Cutting leek and vegetables
Waterjet cutting – The new cutting method for leek and vegetables.
Cutting with water might not be entirely new in itself but is new in the agricultural and food industry. Thanks to the GEGE Machinebouw innovation, cutting with a moving waterjet as knife has become common.
How does the GEGE Machinebouw cutting machine work?
In many cutting applications the size of the product that needs cutting is the same each time. In those cases, the waterjet knife is set to a fixed position. But, with vegetables and other fresh products there is a lot of variation in length and thickness. In that case a fixed position waterjet knife would either cut too much or too little.
GEGE Machinebouw have developed techniques to overcome this problem. For example, using these techniques leek roots and leek leaves are cut at exactly the right position.
Minimal losses lead to maximum yield.
In the conventional cutting systems, the knives go blunt quickly leading to the deterioration of the cutting edge. Diseases are also transmitted more easily.
The important advantages the GEGE Machinebouw waterjet cutting are:
– The waterjet knife is razor sharp -> improved shelf-life
– The waterjet knife is hygienic -> better food safety
– The waterjet knife is accurate -> Minimal weight loss
– The waterjet knife is fast -> High production capacity
Result
Leek: Measurements have confirmed that the shelf life of leek is augmented by many days. Waterjet cutting is therefore increasingly used.
In the case of romaine lettuce (or “Cos lettuce”) it has been noticed that the ‘bleeding’ of the plant after waterjet cutting was much reduced in comparison to cutting with regular knives. This resulted in a decreased loss of moisture and brown colouring which contributes to a longer shelf life of the crop.
The moving waterjet knife cuts vegetables efficiently, hygienically and accurately. The product is cut perfectly by a very thin jet of water under high pressure and exactly in the right place.
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