Swiss Hoegger highlights unique separation equipment at Potato Expo Las Vegas

The Swiss Food Processing Equipment Company Hoegger is showing its latest implementation of their (potato) separating technology at the Potato Expo 2016 in Las Vegas.

The Potato Expo - the largest potato conference and trade show in North America - starts today in The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and lasts till Thursday, January 14.

The new separator developed by Hoegger ensures better quality and yield when separating hard/soft Matters of boiled potatoes and vegetables. In addition, the new technology results in low operating costs, easy cleaning and automatic process control.

Successful application fields include:

• Potato mash
• Sweet potato mash
• Potato speciality products
• Potato flake production
• Apple puree
• Chestnut puree

For more than 30 years, Hoegger has been supplying primarily the potato industry with separators for gentle separating and puree processing. These are used to produce fresh potato puree from whole potatoes. In addition, it is possible to produce specialities such as croquettes, Duchess potatoes, Pommes Noisette from by-products of French-fried potato production.

The explanations below are based on the processing of potatoes but apply similarly to the processing of other vegetables or fruit.

The process

Peeled or unpeeled and well cooked potatoes are fed continuously into the separator's feed hopper. The feed container is fitted with a mixing and conveying screw which is designed to ensure that it does not form any deposits and that the "first in – first out" principle is guaranteed.

A level monitoring system ensures that the hopper is not overfilled and that the machine switches off when there is not enough product. The speed-controlled screw conveyor moves the product very gently towards the wing pump which, based on the low rotational speed, moves the product to the separating unit with controlled pressure.

The newly developed separating head is used to puree the potatoes and precisely separate any peel particles and other hard objects, without damaging the delicate potato starch cells.

Consistently good separation is ensured by continuously removing unwanted items from the separating disc using closely-fitting knives, and discharging them via the residue output valve. The residue valve is controlled by the adjustable differential pressure between the pump pressure and the residue pressure so that the pressure in the separating unit is maintained at a constant level.

The separating unit, which is open on one side, is generously dimensioned so that the system pressure can be kept as low as possible which, in combination with the control of throughput, knife head rotation speed and differential pressure, has a very positive effect on the separation process and the product quality.

Operating the unit

The newly developed machine has been designed to ensure that it can be cleaned easily and reliably.

The operating and maintenance costs are low because the construction of the machine is maintenance-friendly and requires only few wear and spare parts. A high yield and the machine safety required by regulations are always ensured thanks to the monitoring of the process parameters and modern safety devices.

The machine has a PLC control system, and an operating panel is available to program its operation to the exact recipe required. All relevant operating data are displayed on the panel and can be exchanged via Ethernet with data from the operating control system. As an option, it is possible to provide a control system for the remote servicing of the separator.

When installed in fully automatic production lines, the separator is equipped with the necessary monitoring devices and interfaces.

Cost effectiveness of the process

The process is very cost effective owing to the high quality of the end product, an improved yield, low operating costs and, if applicable, the automation of the system.

The quality of the end product results from the even puree processing and the gentle and precise separation process. The improved yield is due to the good separation, the precise control and the resulting consistency over long production cycles.

The operating costs are comparatively low because there are few wear parts and the machine

Applications

The new PS2000 is very suitable for the puree and separating process during the production of fresh potato puree, potato specialties or potato flakes. In addition, there are successful applications for sweet potatoes, processing fruits and vegetables.

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  Producing mashed potato or potato specialties from fully cooked potatoes or by-products of french fry production such as slivers and nubbins (after cooking)

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  Producing sweet potato mash from pieces of fully cooked sweet potatoes

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  Making Applesauce or puree from other fruits or vegetables