An Ishida RS-Series multihead weigher at leading French shellfish producer and processor Medithau Maree has increased production throughput and reduced giveaway for 1.4kg vacuum packed trays of ready-to-cook mussels supplied to leading supermarkets in France.
The mussels arrive at the south of France factory by the pallet-load, still attached to the ropes they were grown on. Each pallet is rigorously inspected in line with Medithau’s policy of accepting only product which is at least 25% meat by weight. The mussels are then separated from the ropes and from each other, scrubbed to remove clinging debris, de-bearded and graded.
Before reaching the packing line, they are purified by soaking in filtered seawater that has been sterilised using ultraviolet light or ozone, and then cooled in seawater at 4°C.
For a long time the mussels were packed in bulk, for example in crates and in bags of 5kg, 10kg or 15kg, and indeed one third is still packed this way. However, in 2002 Medithau first introduced its vacuum-packed 1.4kg tray of ready-to-cook mussels. This proved extremely successful and the market has grown while becoming increasingly competitive.
This first production line was achieving an average weight per tray of 1.42kg. In late 2009, the company installed a second line, consisting of an Ishida RS-Series 10-head weigher, fed by an elevating conveyor and fitted with a tailored Ishida distribution system to deliver the weighed product into trays on a new thermoformer.
This new system is now achieving an average of 1.405kg per pack, a considerable reduction in giveaway. At the same time, production has increased from 1.1-1.5 tonnes per hour.
Florent Tarbouriech, who heads up Medithau Maree, explained that faced with the growth in demand amongst consumers for cleaned, ready-to-cook mussels, his company invested in a second line made up of a Multivac 530 thermoformer and the Ishida weigher.
“We are very pleased with the precision and robustness of these, given the aggressive environment in which these machines are operating,” Tarbouriech said.
Given that the product is alive when packed, and contains varying amounts of water, the weighing of shellfish is no simple matter. However Ishida was able to draw on extensive experience from elsewhere in Europe, including the Netherlands.
Medithau Maree was founded in 1989 and now has 43 employees and turns over €7 million ($9.3 million) annually.
Ninety percent of the company’s production is destined for the French market, mainly supermarkets and away-from-home catering.
