Columbus, Wisconsin, USA
October 2014
Food processing equipment manufacturers are increasingly under pressure to alter designs of large-scale machinery to accommodate new varieties of fruits and vegetables developed through plant breeding.
At the same time, increased consumer demand for fresh market, organic and ethnic produce is creating a need for more flexible and smaller versions of standard food processing equipment, and for equipment that handles crops more gently and that, at times, involves more field trash.
The scenario requires a balancing act for food processing equipment manufacturers who need to satisfy large commercial processors’ needs for ever greater operating efficiency with the increasingly important small processing operations that serve niche markets, said Ross Lund, president of Hughes Equipment Company, a Wisconsin-based international manufacturer of food processing equipment.
A plant breeding expert sees no slowdown in vegetable plant breeding, which suggests processing equipment will need continual design changes as new crops are introduced. And as market sectors that favor foods perceived to be more natural, processors will continue to be challenged by the special handling needs of that produce.
Hughes Equipment Company has been following the trends and accomplishments of plant breeding, and has released a white paper on the factors surrounding the issue and the implications for food processing manufacturers.
Download the report by clicking on the adjacent image or via this white paper link.
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