabbage stalks in Holland. “In our company this is still done manually, but we strive to reduce manual labor to a minimum. I think that such technology will soon appear in our country,” the commercial director of Green Terra is confident.
According to Shipulin, salad cutting equipment costs from 20 to 200 thousand euros, depending on productivity, which varies from 150 to 1 thousand kg/h. The price is especially high if the machines have replaceable components or when you have to buy additional attachments from a machine of another brand, adds Pronina from Eurotechnologies.
In order to cut vegetables, they are either loaded into a hopper chamber or sent along a conveyor where they are chopped using circular knives. There are a lot of cutting shapes: squares, straws, triangles, balls, etc., but if the client does not have enough options built into the equipment, he can always purchase additional attachments, notes Pronina. “The equipment we have installed from Dutch and German manufacturers (Eima and Eillert companies) allows us to cut vegetables into 150 different shapes,” Shipulin gives an example. “But much less is used in the production process. The chopped ingredients are mixed in special mixers with blades. These machines are also different: one for salad lines, another for root crops.”
Packaging
After the salads are ready, they are weighed, packaged and sent for sale. There are two ways to prolong the safety of goods: pack it “in a vacuum” or “in gas”. Both technologies are great for vegetables. Both Green Terra and Belaya Dacha use both technologies (depending on the wishes of the customers).
The point of the first method, which involves pumping out atmospheric air from the polymer packaging with the product, is to eliminate the interaction of food with oxygen, which, as is known, promotes rapid oxidation, and therefore spoilage of the product. Packaging with a modified atmosphere (a mixture of carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen) also has a powerful inhibitory effect on the proliferation of microorganisms.
The leaders in the production of vacuum packers are Dutch, German, Japanese and Italian manufacturers, and the price range for their equipment is very wide, notes Galina Kozyrenko, sales director of DIGI (production of packaging equipment). “For example, Yang (Oceania jolly model, Japan) in the basic configuration costs 550 thousand rubles, New Diamond vac from Jaw Feng (Taiwan) - from 740 thousand rubles, and the cost of the Italian Intry from Veripack is not less than 2. 8 million rubles,” she compares. At the same time, Russian analogues, despite their low cost (about 200-300 thousand rubles) due to the poor quality of the resulting packaging (leaks), in which the product is poorly stored (the shelf life varies), are not popular among Russians.
As for the modified gas environment, it is created using two technologies, explains Konstantin Egorov, gasification manager at Ilapak (manufacturer of packaging equipment). The first, using a thermoformer device, works according to the following scheme: air is pumped out of the polymer packaging with the product, after which it is filled with a gas mixture, followed by a hermetically sealed seal. The second option, full-pack, is a “replacement” method. “The required amount of gas mixture is supplied to the packaging, which displaces the air. Then, again, the seams are sealed,” says the aeration manager.
The cost of both equipment averages 90 thousand euros. On the one hand, a unit with full-pack technology will cost a little less, especially since the thin film required for these machines is inexpensive: 1 rub./kg of product. But on the other hand, such units “eat” too much gas, since some of it simply “evaporates”. And thermoforming equipment, despite the fact that it has a higher price and requires expensive film (up to 2 rubles / kg of product), uses gas more economically - it is spent only for filling the packaging. As a result, the costs for both technologies are approximately the same, says Egorov.
Purchasing a line
According to Pronina, a salad production line should at a minimum have washing, slicing and packaging. Other functions, and there can be many of them, are added depending on the wishes of the customer. Therefore, it is not easy to estimate at least approximately how much the line will cost. “To open your own production, you may need about 25 million euros,” Shipulin calculates. “But before you buy this or that equipment, you need to understand what market you want to conquer and, based on this, calculate production volumes.”
It’s no wonder that not all farmers have the funds to purchase the line. “Producing salads has been our main dream over the past years, but, unfortunately, we do not have money for equipment,” complains Viktor Golodnikov, director of the Promyshlennaya agricultural firm (vegetable production, Orenburg). The specialist is confident that salads will be in demand in his city: “About 560 thousand residents live in Orenburg, and 20% of them would be willing to buy finished products.”
