March/April 2019 - 18

EQUIPMENT
PEELERS
Picking a Peeler
Photo: Tomra
PRODUCE PEELING CHOICE COMES
DOWN TO WHAT MEETS YOUR NEEDS
By Melanie Epp
Contributing Writer
CHOOSING THE RIGHT POLISHING
peeling technology for the job is no
easy task.
Different types of peelers will
give different finishes, and their
maintenance will vary, depending on
which style you choose - brush, grit
or knife. Ultimately, the choice will
depend on the end product.
Four companies shared their
expertise and showcased their peeling
equipment at Fruit Logistica 2019 in
Berlin.
Breaking down peeling technology
Choosing the right polisher or peeler
starts with understanding needs.
Specifically, what food producers need
to be aware of when they're choosing
a machine is the type of technology
available and which is the best fit for
their needs, said Stuart Allen-Oldham,
territory manager at Wyma.
" The brush technology that we use
allows us to get into the dents - we
can get into that and peel that so you
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don't have a lot of yield loss, " he said,
referring to their Vege-Peeler. " If you
take a knife peeler, it would have to
cut all around it, so you'd have much
higher yield loss. But you get a much
smoother finish with the knife.
" A knife peeler gives you a very
smooth finish, which with a french fry
helps with frying. With a brush peeler,
it doesn't give that smooth finish, but
it gives a much better yield. "
Grit or carborundum, on the other
hand, is not quite as aggressive as a
knife, but it results in a higher yield loss
than a brush. And the grit is expensive
to change, but the knives blunt as well.
Allen-Oldham said that if a brush is
suitable, its benefits are that it doesn't
require much maintenance and it will
last a couple of years. " Clean in place "
(CIP) technology will keep hygiene at
its optimum level.
" It's very important that the supplier
understands the end goal and the
customer understands the options of
what they are trying to achieve, " AllenOldham
said.
Brush peelers are most suitable
for hash browns and other processed
potato products that don't lose their
appeal when that smooth texture is
compromised. They also work well in
conjunction with a steam peeler.
" A steam peeler can take quite a
lot of maintenance, " he said. " If you
get dirt on a steam peeler, then it's
a very costly thing when you have a
breakdown to clean. Whereas, if you
put one of our peelers in front of it, it
takes away all that dirt and loose skin,
and then the steam peeler does that
nice, finishing peel.
" That has a really good return on
investment. "
Wyma's Vege-Peeler peels a variety of
vegetables, including carrots, potatoes,
sweet potatoes, swede (or rutabagas)
and beets. It is available with custom
designed brushes or a combination of
brushes and carborundum. The peeler
has achieved yield losses as low as 5
percent on certain vegetables. Wyma
also sells a Vege-polisher for those who
are looking for a more finished look to
fresh produce.
Steam peeling vs. cold peeling
In terms of peeling technology, steam
peeling is pretty new to the scene.
Before that, everything was done cold
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March/April 2019

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