Info Root Vegetable 2016 - Highlights from companies and other media

Then news highlights linked to production and postharvest of different underground vegetables, published in 2015/2016, from the companies or disseminated through other media: Fresh Plaza, Potato Pro, etc. Contents Introducing MICRONFOG?, keeping the dust downVision Control climate computer and more innovations at AgritechnicaOptical potato sorter selects by length, height, depth and qualityHigh-speed Micro weigher for precise small package weightsThe onion medicinal plant 2015THEMIS, Single Head Weighing SystemKorea: first report of postharvest fungal pathogen on onion bulbNew Onion sorting machine with internal quality sortingVegetable handling solutions and now also fruitsSeed potatoes focused on diversity and high quality standards, and ecological seed potatoesNew potato washing system meets demands of today's marketStudy: Best Hope for Potassium and Fiber Missing in Children's Diets is the One Vegetable They're Least Likely to Ignore: Potatoes Introducing MICRONFOG?, keeping the dust downDust suppression and clean air are vital elements of staff welfare. And, by their very nature, many root crops, when being handled and processed, will give off dust in some measure, which can raise health and safety concerns.New from Herbert is the MicronFog? dust suppression system. MicronFog? significantly reduces airborne dust by spraying a very fine mist through a series of atomiser nozzles. This mist hinders the creation of airborne dust and, crucially, does not wet the crop or the working area. MicronFog? is an ideal solution for installing on individual machines or within a building and has been successfully trialled with both potatoes and onions. It can also be used for re-moistening crops prior to packing.More informationVision Control climate computer and more innovations at AgritechnicaAt the Agritechnica, The Tolsma-Grisnich Group presents several innovations of its Vision Control climate computer for (potato) storage. In addition to new modules for our Vision Control storage computer (Energy Management and Weather in Control) Tolsma-Grisnich will be showcasing the Samro stone and clod separator, its in-house developed Track & Trace system for box storage, the Fresh Box, and its innovative washing installations.Vision Control innovationsTolsma-Grisnich's user-friendly Vision Control climate computer was designed to control the climate in storage facilities for potatoes, onions, carrots etc. Within this process, the Vision Control system regulates, among other things, fans, hatches, mechanical cooling units and stoves on the basis of measured temperature, RH and CO2. This means control is totally focused on product quality and optimum storage efficiency. More informationOptical potato sorter selects by length, height, depth and qualityAt the PMA in Atlanta, Miedema recently introduced its Smart Grader to the American market. This optical sorter is able to sort by length, height, depth and quality. "With infrared technology, we scan up to a millimetre under the skin. That way we can fully separate wireworms, growth cracks, rot, scab and discolouration automatically," says Marcel Mulder.Apart from the well-known red-black line for unwashed potatoes, Miedema has also entered the processing industry for washed potatoes with a grey line, through automation company Ellips. "Normally a lot of staff is needed to select the good and bad potatoes. We do that in one go," Marcel says. After sorting, the Smart Grader provides an overview of all size and quality criteria. For each sorting exit, data is available on volume, size, defects and weight.More informationHigh-speed Micro weigher for precise small package weightsOptional off-set design permits close placement of two or four Micro weighers for multi-product weigh blending or applications requiring multiple discharge outlets. Accurately weigh 0.5 to 50 gram portions at up to 120 per minute using the new Ishida MicroTM multihead weigher from Heat and Control, Inc.Although it takes just 25% of the space of a standard multihead weigher, Micro features many of the same high-performance technologies as Ishida?s flagship CCW-RV weighers. The product dispersion table utilizes a highly sensitive weighing sensor to assure precise automatic feeding of tea, herbs, spices, tablets, capsules, dried vegetables, and other light-weight products.Micro?s 14 weigh heads feature Ishida-designed and built load cells that accurately measure weights in 0.01 gram increments to deliver target package weights as low as half a gram. Stepper motor drives reliably operate product hoppers efficiently at high speeds. For easy cleaning, all product contact parts can be removed without using tools. More informationThe onion medicinal plant 2015The naturopathy association in Germany, Theophrastus, has named the onion the medicinal plant of 2015, reports the German website food-monitor.de. The association wants to bring attention to the healing power of onions. Whether the onion is in the form of a syrup, juice, tea or tincture it can help with colds and earaches, and it can dissolve mucus and fight a lack of appetite. More informationTHEMIS, Single Head Weighing SystemThemis, by RJ Herbert, is a single head weighing system designed to handle the larger tubers, its