Businesses that supply fruit and vegetables for commercial retail are often expected to wash and clean the produce before delivery. While there are many machines that can do this, buyers must first know which is the most appropriate for their specific needs.
From small washers at the lower commercial end to integrated machines in processing lines, we’ll take a look at the basics of fruit and vegetable washers and provide examples of the best machines out there for different needs.
Mục lục
The global market for fruit and vegetable washers
What are fruit and vegetable washing machines?
Why wash fruit and vegetables?
Types of fruit and vegetable washing machines
Examples of different fruit and vegetables washers
Bubble washers
Bubble washers with conveyors
Extended bubble washer baths
Bubble washers with peeling brushes
Fruit and vegetable washing processing lines
Lời cuối
The global market for fruit and vegetable washers
The selling of fruit and vegetables is a huge global industry, supplying an ever demanding world. To keep pace with demand, and to ensure the highest quality crop yields, farmers rely on a variety of chemical fertilizers to promote growth, and pesticides to reduce the harmful effects of insects, bacteria, and fungus. Many of these can be harmful to consumers and must be removed before eating.
In addition, as farm produce is increasingly shipped overseas, it risks cross-contaminating other ecosystems, introducing dangerous organisms into their own food supplies.
These factors combined are driving an increasing global demand for commercial fruit and vegetable washing machines, with the global market for fruit and vegetable washers reaching 3.97 tỷ USD vào năm 2023 and expected to witness a Tỷ lệ tăng trưởng kép hàng năm 6.4% (CAGR) through 2030.
What are fruit and vegetable washing machines?
Why wash fruit and vegetables?
No matter whether produce has been grown on a farm or in a household garden, there are several reasons why we should wash and clean fruit and vegetables before use.
First is to wash of soil and other dirt for both aesthetic and cleanliness reasons. For example, insects and bacteria should be removed to prevent potential contamination or foodborne illnesses.
Also, much of the farm and garden produce grown today is treated with natural or chemical fertilizers that add nutrients to the soil and promote growth, as well as pesticides to prevent a variety of organisms from ruining the crop. These chemicals must also be washed from the fruit and vegetables before sale and use.
Types of fruit and vegetable washing machines
The main components of a commercial machine for washing fruit and vegetables include a washing tank, made from food-grade stainless steel, water jets to wash and rinse the produce, a drain and drain pump to remove used water, and a control panel. The produce is added to a water tank or bath – into which a food-grade detergent or reagent is added – where it is then soaked and rinsed.
There are three main ways of washing fruit and vegetables: by spraying with water, by submerging the produce in water, or a combination of the two.
Submersion has a risk of cross-contamination as any pathogens present may be circulated throughout the produce. However, spraying also has its risks, as splashing can cause cross-contamination.
These potential risks highlight the importance of adding a suitable fruit and vegetable-compatible detergent, ensuring proper filtering and drainage of used water, and rinsing the produce thoroughly.
The most common method of washing is a submersion method called bubble washing, using bubbles to agitate water within a tank, which aids in dissolving and activating the detergent, and facilitates water circulation.
Additional components that can be found in washers include:
- Water spray nozzles, before during and after bubble washing
- Brushes to add extra cleaning or to add a peeling function
- A conveyor belt to move the produce through the water bath onto other processes
- Air drying along the conveyor’s path
Examples of different fruit and vegetable washers
Bubble washers
A simple function bubble washer, such as the one shown above, operates as a water bath, with a control switch to set temperature, add detergent or disinfectant, turn bubble agitation on and off, filter residue, and drain the water.
A variety of fruits and vegetables can be cleaned using this machine, including robust root vegetables as well as softer fruit and loose-leaf vegetables. The produce sits in the bath and is washed gently before the water is drained and the produce extracted.
Bubble washers with conveyors
Trong tạp chí automatic bubble washer above, agitated water is used for washing, followed by a small conveyor that extracts the produce. The fruit and vegetables are added into the bath manually, where jets spray the produce, and are moved slowly along the conveyor before being air dried by a blower.
