Air Control Industries (ACI) has come up with a novel method for drying potatoes after washing: Airknives.

Blower-powered Airknives are an effective alternative to the conventional sponge-roller table. They provide a continuous air film across the full width of the conveyor to ensure 100 per cent exposure of moving potatoes to the air flow.

"A major benefit of using Airknives is the minimising of risk of cross contamination resulting from bacteria that might be carried by sponge rollers,’ said a spokesman from ACI. "This is particularly advantageous where potatoes will not be peeled or further processed before eating, such as Greenvale AP’s punnet and high-care products."

Somerset-based ACI’s Airknives can be adjusted so that the volume and speed of air flow can be tailored to meet specific line requirements, according to conveyor speed and volume of throughput. This can be achieved by blower-size specification, the number of Airknives installed or a combination of both. Capacities range up to 2,000m3 an hour at pressures of 250Mbar. Blowers can also be installed in acoustic enclosures to reduce noise-operating levels.

Topics