Industrial Automatic Fish Portioning & Slicing Machines for the Food Manufacturing Industry

Efficiency and precision are crucial factors in the food manufacturing industry and industrial fish portioning machines have become a game changer for fish and seafood processors. These advanced machines are designed to streamline the process of portioning fish into desired sizes, shapes, and weights, saving time, labour costs while reducing waste.

In this article, we will explore the benefits and features of industrial slicing and portioning machines and how they have revolutionized fish processing for food manufacturers.

Industrial fish portioning machines are engineered to handle a wide variety of species, including salmon, trout, cod, haddock, tilapia, and many others. These machines are highly versatile and can be customized to meet the specific needs and requirements of food manufacturers.

KEY BENEFITS OF AUTOMATIC INDUSTRIAL PORTIONING MACHINES

• One of the key benefits of using automatic fish portioning machines is the increased EFFICIENCY they offer. Traditional methods of fresh fish portioning involve manual labour, which can be time-consuming and labour-intensive. Industrial portioning high-capacity machines automate the process, allowing for faster and more consistent fish portioning. They can handle large volumes and are capable of cutting fish into precise portions at high speeds, significantly reducing processing time and increasing productivity.

• PRECISION: Consistency in portion sizes is crucial for meeting customer demands and ensuring product quality. Industrial fish portioning machines use advanced technology such as computer vision, weight sensors, and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to ensure precise and accurate cuts. These machines can be programmed to cut fish into specific weights, lengths, and shapes according to the manufacturer's specifications with high-performance cutting knife blades. This helps minimize variability in portion sizes, granting a consistent product quality solution and reduces waste.

• REDUCING WASTE: Traditional fish portioning methods often result in uneven cuts, trimmings, and scraps that are wasted, leading to increased costs and reduced profits. Industrial portioning machines are designed to optimize yields by minimizing waste. They can accurately trim and portion fish, reducing unnecessary trimming and ensuring that every part of the fish is utilized efficiently. This not only saves on raw material costs but also promotes sustainability by reducing food waste.

• FLEXIBILITY: Fish portioning systems can be easily adjusted to accommodate different fish sizes, species, and cutting requirements. They can be programmed to produce various cuts, such as fillets, strips, steaks, portions, and butterfly cuts, according to the manufacturer's needs. This flexibility allows food manufacturers to adapt to changing market demands and offering a wider variety of fish products in response to customer preferences.

LET'S TALK ABOUT SALMON

Salmon is one of the most popular fish species consumed worldwide, and its popularity has led to a booming salmon industry. Industrial salmon slicing plays a crucial role in the salmon processing market, as it allows for efficient and precise slicing of large quantities of salmon into various cuts and sizes. This process is essential in meeting the high demand for portioned salmon products in the global market, as it enables faster production rates and reduces labour costs.

As the demand for salmon products continues to rise, industrial salmon slicing is becoming increasingly important in the fish processing market. Companies that invest in advanced slicing technology and techniques can produce and achieve higher levels of efficiency, productivity, and profitability while also meeting the growing demand for high-quality salmon products by way of machines and software tailored to achieve their desired result.

TYPES OF SALMON PORTIONS

There are several types of salmon portions available on the market, and some of the most common ones include:

1. Salmon Fillets: These are the most popular portions and are obtained by cutting the fish horizontally from the head to the tail, resulting in boneless and skinless cuts. A salmon fillet is versatile and can be grilled, baked, broiled, or pan-fried at high capacities.

2. Salmon Steaks: These are cross-cut sections of the fish that include a bone in the centre. A steak is typically thicker than a fillet and is ideal for grilling or broiling.

3. Salmon Slices: Salmon slices are thin, cross-sectional cuts of fish that can be used for sushi, sashimi, or as a topping for salads or sandwiches.

4. Salmon Portions: Portions are pre-cut portions of the fish that come in a variety of sizes and can include fillets, cubes, steaks, strips or slices.

5. Salmon Loins: Loins are the thick, meaty sections of the fish that are cut from the back of the fish. They are often sold with the skin on and are suitable for grilling or baking.

6. Salmon Belly: The belly is the fatty and flavourful part of the fish, located between the head and the vent. It is often used for sushi or sashimi and can also be grilled or broiled.

INDUSTRIAL SALMON PORTIONING AND SLICING TECHNOLOGY

Industrial salmon slicing and portioning equipment is a cutting-edge technology that revolutionizes the processing of salmon in the food industry. This advanced equipment is designed to precisely slice, portion, and prepare salmon with speed, accuracy and efficiency.

Below are some key advantages of industrial salmon-slicing equipment:

1. HIGH-SPEED SLICING: Industrial salmon slicing equipment is capable of slicing through large quantities of salmon fillets at a high-speed rate, significantly increasing production capacity. Slice thickness is easily controlled. This makes it ideal for large-scale salmon processing operations where time and volume are critical factors.

2. CONSISTENT PORTIONING: With precise slicing capabilities, industrial salmon slicing equipment ensures consistent portioning of salmon fillets, resulting in uniform sizes and shapes. This is especially important for the production of value-added products such as smoked salmon, sushi, and sashimi, where consistent portioning is crucial for quality and presentation.

3. VERSATILE SLICING OPTIONS: Industrial salmon slicing equipment offers versatile slicing options, allowing for customization based on specific product requirements. It can slice salmon fillets into various thicknesses, from paper-thin slices for delicate sushi to thicker portions for grilling or baking, providing flexibility in product offerings.

4. IMPROVED YIELD AND WASTE: By minimizing trimmings and ensuring maximum utilization of each fish fillet, this equipment helps improve overall operational efficiency and reduces costs in the fish processing industry.

