Agribologna has recently introduced a new weighing and packaging machine to manage fruit mixes under the Fresco Senso brand. Packaging was performed manually so far, so proportions in trays were not always homogeneous, considering the mix of at least five types of fruits.
"For this reason, we developed a prototype that could handle fruit mixes and manufactured it thanks to Regione Emilia-Romagna's 2014-2020 RDP."
The display of the new machine
The prototype has been installed and final tests are being carried out by ASTRA Innovazione e Sviluppo to verify its functioning, processing times and the quality of the finished product.
"The prototype is made up of multiple weighing heads, each managing a type of fruit. This way, the tray content is as homogeneous as possible and the product is undamaged."
Processing by hand
The machine will enable Fresco Senso to assess whether savings can be made during packaging but, most of all, it must guarantee that mechanization does not alter the quality of the product.
The entire project was coordinated by CRPV Cesena, which also monitored various agronomic tests in fields. First of all, it identified the need to package the mixes with automatic machines that guarantee the right ratio between fruit types. The study was entrusted to the Department of Technique and Management of Industrial Systems at the University of Padua.
The study detailed the constructive solutions then transferred them to the company that won the tender to make the prototype. The study also identified a solution to facilitate the sliding of the fruit along the entire weighing and packaging route.
Fresco Gusto products
Fresco Senso, brand part of Gruppo Agribologna, produces ready-to-eat fresh fruit salads that undergo no heat treatment and are preservative free. Inside the San Pietro in Casale facility, Fresco Senso manages the entire fresh-cut processing cycle: washing, peeling and cutting down to packaging and delivery.
Contacts:
Consorzio Agribologna S.c.a.
Via delle Viti, 5
40127 Bologna (BO)
Tel.: +39 051 994 1200
Fax: +39 051 994 1220
Email: info@agribologna.it
Website: www.agribologna.it