cleated feeding belts and specially designed gripper head allows the crop to quickly pass into the bag speeding up the bagging process. Standard machine configuration allows for easy change of hopper height, gripper changing.From left, right or 90? and moving the control panel is done within 30 minutes offering a flexible system to suit anyproduction facility. Fully integrated inverter technology and user friendly control system. Standardisation of component parts allows for trouble free maintenance and lost cost servicing.Key FeaturesCapacity of 10 tonnes per hour 25 kg sacks; Accuracy is dependant on product size; Heavy Duty cleated belt system using quality Dunlop 3 ply rubber; Standard configuration allows for flexibility in production layout. ...More informationKorea: first report of postharvest fungal pathogen on onion bulbScientists at Korea University and Konkuk University in Seul have previously identified Aspergillus awamori, Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium brasilianum and Rhizopus oryzae as the agents of the most important fungal diseases of onion bulbs during postharvest storage.Last February, a first report of a new postharvest fungal pathogen isolated from an onion bulb was published on-line on Food Protection Journal. The scientists have isolated an unknown strain of Penicillium genus from onion bulb and identified it as sp. GR-68. They have observed the molecular and morphological characteristics of GR-68 and tested its pathogenicity against onion bulbs.By using macro- and micromorphological and molecular analyses, GR-68 isolate was consequently identified as P. georgiense. In addition, the scientists found that this fungal species was pathogenic to onion bulbs, where hole inoculated bulbs showed weak yellow halos or yellowish sunken lesions.The picture belongs to this information.More informationNew Onion sorting machine with internal quality sortingRecently the Italian manufacturer Longobardi supplied another optical Manriba sorting machine with camera systems for sorting the internal and external quality of onions. This machine was supplied to the Finnish company ?lands Tr?dgardshall, located on the island ?land, between Sweden and Finland. This cooperation processes the onions and other agricultural products of various growers on this island. Most of the onions are intended for the larger supermarket chains in Finland.Internal qualityIncreasing problems with the internal quality combined with tightened quality demands from retail were the motivation for this company to immerse itself in the various techniques and suppliers. After various visits and comparison tests the choice was made to pick Longobardi. The reliable and consistently working patented NIR (Close Infra Red) system for the internal quality is especially important to ?lands Tr?dgardshall and means that they can once again meet the retail's high quality demands.7.5 tonnes per hourThe two tracked sorting machine has 7 exits in total, with box fillers, pre-sorting and two exits linked directly to storage bunkers for the small packaging department. The total capacity is around 7.5 tonnes of onions per hour. The entire machine has been placed on a raised frame to provide optimal function of the box fillers and simpler cleaning of the machine and the working floor under the machine. The machine foresees the standard washing and drying installation for the cups, so that they stay optimally clean. Dirty cups have an influence on the reading of the cameras for the external quality and this means regular automatic washing and drying is of great importance.More informationVegetable handling solutions and now also? fruitsRJ Herbert invited to say hello at Fruit Logistica 2016 and to discover our exciting developments in grading fruit and salad produce. We also have updated designs to our vegetable washing and grading systems so be sure to visit our stand. Introducing the Oculus FamilyThe Oculus family offers proven optical sorting of potatoes, carrots, lemons, limes & oranges with high accuracy and large throughputs within a small footprint. The New Oculus 450 is ideal for sampling and low output applications whilst the New Oculus 2400 can handle up to 48TPH in a high demand processing environment.The new SidewinderThe new ?Sidewinder? has been designed to quality grade & size a wide variety of long fruit and vegetables including bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, avocados & cucumbers. With the flexibility of multiple discharge points the high capacity sidewinder is a system for the future.More informationSeed potatoes focused on diversity and high quality standards, and ecological seed potatoesEUROPLANT Pflanzenzucht GmbH, with its head offices in L?neburg, Lower Saxony, presents its wide variety of seed potatoes at Fruit Logistica 2016. Trade visitors, customers and interested parties can find out for themselves about the high quality standards of the seed potato grower and supplier. Fruit Logistica, the leading international exhibition for fruit and vegetables, is an important mood barometer for the industry after the average harvests in 2015. J?rg Renatus, Managing Director Europlant, explains: 2015 was a difficult year due to the changeable weather conditions. That is why there is a distinct rise in demand for seed potatoes this