PACKAGING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

The fruit and vegetable sector has varied and variable requirements and this requires continuous design and technical updates by the manufacturers of horizontal flow wrappers and vertical form fill and seal machines, as well as systems for loading and weighing (multi-head weighing systems).

Flexible packaging solutions are specific and dedicated to each product, be it fruit or vegetable, as they require a customized packaging solution according to their dimensions and physical characteristics.

The varied world of fruit and vegetables

The fresh and dried fruit sector requires packaging solutions that are just as diverse: from the traditional flexible pillow bag, produced using a horizontal or vertical flow wrapper, to the tray (also packed using the flow wrap technology) .The vegetable sector requires solutions that are just as diverse. Vegetables can be subdivided into:

• Fruit vegetables; drupes, berries, citrus and pome fruits, therefore:
  1. tomatoes
  2. courgettes
  3. aubergines
  4. cucumbers
  5. pumpkins
  6. peppers

• Flower vegetables:
  1. artichoke
  2. cauliflower
  3. broccoli
  4. asparagus
  5. courgettes flowers, etc.

• Podded vegetables:
  1. pulses: all types of beans, chickpeas, grass pea, lentils, peas, broad beans, lupine beans, etc.

• Leaf vegetables:
  1. lettuce
  2. radicchio (green or red)
  3. rocket
  4. Lamb’s lettuce
  5. borage
  6. spinach
  7. Catalonian chicory
  8. cabbage
  9. white cabbage
  10. spinach beet
  11. chicory
  12. dandelion, etc.

• Bulb or stem vegetables;
  1. celery
  2. fennel
  3. chard, etc.

• Tuberous vegetables:
  1. potatoes
  2. sweet potatoes
  3. Jerusalem artichoke, etc.

• Tuberous vegetables:
  1. fennel
  2. garlic
  3. onions
  4. shallots
  5. leeks, etc.

PFM packaging machines for fruit and vegetables

A wide range of machines: flow pack horizontal machines, vertical form fill and seal machines, multi-head weighing systems and loading systems that produce aesthetically appealing and robust packages that are ideal also for products having different shapes and dimensions.

Large leaf vegetables packed using flow-pack technology

PFM’s solution: LVA

PFM applies the LVA system to the large leaf vegetable (that are very variable in size) packaging sector. When applied to horizontal flow pack machines, LVA adjusts the length of the package according to the size of the product, automatically and in real-time.

Benefits offered by the LVA system applied to flow-wrap machines

Flow-wrapping is easy, safe and practical. Sanitization operations are easy and quick to carry out thanks to the cantilever construction.

Chopped and washed vegetables (Fourth range)

Consumption of chopped, washed and ready to use vegetables (also known as fourth range) is growing fast, despite a general contraction of the sector.

PFM offers feeding systems, multi-head weighing systems and packaging machines for fourth range products

PFM continually improves and implements the technology applied on vertical form fill and seal packaging machines, on weighing systems and especially on MBP multi-head weighing systems dedicated to this specific sector.
Water-resistant, easy to clean, flexible and highly precise weighing systems and technically and aesthetically impeccable bags are the main characteristics of the lines produced by the PFM Group for fourth range products.

Ready-to-eat dried fruit

PFM stand-up pouches for fruit

Dried apricots, plums, figs, berries, pears and apples, individually packed or mixed together in the shape of a mixed dried fruit salad are taking the market by storm, also thanks to the packages used, stand-up and stand-up pouches made using flexible film.

It’s the stand-up pouch that is winning over the dried fruit packaging market thanks to the essential features it offers the fruit and vegetable market:

• physical resistance: it guarantees that the product does not disintegrate
• safety: pouches are perfectly and hermetically sealed
• longer shelf-life: packed in modified atmosphere
• versatility: the stand-up pouch can be easily accessorised (adding cutlery, for example) to make consumption easier
• light: the pouch is famously practical, easy to carry and to dispose of.

Fruit and vegetables in trays

PFM’s solutions: strawberry, tomatoes, grapes, etc. packed in trays, using flow-pack technology with systems that have been designed to guarantee top quality.
Trays can be loaded onto the horizontal flow-pack machine manually or automatically.

PFM automatic loading system for the fruit and vegetable sector

PFM offers in-line feeding or loading systems that perfectly integrate with the horizontal flow pack machines and can handle the flow of products, even if it is uneven.

The Robot Flexi Picker loading system is new to the fruit and vegetable sector and consists of a robot that handles the loose vegetables that arrive unevenly and it loads it onto trays or crates in an orderly manner.

PFM’s offer can be subdivided into systems that can handle up to 50-80-120 trays per minute; Flex picker can handle up to 120 products per minute, up to a maximum weight of 2 kg.