Food safety is greatly increased by washing potatoes and eliminating dirt, stones, and foreign objects like metal, wood, or plastics. However, washing alone is not enough to keep contaminants from compromising the product; the process also requires optical sorting and checking.

To ensure product quality, any equipment capable of separating crop from dirt, stones, and debris should be designed to handle potatoes gently. These operations can be completed faster and more successfully than before thanks to modern and automated technology, assuring efficiency and productivity while protecting crop integrity and, ultimately, value.

Using a cleaner separator, dirt removal is typically the first step in post-harvest crop cleaning. Before grading or washing, any soil that was left behind from the harvesting process is removed from the crop load. Potato processors who work with light soil conditions may select a coil cleaner that lets bigger chunks of dirt and stone, loose soil, and small stones go through the coil shafts while the crop is kept out.

De-stoning equipment is frequently requested to guarantee that stones are removed from the crop before the washing process, once the majority of loose dirt has been removed. The usage of a flume-style destoner, in which the crop is submerged in water and the stones settle to the bottom of the tank where they are removed, reduces crop damage as well as equipment damage, which can occur often when stones get through the vegetable processing line.

Combined Solutions in Post-harvest Potato Cleaning

A barrel washer allows for effective and gentle potato cleaning at huge volumes. Popularly combined with a de-stoner and debris remover for effective removal of all debris and stones before the crop enters the barrel, produce is cleaned while submerged in water and moved through the barrel with a gently tumbling motion as the barrel spins. High-pressure spray bars can be installed inside the washer barrel as an option to provide more washing action and an improved washed finish. The washer barrel can also be partially or coated with rubber pintle or brush, which is especially useful for heavily filthy crops or for improving washing quality on products with indentations or eyes.

Gentle handling is essential, and equipment meant to remove crop from dirt, stones, and debris must be designed to do so with care to guarantee product quality. By utilizing modern and automated technology, these procedures may be completed faster and more successfully than previously, assuring efficiency and productivity while protecting crop integrity and, ultimately, value.

Another important factor is shelf life, and preserving product quality at every stage is crucial to ensuring that waste is kept to a minimum. The final potato quality may be greatly impacted by maintaining fresh water at every stage of the process, including destoning, soaking, washing, and polishing the crop. Unclean water can infect the crop, which can lead to a much shorter shelf life. As a result, sophisticated potato washing systems increasingly include water-recirculation systems, which efficiently recycle water throughout the washing process.

By eliminating dirt from the water, water recycling systems not only prolong the freshness of the water but also assist cut down on water usage and equipment wear and tear that may result from soil damage. Water recycling systems save downtime by continually removing dirt from water, allowing equipment to operate continuously without requiring line stops or tank cleanings.

You can read the rest of this article in your complimentary e-copy of Issue 2 of Potato Business Digital 2024 magazine, which you can access by clicking here.