As we all know, pumpkins are the absolute star of autumn and beyond. Thanks to fresh-cut processing, in fact, butternut squash can also be found on the market out of season, meeting the needs of the supply chain and modern consumer dynamics.
Virginia Cascella
Virginia Cascella, export manager of PND, a company that has always invested in innovation and quality creating new high-performance operating systems, explains how new lifestyles and habits make ready-to-eat or quick-to-prepare dishes necessary.
3PL2D + cutting table
"Ours is a state-of-the-art company in the production of fruit processing machinery, so much so that it has developed a line dedicated specifically to this vegetable, which is one of the most popular on the market. The PL1D, PL2D and PL4D peelers are designed to meet the different production needs of our customers. PL1D is a one-station peeler ideal for small productions, while PL2D and PL4D - respectively with two and four stations - are designed for larger production lines, ranging from an output of 4 to 28 fruits per minute depending on the model chosen."
Peeling pumpkin
The machine is fed manually and performs external peeling: every vegetable, even if ungraded and irregular, can be easily processed with maximum yield. The waste is minimal of around 12%, depending also on the product variety and thickness set.
Pumpkin waste
"These are very well-organised and user-friendly lines when it comes to both maintenance and for operators dealing with the peeling process. The vegetables are placed in the appropriate loading space and peeled at an adjustable speed without affecting their physical, organoleptic and nutritional integrity. The machine is made of food-grade stainless steel and features an electrical panel with two inverters (one for adjusting the speed of rotation of the fruit and another for the blade), two belts (conveyor and for waste), inspection tables and a waste chute, which conveys it to a single point. Cutting can be added to the peeling process, as the peeler can be combined with a cutter that divides the squash in half, or with table-top cutters to remove the ends and cut it in half. This makes the process extremely flexible and suitable for different production requirements."
PND offers customized line-completion solutions to suit all needs, as well as fast and effective customer care at every latitude.
"Peelers are in great demand not only in Italy, but also in international markets such as the United States and Europe. Demand for these systems is in fact very lively and this makes us very proud. PND can also provide consultancy for companies that want to innovate and identify business opportunities. We are at the side of those who want to keep abreast of technological developments in the industry and optimize results," concludes Cascella.
For more information:
Virginia Cascella
PND - Fruit Processing Machinery 
Via Brancaccio, 11
84018 Scafati (SA) - Italy
+39 0818509368
[email protected]
www.pndsrl.it