According to Golodnikov’s calculations, the initial investment will cost his agricultural company at least $150 thousand. “With this money I want to buy washing machines, machines for sorting, packaging and deep processing,” the director shares his plans.
Despite the fact that these funds are not yet available, Golodnikov is afraid to take out a loan. “The memories of the 1998 default are still fresh, but there is no super-profitability from salad production,” he argues. “Moreover, the production of salads requires certain engineering structures. But our company has no problems with this: there is space, and water supply, gas and electricity are not so difficult to supply. I have already studied the production process and equipment thoroughly; one problem remains unresolved - finances.”
Technical details
The complexities of producing ready-to-eat salads—that is, fresh salads and vegetables that have been selected, washed and cut into pieces—go beyond the purchase of expensive equipment. According to Ksenia Kimelman, marketing director of Belaya Dacha Trading, the necessary food safety requirements for products can be achieved not only by automating production processes (reducing the share of manual labor). This can also be achieved by organizing personnel flow patterns, flows of raw materials and finished products in accordance with strict international standards and maintaining temperature conditions at +2...+4 ºС in all production areas. And the commercial director of the Green Terra company, Vladimir Shipulin, is sure that in addition to this, artesian water should be supplied for washing vegetables.
It is especially difficult to ensure storage conditions for fragile products at points of sale, experts complain. Therefore, Belaya Dacha and Green Terra often install their refrigerators in stores with which they cooperate. However, according to Shipulin, this is quite an expensive pleasure (each refrigerator costs 3-5 thousand euros), and not every store has enough free space to install the equipment.
There is also a certain difficulty with growing salads, which is associated with the climatic conditions of our country, continues Kimelman. For example, in winter, Belaya Dacha is forced to import raw materials from abroad. But in the summer the company buys salads only from domestic farmers. At the moment, the varieties Iceberg, Lollo Rosso, Romano and Frisse are supplied to Belaya Dacha by farmers from the Moscow region, Krasnodar region and Simferopol. The company itself grows Rucola, Corn and Baby Spinach salads in its own greenhouses.
In Green Terra they do not grow their own products at all, but buy them from local farmers or import them.
1. Lines for washing, cutting and packaging salads, salad lines, salad mixtures in any combination, only salads; with chopped vegetables; with chopped fruit; with the addition of herbs; chopped green leafy salads. The product is ready to use. Mini lines min productivity approx. 50-100 kg per hour.
Lettuce is one of the most widespread crops in the world and has 100-150 species. Specific product ideas are implemented on the basis of our equipment into cost-effective technological projects and standards.
You will receive not only a product made from environmentally friendly raw materials or a natural product, it is also a safe product that has undergone strict control during production to comply with sanitary and hygienic standards. We can demonstrate this to you and clearly demonstrate it to your consumer, show in detail the production line of the product.
1. Lines for washing, cutting and packaging salads, salad lines, salad mixtures in any combination, only salads; with chopped vegetables; with chopped fruit; with the addition of herbs; chopped green leafy salads. The product is ready to use. Mini lines min productivity approx. 50-100 kg per hour.
2. Line for preparing greens for sale - cleaning, washing, cutting, packaging. Mini lines.
3. Machines, lines for tying bunches of herbs, green onions, dill, parsley in soup sets in one or more bundles, attaching a brand, labeling, cutting off ends.
4. Lines for preparing pots for growing salads, greens, herbs in greenhouse conditions in pots. Additionally, supply of irrigation systems.
1. Designed for: small, medium and large industries.
Return on investment: fast
Production processes: the production line consists of two main processes, salad preparation (cleaning, cutting, washing, mixing, drying, sorting is possible) and packaging in consumer bags from 30 to 2500 g.
The profitability of preparing salads for retail reaches 60%.
They are used in fast food systems, restaurant chains, catering companies, and retail chains. Why does my store need a workshop? In recent years, many large stores and retail chains have begun to open their own salad production shops. Investing in a salad production and packaging line is a very interesting direction that allows you to get good added value.
High quality products! Packages containing fresh cut vegetables, without preservatives and freezing, as well as mixtures of them. Ready-made salads from fresh and boiled vegetables using dressings: mayonnaise, oil, vinegar, spices and mixtures of them. Salads “by weight”, packaged. New categories of vegetable products - ready-to-eat, unprocessed fresh salads, known abroad as fresh-cut. "Korean" salads.
