The potato processing market has been steadily increasing in the last years and this trend is expected to continue. Following this growth, many companies working in this field have presented different innovations in the recent years: new storage options, new pretreatments, new fryers, and new cutting systems.

by Emerson Jiménez Barajas, Application Director, FAM & Stumabo International

Precise cutting is an important step for most of the potato processing plants as it is during this step that the shape of the final product is defined. This step has seen some important innovations in the last five years but there are still some challenges that could be addressed in the future.

Quality & Capacity

The main points that potato processors are looking for are good quality and improved capacity or yield, which are both related.

Quality is a somewhat subjective parameter as it depends on the expectations of the processor and the final customer, but there are some elements that define if the quality is good, like the slice thickness consistency, the amount of scrap or off-cuts. It is also a general rule that when the processing line is not producing a good quality product, the capacity of the line is also affected as more scrap or off-cuts are produced and therefore less final product comes out of the line.

Therefore, when a potato processor is working on quality, the yield of the line will also be positively affected.

Scrap or off-cuts have a big impact on quality. These are generally small pieces that do not correspond to the quality specifications. They are normally produced because of the shape of the produce, but they are also originated when the produce is not stable during cutting, or when the knife is not stable, or is not sharp anymore. It can also happen when something is obstructing the path between the produce and the knife.

FAM and its sister company Stumabo International have been developing new technologies to address these different issues. The patented and patent pending centrifugal technology was designed to stabilize all the components and the produce during the cutting process. Stability is key in any potato processing facility, especially when the conditions of the produce are constantly changing.

Other improvements were done in the materials of the blades to have a more resisting cutting edge that keeps it sharpness longer or that resists better the impact of foreign objects. And finally, it was also important to consider that a stable product and a sharp knife could not work properly if there is something in between affecting the cutting process. Therefore, some features were added to the cutting systems to allow any foreign element to exit the cutting area and reduce any interference between potato and blade.

You can read the rest of this article in your complimentary e-copy of the July/August Issue of Potato Processing International magazine, which you can access by clicking here.