year. The company's stand focuses on the diversity and high quality of its products. The highlights on the EUROPLANT stand include the Venezia, Madeira and Georgina varieties. Venezia is an early, waxy potato ideal for salads. The Madeira and Georgina varieties both belong to the medium early, predominantly waxy table potato. The company also offers a wide range of ecological seed potatoes, covering more than 20 varieties. They are supplemented by the Allians variety, which is particularly waxy and is ideal for salads, the waxy Leyla, which has an extraordinarily good taste right through to spring, and Gunda, a mealy table variety for late marketing. More informationNew potato washing system meets demands of today's marketWith processors always looking for improved technology on potato intake lines washing has made big strides forward to accommodate today?s strict requirements. At Haith we take the view that we must offer all our customers an industrial built system which will provide reliability, excellent washing along with foreign particle removal to meet the demands of today's market.The latest washer in our range can offer all this in one complete system, with its robust design, integral stone separation system on the infeed of the barrel, automatic sludge and waste removal with floating waste system on out feed of the barrel for removal of hollow heart potatoes, wood, plastic or any other foreign material. We designed a unique shaft sealing system which allows us to mounted all the bearings externally which makes them easily accessible for servicing and gives extended life unlike other machines on the market where bearings are running under water. More informationStudy: Best Hope for Potassium and Fiber Missing in Children's Diets is the One Vegetable They're Least Likely to Ignore: PotatoesU.S. children are not consuming enough vegetables, resulting in an inadequate intake of key nutrients, including potassium and dietary fiber, which are important for growth, development and overall health. Research published (January 2016) in a special supplement of the peer-reviewed journal Advances in Nutrition demonstrated that children ages 1-3 years of age consumed just 67 percent of the dietary reference intakes (DRI) for potassium and 55 percent of the DRI for fiber.An overarching conclusion from the various papers included in the supplement, "Science and Policy: Adopting a Fruitful Vegetable Encounter for Our Children", is that potatoes are a vegetable that tends to be well-liked by young children and are a good source of potassium and provide 8 percent of the recommended daily value of fiber. In fact, a study of elementary school students demonstrated that students are not consuming the majority of vegetables offered to them in school lunches. However, plate waste for white potatoes was the lowest among any type of vegetables; thus, including potatoes in school meals is one important way to help ensure children receive those key nutrients of concern."It's important that consumption of all vegetables, particularly those that are good sources of potassium and dietary fiber, be encouraged in children," says Theresa A. Nicklas, DrPH, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, and one of the supplement's authors. "Dietary habits established during childhood often transition to adulthood, so it is hugely important to encourage children to enjoy vegetables as part of the diet in order to reap the nutrition and health benefits provided by vegetables into adulthood."The journal supplement features seven papers authored by leading nutrition scientists that explore the state of the science pertaining to vegetable consumption in children. The supplement is the outcome of a November 2014 USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine roundtable on vegetable consumption in children. The forum was supported by the Alliance for Potato Research and Education, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to expanding and translating scientific research into evidence-based policy and education initiatives that recognize the role of all forms of the potato?a nutritious vegetable?in promoting health for all age groups. More informationHigh quality & hygienic plant for handling potatoes at Rollo Bay HoldingsDue to the alarming situation in Prince Edward Island by having needles contaminated potatoes, the company Rollo Bay Holdings Ltd. contacted Gillenkirch for a possible solution for this problem. A few days earlier, Gillenkirch had successfully installed their newly developed metal detector conveyor for detecting contaminated potatoes at RWL Holdings Ltd. and Gillenkirch had presented the implemented solution on site to a number of interested parties.Ray Keenan, one of the owners of Rollo Bay Holdings Ltd. was present and was impressed by the good performance of the machine. He contacted Gillenkirch in Germany and they established contact with Gillenkirch's partner for the sale of their machines and systems on Prince Edward Island. A site visit to get familiar with the production line at Rollo Bay Holdings Ltd. showed that the production line of the Keenan family was getting on in years and that a new investment was urgently needed in order to assure a continued supply of high-quality potatoes to Keenan's customers.More information