Own business:
Food processing plants face numerous challenges and changes in the marketplace. To differentiate themselves from competitors with new products and production methods, customers need ideas that will help them solve these problems. The company is committed to developing joint solutions with customers, offering improved production methods and introducing new product launches with customized, efficient and reliable production lines.
Machinery and equipment: (//website)
Washing machines for fresh, unpeeled, peeled greens, lettuce, vegetables, fruits, seeds, seafood; drying, sizing, cutting vegetables into slices, washers, cubes, rings, sticks, strips, shavings; cabbage shredding machine; centrifuges; inspection tables; for potatoes, carrots, salads, onions, herbs, beets, paprika, cabbage, onions, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, leeks; weighing, packaging, etc.
Minimum productivity from 100-150 kg/h.... Suitable for autonomous operation and in-line installation.
Abrasive type root crop cleaning machines.
Universal machines for industrial slicing of hard vegetables, boiled vegetables, lettuce, carrots.
Washing machines with a remote vibrating table or a conveying belt are also used for mixing (mixtures of salads, soup vegetables, stirring vegetables before frying).
The centrifuge, in great demand all over the world, has up to 100 programmed settings to guarantee the final humidity, provides comfortable maintenance and an optimal processing mode for each product, to remove surface moisture from salads, as well as from cut vegetables and fruits after washing. Is a sales leader.
Mixers - The mixer gently and quickly mixes raw chopped vegetables, crisp lettuce, greens and deli meats and minced fish for preparing sausages or pizza ingredients. For leaf lettuces, mixing time is 30-60 seconds. The full cycle (loading, mixing, unloading) takes about 2-3 minutes.
Packaging machines, with weighing, for industrial packaging of piece, bulk and pasty products for food and non-food purposes. Installations for vacuum, gas and conventional packaging, packaging machines for packaging in trays, vertical packaging machines for sealed products in bags, for cut, or only peeled, or only washed products, in breathable packaging, without loss of commercial quality.
Special machines for processing cabbage
Lines for the production of salads, salad mixtures and greens.
The new line is designed for subsequent additional processing of vegetables with increased requirements for bacterial content, Bio products (leaf salads, root vegetables) or fruits (apples, grapes, etc.) in a closed space.
Thanks to this treatment, the bacterial component of the product is significantly reduced and, as a result, the shelf life and quality of the product increases.
The basic structure of the line: it is a pipe system (Ø 150 mm) with a device for product input and product outlet. The pre-cleaned product is fed through a funnel into the pipe system, the product passes through the entire system and is carried by a stream of water to a vibration device to remove moisture. The residence time of the product in the system is fixed and is 1-3 minutes. The system is compact and easily combined with any salad processing and washing line. All pipe connections are detachable to facilitate the process of washing and cleaning the system.
3. Automatic tying machines for tying greens and soup sets into bundles.
4. Water cooling systems (due to processing in cold water (approx. 4-7 degrees), the shelf life of the product is significantly increased)
