“We wouldn't recommend our staff does it, but you could drink this water," Martijn Vogelaar of Fruvo, a Dutch fruit sorting and packing facility, begins, laughing. Last fall, VAM Watertech installed a new water treatment plant at Fruvo. A system that purifies the water streams, thoroughly cleaning the water from various water baths. "Ultimately, that leads to a healthier consumer product."
Martijn Vogelaar and Hans Blaak toasting with a glass of purified water.
Preventing cross-contamination
“Investing in water purification to only save water will never work in the Netherlands. Water's still relatively cheap, so we do it primarily to achieve a cleaner product. This purification guarantees we get healthy pears so clean that their skins are entirely contaminate-free. The processing water is also free of residues, thus preventing cross-contamination. We can, thus, meet consumers' and supermarket chains' high quality and food safety demands and wishes," says Martijn.
Fruvo sorts a considerable volume of pears annually for fellow growers too. “Not all growers follow the same spraying schedule. This purification prevents contamination from one party to the other, which could, otherwise, have serious consequences. For example, if a retailer allows four active substances, you don't want the sorting system's water to contaminate your fruit with a fellow grower's residues."
"This water treatment plant cleans the fruit so well that we could, theoretically, sort organic and conventional pears on the same line. MRLs are usually measured in milligrams; we do that to as small as micrograms. We can, therefore, determine with certainty that all pesticides have been removed from the water. I wouldn't be surprised if this water is even cleaner than drinking water," Martijn explains.
Storability
“Plus, we hope this water purification extends the pears' storability. From a labor-saving perspective, we're considering sorting in two phases. With pre-sorting, you lose at most two people. The fruit can then be packed in specific packaging later. Wageningen University and others have done trials."
"Those show that the fruit's shelf life can increase by more than 50%. I'm sure ours is certainly no less, though the machine still has to prove that in practice," Martijn continues. "If we realize that the water treatment savings will be almost invaluable. That's why this system fits perfectly into our overall picture.”
The system's nice presentation is a bonus for the sorting company. “Often, when sorting pears, they go through dirty water that has microfilm. So, the fruit sometimes felt sticky. This purification system means that's a thing of the past. It's not only something we want, but it looks good too. It benefits the product and the company's appearance," says Martijn.
Fresh Finish
The water purification system VAM Watertech installed at Fruvo has been optimized in various ways. "It's certainly not a classic machine; the latest techniques have been applied on all fronts," says VAM Watertech director-owner Hans Blaak.
This Dutch company has supplied most of the systems in the potato and carrot industry in recent years but expects increasing demand from the fruit sector in the next few years. "So, it's great that we've introduced our new module - Fresh Finish - a compact, plug-in system that processors can begin using immediately."
Fresh Finish
"Our systems aren't cheap. They're usually more expensive than other companies. But they're extremely reliable and easy to use and maintain. That's why we've recently been installing many water treatment plants in Germany. They say, "You may not be the cheapest, but we don't have any issues afterward'," explains Hans. Martijn agrees. "The system's fully automated, and our technical department hardly has to worry about it. That, too, is worth plenty," he concludes.
For more information:
Martijn Vogelaar
Fruvo
10a Oude Rijksweg
4412 NK, Krabbendijke, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 113 503 183
Email: cmvogelaar@fruvo.nl
Website: www.fruvo.nl
Hans Blaak
VAM Watertech
Tel +31 (0) 628 237 650
Email: hb@vam-watertech.com
Website: www.vam-watertech.com