5. ENHANCED FOOD SAFETY: Industrial salmon slicing equipment typically features sanitary design elements, such as stainless-steel construction and easy-to-clean components, to meet strict food safety regulations. It also minimizes the risk of cross-contamination, ensuring that the salmon products meet high food safety standards.

6. INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY AND LABOUR COST SAVINGS: Industrial salmon slicing equipment automates the slicing process, reducing the need for manual labour and increasing productivity. This can result in labour savings, improved efficiency, and higher throughput, making it a cost-effective solution for salmon processing facilities.

7. ENHANCED PRODUCT QUALITY AND UNIFORMITY: Consistent and precise slicing results in high-quality salmon fillets with consistent texture, appearance, and taste. This helps maintain product integrity and enhances overall product quality, meeting the stringent demands of discerning consumers.

MOST POPULAR SALMON PORTIONING, SLICING AND FILLETING MACHINES AT BOYD INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

At Boyd International, we supply a wide range of used and reconditioned machinery from various manufacturers, including Marel, GEA, Baader, Optimar, Skaginn, Cretel, VMK and many more.

We find that Marel offers efficient salmon portion-cutting solutions for the high-speed production of fixed-weight portions such as fish fillets or fixed-length products for the fish industry, for retail and food service. The extreme accuracy of their fish portion cutters with their cutting angle range ensures minimal giveaways, thereby providing excellent profit opportunities in fish processing. You can choose from a wide range of machines to produce an endless variety of products.

MOST POPULAR SALMON FILLETING AND SLICING MODELS AT BOYD INTERNATIONAL:

Marel CT 2630 Filleting Machine

High performance: Produces up to 20 salmons per minute, ranging from approx 1 to 7kg.
Designed for salmon, trout and other species with a similar bone structure and is an ideal addition to any equipment line.
One person can operate the machine.
Compact footprint when space is an issue in your factory.
Easily washed down and cleaned.
Water usage: 10 litres/min
Its design features a unique cutting principle comprised of a combination of band knives and circular knives, ensuring very gentle processing of raw material and a clean cut, with maximum yield. These features make the CT 2630 an extremely efficient and flexible filleting machine.

Marel MS 2730 Filleting Machine

High-capacity, high-performance fish filleting with automatic back and belly trimming tools
Automatic adjustment for a variety of fish sizes
Increases yield & quality of fish fillets
Fillets up to 25 fish/min (based on an average fish size of 4kg and length of 670mm)
Fish size range: 1.5-8kg
Water usage: 15 litres/min
Compact footprint
Easy & safe to operate

Marel recently showcased their crown jewel of filleting machines to the industry at Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona. The company's new Marel 2750 salmon filleting machine is able to deliver 25 fillets a minute, with a fully de-trimmed fillet in a space of 5 meters while also saving on water compared to its competitors.

Marel I-Cut 11 PortionCutter

The I-Cut 11 PortionCutter for meat or fish is the ideal solution for high-value cutting of fresh and boneless meat and fish into fixed-weight and fixed-length portions.

Specification:

Max Cutting speed: 480 cuts/min
Max product length: 800mm
Max product width: 250mm
Max product height: 100mm
Belt speed: 10-240mm/second
Machine length 2700mm x width: 1000mm x height: 1650mm

The I-Cut 11 is an accurate and reliable meat portion cutter, designed to revolutionise the cutting process and bring immediate benefit to your bottom line. Being robust and easy to use, it is the perfect entry-level machine for smaller processors in the fish and meat processing industry with simple portioning needs. It is also suitable for medium size operations as well as a large scale production line needing to make a niche product. It offers straightforward basic cutting performance and will cut its infeed material into fixed-weight or fixed-length portions.

With just a few touches to its control panel, it will deliver accurate portions of boneless meat products from beef, pork and veal as well as various fish species. The equipment’s integrated software features a number of pre-programmed, standard cutting patterns. The speed and versatility of the I-Cut 11 will save you substantial amounts of labour.

KEY BENEFITS OF CHOOSING USED AND RECONDITIONED FISH PROCESSING EQUIPMENT AND COMPLETE LINES

There are several benefits of using used industrial processing equipment for food manufacturers.

• Cost-effective: it can be significantly cheaper than purchasing new equipment, which can help to reduce start-up costs or lower ongoing expenses for businesses. Buying reconditioned equipment at Boyd International guarantees quality at a fraction of the new price. This means you can save money on the initial purchase cost and potentially invest more money into other areas of your business.

• Quick availability: meaning that companies can quickly acquire the machinery they need to scale up their operations, respond to changing market demands and maximise their technological competitiveness.

• Established performance: Used machinery has a history of performance that can be evaluated before purchase, which can give you more confidence in your buying decision.

BOYD INTERNATIONAL LIMITED: USED FISH & SEAFOOD PROCESSING MACHINERY SUPPLIER

At Boyd International Limited, we supply used fish and seafood processing machinery, complete lines and individual machines as well as entire production plants for processing and handling various types of fish and seafood, for example, salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, haddock, pollock, carp, cod, crab and many more.

We specialise in pelagic, whitefish, flatfish, salmon and shellfish processing and can provide productive primary processing solutions for fish processors worldwide, including washing, gutting, descaling, filleting, pin bone removal, trimming, deheading, skinning, thawing, chilling, freezing and portioning systems.

All in all, industrial fish portioning machines have revolutionized fish processing for food manufacturers. They are capable of handling large volumes of fish, can produce consistent portion sizes, and optimize yields, leading to cost savings and improved profitability. With their advanced technology and customizable features, industrial fish portioning machines have become an essential tool and solution for fish processors and fish processing plants in the food manufacturing industry, enabling them to meet the demands of the market and deliver high-quality fish products to consumers.