Food & Beverage Asia February/March 2020

46
PROCESSING AND PACKAGING
Customisation of dicing grid
improves yield in mango
processing in Vietnam
Hai Thanh, a Vietnamese
company specialising in
seafood processing and
surimi production, has
expanded their business
activities by the processing of fruits. As
part of strategic investments, the company
has deployed a Kronen GS 10-2 belt
cutting machine to increase productivity
of its mango processing operations.
The Kronen GS 10-2 belt cutting machine
Prior to the installation, mangoes were
cut manually with a processing capacity
of one person to 25kg per hour. With the
GS 10-2, up to 500kg of mangoes can be
cut per hour, thus leading to a significant
increase in production capacity.
The GS 10-2 is equipped with a grid cutting
device developed for mango dicing. The
grid has been adapted to the size of the
Hai Thanh production team and GS 10-2
mango dices requested by Hai Thanh, so
they are now able to cut 20x20mm squares
whose third dimension is determined by the
thickness of the mango halves. The loss
ratio is improved from 20% with standard
grid cutting device to around 5-10%
with the customised grid, which was of
importance for Hai Thanh. Small undesired
pieces are separated with a sieve.
Another criterion for Hai Thanh’s choice of
GS 10-2 was easy cleaning, as the machine
has to be cleaned every few hours due
to the stickiness which leads to mango
fibre getting stuck. The GS 10-2 fulfils
this requirement by enabling a cleaning
process that can be completed within
minutes without the need of additional
tools.
After the diversification of the business
activities by the processing of fruits and
vegetables, Hai Thanh now employs 400
employees and operates a production area
for fruits and vegetables with an associated
cold storage. Besides mangoes, the
company also processes individual quick
frozen (IQF) pineapples, watermelons,
papayas, dragon fruits, aloe vera, limes
and taro products. The processed fruits
are delivered to customers across Asia in
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines
and China, as well as in Europe.
By expanding the business operation and
investing continuously, Hai Thanh aims
to become one of the leading companies
for the processing of fruits, vegetables
and seafood in the region of the Mekong
delta. The company offers a broad range of
products and advocates the support of the
local economy. The increase in production
capacity brought forth by the GS 10-2
marks an important step in empowering
Hai Thanh achieve these goals. FBA
Mango dices and frozen mango halves
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA FEBRUARY / MARCH 2020