This washer has a gentle mechanism that is suitable for leaf vegetables as well as soft fruits and vegetables.
This more diagrammatic view of the same machine shows its individual components, including the spray pipes above the water tank, and sewerage outlet. The control systems include a water pump, a water cycle system (bubble wash), a frequency converter, and a blower.
The above image shows this fruit and vegetable washer’s capacity. The loaded apples move through the water bath, bubble-washed as they go, then are lifted by the conveyor and rinsed by spray nozzles arranged along the conveyor.
Extended bubble washer baths
Some variations of fruit and vegetable washers have an extended washing bath and a short outlet conveyor. The model above is a commercial rotary drum washer, and features an extended bath with washer sprays along its length, as well as rinsing sprays at the elevated section of the conveyor (rotary drum). At the conveyor end, the produce is dropped into a container that must be emptied manually when full.
Because it a submersion washer with a short conveyor and no cleaning brushes, it is suitable for a wide range of fruit and vegetables.
All of the aforementioned models use a similar approach to bubble washing, with conveyor movement and air drying. However, a number of different designs are available too.
For example, the model above is advertised as a commercial fruit and vegetable kitchen washer for hotels and uses a four-bath, four-bucket mechanism, with each bucket automatically raising the produce from one bath and tipping it into the next, progressing from washing to rinsing. At the end of the process, the washed produce passes through a guide funnel into a removable bin or other container.
Bubble washers with peeling brushes
Some washer models also feature brushes for additional cleaning and peeling. The above washer, described as a commercial vegetable cleaning washer peeler machine, uses spray and submersion to wash the produce, but also features brush rollers, which provide a deeper level of cleaning and peeling.
Because this process is abrasive, it is not suitable for soft fruits and leafy greens, but rather hard root vegetables such as potato, sweet potato, carrots, turnips, swedes, and cassavas.
Fruit and vegetable washing processing lines
Above is a washer machine that has a fruit and vegetable production line with multiple functions. The bubble washer uses a rolling and brushing movement within the water tank and has additional water sprays for rinsing.
The machine can be customized with an extended drying table that fits after the rinsing process. This mechanism is gentle enough to wash leaf vegetables and soft produce.
Fruit and vegetable washers can be built into long multifunctional processing lines, as shown above. The feeder conveyor moves produce along to the washer bath, while additional stations sort and process, before an extended conveyor dries and performs other processing.
An alternative production line for washing fruit and vegetables is by placing washers end to end in a sequential washing approach. In the above example, a fruit and vegetable washing line moves the produce through repeated washing baths, followed by a drying line.
This approach offers increased flexibility, as each washing bath can be used to clean and separate the produce, reducing contamination. The initial bubble wash removes dirt and insects, followed by a cleaning reagent bath to remove pesticide residue, a stage for rinsing, and a final portion for drying.
Lời cuối
Fruit and vegetable washers come in a range of designs, with the most common being a combination of spray and submersion types. Some models feature a washing bath only, and others use a conveyor system to move the produce through washing and onto a short or long roller system. Most of these conveyor models include a further spray rinsing system, and many also include an air blower to dry the produce. Some versions also include a brush system, which uses rolling brushes for more abrasive cleaning, as well as peeling functions.
It is important for the buyer to be clear on which fruit and vegetables they intend to wash. Submersion systems are usually quite gentle and suitable for most hard and soft fruit and vegetables. Meanwhile, spraying adds an extra level of cleaning and rinsing that might be useful when cleaning irregular-shaped produce such as leafy and cruciferous vegetables. Finally, machines that include brushing mechanisms are most suitable for hard root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes.
Larger, commercial businesses may opt for longer conveyor production line machines, which allow for a high volume of throughput as well as multiple stages of rinsing or drying.
For more information on the wide range of fruit and vegetable washers available, check out the AliExpress phòng trưng bày.
