It peels the husk of the onion and cuts off its ends. It leaves behind less waste than other devices on the market. It can be used in both the agricultural and food processing industries. Such is the onion peeling line developed at Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology.
The line consists of two parts that can operate as separate devices. The first peels off the yellow husk, the second cuts off the chives and the root. As a result, the onions are ready for further processing – cutting or slicing.
How does it work?
The vegetables do not need to be sorted beforehand. They can range in size from 45 to 110 mm. They are poured in bulk into the machine, which positions them correctly. The shells are incised at first, and then blown away. The peeled onions move towards the other part of the unit. Here, workers position them in special nests in such a way that the chives and the root form a vertical axis. The onions enter the module, which precisely cuts off their roots and chives, so that they fall out completely clean onto the inspection table. In the next step, workers check that all vegetables have been well peeled and trimmed.
Effects
A minimum of four employees is needed to operate the line, most of them to set the peeled vegetables in the up-down position and then during cleaning. The number of people and the speed at which they work will determine the efficiency of the unit. This ranges from 10,800 to 16,200 bulbs per hour. If the vegetables are small (75g), this means up to 1,215 kg of cleaned onions per hour, if they are larger (300g) – as much as 4,860 kg.
- A major advantage of this machine is the low weight loss of the onions. As part of a project co-financed by the NCBR, we developed a technology for cutting root and chives in the shape of a cone, regardless of the shape of the onion. As a result, we were able to reduce post-production waste from 50 percent to even less than 10 percent, depending on the onion.
dr inż. Agata Bieńczak, lider obszaru ds. techniki i technologii spożywczej w Łukasiewicz – Poznańskim Instytucie Technologicznym, kierownik projektu
The line is currently being tested in one of the food companies. Ultimately, it will be released on the market and Forvite will be responsible for its production.
- Our unit meets the needs of companies that process onions. It consists of two main modules. The first allows you to peel the onion from the dry (yellow) husk, and the second allows the chives and the root to be removed. Such a solution makes it possible for entrepreneurs to purchase only one module. The whole line, however, will allow greater use of raw material and reduce the operating costs of the onion peeling process. I would also add that we have the possibility of designing and manufacturing a machine with a higher capacity, which will be achieved by increasing the number of machining lines
dr inż. Agata Bieńczak