UK: M&P Engineering re-launches onion peeling machines
World production of onions was over 74 million tonnes in 2012. Arguably the world's most popular ingredient, whether pickled whole, cut into rings, slivers or diced, it first must be peeled. The large onion peeler from M&P Engineering tops, tails and peels onions of 45mm to 115mm diameter using a unique method developed by the company in the 1970's. The compact unit can peel up to 110 onions per minute without water, producing a finished product indistinguishable from hand peeled.
The machine uses a compact, simple mechanism which means it is reliable and can be installed and maintained with no specialist knowledge worldwide. The dry peeling process allows companies to lower water usage and the waste can be composted or burnt to generate power. It can peel a wide range of sizes and shapes of onions without the need for change parts. The machine does not damage the product, meaning the onion can be used directly for pickling or will give maximum yield from further processes like slicing or dicing.
The heart of the M&P Engineering onion peeling system is the skinning process. “Unlike other manufacturers, our machine doesn't grab or skewer the onion to peel it. Instead we use an air vortex chamber which was designed in the 1970's here in Manchester. Thousands of man-hours went into the development of the system which has yet to be bettered,” explains Pamela Nugent, MD at M&P Engineering.
The actual skinning process has been captured for the first time using a high speed video camera.
Emerging markets, pollution restrictions and the growing interest in good food ingredients means increasing demand for this type of machine. M&P have recently expanded into a new factory unit to accommodate production of this and other food processing machinery.
For more information:
Pamela Nugent
Tel: + 44 161 872 8378
Email : info@mp-engineering.co.uk
www.mp-engineering.co.uk