Overview
The dream of a “black box” salmon processing solution - where the whole fish goes in on one end and comes out as finished product on the other, with full traceability and all key performance indicators registered along the way - has now become reality with Marel's integrated intelligent further processing line for salmon.
“The solution spans the entire production process, from raw material all the way through to finished product,” says RĂșnar Birgisson, Manager of Marel’s Fish Division. “Full traceability of every single tray of finished product is ensured, all the way back to the farm that the fish came from.”
With the Intelligent Further Processing system, Marel can now provide a one-stop-shop for state of the art salmon processing.
All the way, from fish to plate
The Intelligent Further Processing solution spans the entire production process, from raw material all the way through to finished product.
While Innova provides the brains of the system, tried and tested equipment from Marel's top quality brands provides the brawn.
“The real beauty of the concept lies in the seamless flow, all the way from whole fish to finished product in fixed-weight trays,” concludes Mr. Birgisson, Manager of Marel’s Fish Division.
Payback in less than one year
The benefits of Marel's salmon processing line are clear :
- dramatic reduction in labour (10-14 operators)
- up to 2% improvement in yield
- shortened processing time and ultimately a higher quality product.
All the benefits contribute to an attractively short payback time. In some cases complete payback can be expected within one year.
Features
Process Overview - from fish to plate
At the beginning of the process, with the introduction of the raw material, the Carnitech (CT) L50 box loader provides ergonomic unloading of fresh whole salmon boxes. With the CT Deslimer slime, blood and bacteria is rinsed from the whole salmon in order to avoid potential bacterial risk during processing. Using high water pressure, the fillets are thoroughly rinsed on both sides, including the inside.
Automatic deheading and filleting
The new CT 2620 deheader feeds the CT 2630 filleting machine automatically. This not only reduces labour costs but also ensures uniform infeed, which in turn increases yield and filleting quality.
Intelligent fillet trimming
The Marel Intelligent Trimming Machine (ITM) then trims the salmon fillets using 10 robot controlled tools enabling optimal trimming for each weight and colour grade. Driven by Innova, Marel's next-generation production control software, the ITM is transforming the way salmon processors monitor and ensure the safety of their production. At its highest capacity, it replaces 8 skilled operators in manual trimming, with up to 2% higher yield and improved uniform trimming.
Pinboning and skinning
After passing through a CT Pinbone Remover, the fillets are skinned on a CBF 495 Dual Lane Skinner. The ‘active skin grip’ system ensures reliable and complete skinning, which enhances performance and helps increase yield.
Washing
The fillets are cleaned by the CT Fillet Washer, which is designed to prepare fillets prior to packing, salting or freezing. The washer eliminates any impurities or unwanted remains from the filleting, trimming and pinboning processes. Surplus water is removed by adjustable air blowers.
Portioning, batching and packing
Finally, the fillets are automatically fed to a dual-lane Marel I-Cut 300 PortionCutter. The portioning machine cuts the fillets to fixed weight, whereafter they can be delivered into trays.
Innovative monitoring
The groundbreaking Innova is a complete IT solution that covers the entire value chain in the production cycle. It monitors yield, trimming, portioning and inventory control, and automatically registers all key performance indicators. Moreover, each individual fish can be traced all the way back to its origin, ensuring the highest standard of food safety.
Quality is further ensured with the processing line´s colour vision system, which collects quality data, such as the salmon colour histogram, melanin and bloodspot statistics.
Highest quality products
Automation and reduced manual handling of the raw material also mean that processing time is shortened, reducing the risk of bacterial contamination. The end result is a higher quality and more uniform product, with increased shelf-life.
In short, Marel's Complete Salmon Processing line, which has already been introduced in 15 factories in 7 countries, enables producers to optimize their profits and overall production performance.