5. Lines from washing and cleaning to vacuum packaging.
Germany
Iron Parts
0049 172 6040688 (viber, telegram)
https://iron-parts.com/
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Description
designed for small, medium and large productions. Processes: cleaning, cutting, washing, mixing, sorting possible, packaging Washing machines for fresh, unpeeled, peeled greens, lettuce, vegetables, fruits, seeds, seafood; drying, sizing, cutting vegetables into slices, washers, cubes, rings, sticks, strips, shavings; cabbage shredding machine; centrifuges; inspection tables; for potatoes, carrots, salads, onions, herbs, beets, paprika, cabbage, onions, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, leeks; weighing, packaging, etc. Productivity from 100-150 kg/h.... Suitable for autonomous operation and in-line installation. Abrasive type machines for cleaning root crops. Universal machines for industrial slicing of hard vegetables, boiled vegetables, leaf salads, Korean carrots. Washing machines with a remote vibrating table or a conveying belt are also used for mixing (mixtures of salads, soup vegetables, stirring vegetables before frying). The centrifuge, in great demand all over the world, has up to 100 programmed settings to guarantee the final humidity, provides comfortable maintenance and an optimal processing mode for each product, to remove surface moisture from salads, as well as from cut vegetables and fruits after washing. Mixers - The mixer gently and quickly mixes raw chopped vegetables, crisp lettuce, greens and deli meats and minced fish for preparing sausages or pizza ingredients. For leaf lettuces, mixing time is 30-60 seconds. The full cycle (loading, mixing, unloading) takes about 2-3 minutes. Packaging tables with weighing, for industrial packaging of piece, bulk and pasty products for food and non-food purposes. Installations for vacuum, gas and conventional packaging, packaging machines for packaging in trays, vertical packaging machines for sealed products in bags, for cut, or only peeled, or only washed products, in breathable packaging, without loss of commercial quality. Special machines for processing cabbage Automatic tying machines for tying greens, soup sets into bundles Water cooling systems (thanks to this processing in cold water, the shelf life of the product is significantly increased) Lettuce is one of the most widespread crops in the world and has 100-150 species. Lines for the production of salads, salad mixtures and greens. The new Vortex line is designed for subsequent additional processing of vegetables with increased requirements for bacterial content, BIO products (leaf salads, root vegetables) or fruits (apples, grapes, etc. ) in a closed space. Thanks to this treatment, the bacterial component of the product is significantly reduced and, as a result, the shelf life and quality of the product increases. The basic structure of the line: it is a pipe system (Ø 150 mm) with a device for product input and product outlet. The pre-cleaned product is fed through a funnel into the pipe system, the product passes through the entire system and is carried by a stream of water to a vibration device to remove moisture. The residence time of the product in the system is fixed and is 1-3 minutes. The system is compact and easily combined with any salad processing and washing line. All pipe connections are detachable to facilitate the process of washing and cleaning the system. Potato processing lines from washing and peeling to vacuum packaging. Lines for preparing snack products. Specific product ideas are implemented on the basis of our equipment into cost-effective technological projects and standards. The profitability of preparing salads for retail reaches 60%. They are used in fast food systems, restaurant chains, catering companies, and retail chains. Why does a store need its own workshop? In recent years, many large stores and chains have begun to open their own salad production shops. Investing in a salad production and packaging line is a very interesting direction that allows you to get good added value. This is a good quality product! Semi-finished products from fresh cut vegetables, without preservatives and freezing, as well as mixtures of them. Prepared salads from fresh and boiled vegetables using dressings: mayonnaise, oil, vinegar and spices. "Korean" salads. Salads “by weight”, packaged. New categories of vegetable products - ready-to-eat, unprocessed fresh salads, known abroad as fresh-cut. Own business: Food processing enterprises face numerous challenges and changes in the market. To differentiate themselves from competitors with new products and production methods, customers need ideas that will help them solve these problems. AGRO-T strives to develop joint solutions with customers, offer improved production methods and introduce new product launches with customized, efficient and reliable production lines. You will receive not only a product made from environmentally friendly raw materials or a natural product, it is also a safe product that has undergone strict control during production to comply with sanitary and hygienic standards. We can demonstrate this to you and clearly demonstrate it to your consumer, show in detail the production line of the product.
Features of agricultural technology
Seeds
Freshly harvested lettuce seeds, like most other plants, are dormant. Lettuce seeds go dormant after one year of storage, but even old seeds can go dormant again at ambient temperatures above 24°C. The most common reason for uneven germination or complete non-germination of seeds is elevated temperature. As soon as the air and substrate temperatures reach 23°C, the germination of untreated seeds decreases. Seeds that have not been processed easily lose their viability when stored in warm, damp conditions. Best germination is achieved at an ambient temperature of 20°C and below.
The use of treated seeds is preferable during hot periods, since the treatment expands the temperature limits at which the seeds will germinate. However, it should be remembered that seeds tend to lose their viability if they were stored in an open bag and could absorb water from the air. Seeds should be sown immediately after opening the package. Another cause of problems during germination may be uneven moistening of the substrate, which is especially common when sowing in cassettes. Do not forget that lettuce seeds need light to germinate, so they are either not sprinkled with substrate at all after sowing, or they are sprinkled with a very thin layer. Light also reaches the seeds coated with a special coating, because the material used for the coating splits after absorbing a little moisture.
