Leading provider of food processing equipment, Marel SA, is re-defining the way in which processed meat, poultry and fish products are made. With the launch of its new RevoPortioner portioning system, producers can expect greater efficiency, more flexibility and improved hygiene capabilities, while consumers can expect more appealing and tastier products. Processed foods such a hamburger patties and fish fingers are supermarket staples, but consumers often find they are disappointed by the quality and taste of these products. And, as the demand for convenience foods grows worldwide, they are becoming much more discerning in their choices.
Marel Townsend Further Processing’s RevoPortioner, which uses cutting-edge low-pressure technology, ensures that manufacturers can remain true to the taste and texture of the original protein source when developing processed products and offers consumers a significantly superior taste experience. As importantly, portion sizes are more accurate, and products like burger patties and fish cakes hold their form better. Custom-designed to suit the specific needs of each manufacturer, RevoPortioner systems provide superior flexibility in terms of portioning, offering a far greater range of shapes and weights to meet changing and, in particular, localised preferences. “High-pressure portioning is the industry standard at present,” says Marel General Manager, Rodney Macer-Wright, “but it has its drawbacks. Protein mass and texture are partially destroyed when using high-pressure technology, and this compromises the quality of the end product.
“Low-pressure technology, on the other hand, preserves the original texture and taste of the protein source much better, and enables manufacturers to produce a more visually attractive and appetizing product.”RevoPortioner systems are used to convert whole muscle, ground and emulsified meat, poultry and fish into individual portions of the same shape and weight. They are also specially designed to facilitate gentle handling, accurateweight control, optimum shape retentionand timeous delivery of the product into packaging trays.
“In order to meet the ever-increasing demand for a greater variety of product types, sizes and shapes, processed food manufacturers need not only flexibility but, above all, control,” says Macer-Wright. “Fine-tuned control of the entire production process enables them to produce quality products, while keeping both material and labour costs down. This, in turn, enables them to be more competitive in a very crowded processed food niche.”
Food safety is, of course, also a major issue for manufacturers, and Marel Townsend Further Processing;s RevoPortioner is specifically designed with this in mind. Made of high-grade stainless steel, and with fewer parts than earlier generations of portioners, the equipment is much easier to clean, so impeccable food hygiene can always be maintained. RevoPortioner also offers the add-on option of a range of interleavers, which can be used to insert paper or plastic interleaves between such products as burger patties, frozen pizzas, frozen fish portions and even sliced cheese portions.
“As consumers become more sophisticated, they are becoming more discerning too,” says Macer-Wright. “This means manufacturers of processed foods have to constantly review and upgrade their capabilities to meet growing and changing needs. RevoPortioner will enable them not only to improve product quality and efficiency, but also to offer a far greater range of processed products.”