Nutrition
By the time the cotyledon leaves fully open, the plants should already be receiving adequate nutrition with a low solution concentration of 0.5–0.6 mS/cm. At this concentration, seedlings develop faster. The composition of nutrients can be used the same as for adult plants. Further, EC gradually increases to 1 mS/cm by the time of planting in trays. Subsequently, the concentration is in the range of 0.5–2.5 mS/cm, depending on the air temperature, variety, and required leaf color. The optimal pH level for lettuce is 2.8–6.1.
Modes
Lettuce is a cold climate crop. It loves light and moisture; with a lack of light in hot weather, it quickly forms flower stalks; in addition, at high temperatures and a decrease in air humidity, the bitterness of the leaves increases and the leaves become less juicy. It must be remembered that temperatures above 25°C provoke flowering of many varieties. Relative air humidity should be at least 60–80%.
For most varieties, the following modes are optimal:
1. Germination chamber:
Air and substrate temperature 18°C, air humidity 100%. The seed cartridges can remain in the germination chamber from one to three days.
2. Seedling tables:
Air temperature at night is 16°C, during the day 18°C. Depending on the season, plants remain on the seedling tables for 10–14 days.
3. Grow tables:
Air temperature at night is 16°C, during the day 18–20°C. In summer, the air temperature may rise during the day, but if you want your salad to retain its good properties, it should not be higher than 25°C. On the salad line itself, the salad costs about 3 weeks in winter, then the period is reduced. In summer, lettuce needs shade. Ventilation is one of the most used and effective tools for reducing temperature. The use of CO2 accelerates the development of plants and increases the weight of the head, but is sometimes not economically profitable for salad crops. In addition, CO2 for salad should not contain any impurities. Therefore, CO2 enrichment mainly occurs through active ventilation.
Cooling the Nutrient Solution
In warm climates, it is better and more efficient to refrigerate the nutrient solution, as this can help avoid the more expensive cost of cooling the entire greenhouse. The temperature of the nutrient solution above 20°C provokes lettuce to bloom. Also, the high temperature of the solution inhibits the growth of the root system, since the oxygen content in the solution decreases. Cooling the solution not only reduces bolting of lettuce, but also inhibits the development of fungus, which leads to plant wilting. Cooling the nutrient solution is very effective in reducing temperature stress when the required ambient temperature cannot be maintained in the summer.
Leaf color
To increase the diversity of the assortment, many factories are trying to grow more and more new varieties, such as red-leaved varieties of lettuce such as Lollo rosso, but are faced with the problem of leaf color saturation. The same variety will be bright red when grown in open ground and much less intensely colored when grown in protected ground. The color saturation of the lettuce depends on several factors. First, leaf color potential is genetic. The pigments chlorophyll (green) and anthocyanin (red) are responsible for the color of the leaves. The quantitative combination of these pigments determines the color of the leaf - whether it will be brown due to the presence of both, green when chlorophyll predominates, or red when anthocyanin predominates.
In addition to the genetic potential of the variety, the quality of coloring is influenced by growing conditions. Plants grown in partial shade will have a fairly rich green color and less red areas than those grown in light. The amount of red pigment in the leaves increases with sufficiently good light and cold growing conditions. For example, in the summer, when plants grow quickly, the red pigment becomes dull and not saturated, resulting in a less intense color. A higher concentration of the nutrient solution results in more pigment being produced and a brighter red color. Some manufacturers, noticing a decrease in the intensity of the red color, react immediately and correct it by increasing the potassium in the solution.
Physiological disorders.
Marginal burn. This is a physiological disorder that affects the edges of leaves. Old outer leaves or inner, young ones located in the center of the rosette may be affected. The affected edges die and become dry; various rots can develop on the dead tissue, both on the salad line and later in the store.
Edge scorch most often occurs when the plant is almost ready for harvest in late winter, spring and summer, that is, during long sunny days and warm conditions. Edge scorch of outer leaves most often occurs in spring plantings after fans have been running (or vents have been open) on a sunny day with a cold wind. Marginal burn of inner leaves often occurs in early spring, when the windows have not yet been opened, the humidity in the plant environment is high, and transpiration is limited. A lot of research has been carried out to identify the causes of marginal burn damage. It was concluded that edge burn injury is primarily controlled by genetic factors, but is also influenced by rearing conditions. Damage is caused by insufficient calcium supply to the leaf edge. In this case, the calcium content in the solution does not matter, since it is transport that is difficult. Calcium moves through the plant with the flow of water. There are two main reasons for insufficient calcium movement throughout the plant:
1. Low air humidity, while the leaf evaporates moisture
faster than the roots can deliver it. The outer, older leaves are mostly affected.
2. High air humidity when too little evaporates
moisture. Mostly young leaves located in the center of the rosette are affected.
Conditions favorable for the appearance of a marginal burn:
– high temperatures in sunny weather
– low air and/or nutrient solution temperatures
– low pH level
– hot dry wind
– low air humidity
– high air humidity
– plants move on the line
– high concentration of nutrient solution
– weak root system due to poor oxygen supply
or death of roots
- sudden change in weather
– To some extent, low levels of magnesium and boron can also contribute to the appearance of marginal burn.
There are other causes of edge burn that are not related to the distribution of calcium in plants. This may be damage caused by treatment with herbicides or salts during foliar feeding.
Control measures. You can prevent or minimize the manifestations of a marginal burn using the following methods:
– do not allow conditions favorable for the appearance of edge
burn;
– control the calcium content in the solution;
– avoid high levels of potassium and nitrogen in the solution;
– use mainly the nitrate form of nitrogen, rather than the ammonium form;
– spray plants with calcium nitrate 0.01% at the beginning/middle of cultivation or when the first symptoms appear;
– open the windows gradually.
Vitreousness. Watery, glassy, shiny areas appear on the edges of the leaves. If measures are not taken quickly, leaf cells rupture and die, and necrosis forms. As leaves continue to grow around dead areas, they become crooked. Necrotic areas may be infected with secondary rot. Vitreousness develops when the roots absorb water faster than the leaves evaporate it. This occurs mainly in two types of air environments:
1. In conditions of high relative humidity, especially in cloudy, foggy weather, when there is no point in keeping the air temperature high or there is no ventilation.
2. After a cold night with clear skies, which causes the leaves to cool to a level below the ambient temperature. Evaporation from cold leaves is very small. On such a night, moisture from the air condenses on cold leaves and worsens the situation. Moisture may also condense on cold gutters and drip onto plants from above. The worst situation occurs when the temperature does not drop low enough to automatically turn on the greenhouse heater. If the sky remains clear throughout the next day, the rise in temperature due to the sun may be enough to cause the glassiness to disappear. But if the sky becomes cloudy, you will have to take action. The temperature of the solution can also affect the appearance of glassiness. If the solution is warm, the roots will remain active and continue to transfer water to the leaves, even when the air is cold and the leaves are unable to transpirate. Soft plants, that is, plants with weak leaves and low dry matter content, are more susceptible to glassiness than well-balanced plants.
Control measures:
1. Plants must be strong. This is possible with a good balance between light, air temperature and humidity. In cloudy weather, try to ventilate as much as possible day and night. Elevated levels of nitrogen in the nutrient solution can cause glassiness because
nitrogen provokes the formation of a vegetative plant with loose tissue. The concentration of the nutrient solution should be about 2 mS/cm; lower concentrations may also cause glassiness.
2. Avoid high humidity. Ventilation during cloudy weather will help prevent high humidity. Vents should be opened wide enough to allow air flow over and between plants, but strong drafts should be avoided. It is also useful to ventilate the greenhouse at the end of the day to reduce accumulated water vapor in the air.
3. Carefully inspect the plantings every day. For example, early in the morning, and if you notice glassiness on the plants, take action immediately. Increase the temperature by at least 3-5°C and maintain it for two hours. This will reduce air humidity and increase leaf temperature, allowing plants to evaporate water into the air. Then ventilate well to remove this damp air before returning to normal daytime routines. Do not use CO2 when plants show glassy symptoms. If necessary, repeat the heating/airing cycle. If this type of weather is likely to continue, it may be worth increasing the ventilation (in mild weather) or, in colder weather, changing the night thermostat settings so that heating starts a few hours before dawn (raise the night temperature).
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