Fruit – and increasingly vegetable – purees are an important product for produce processors in the US Pacific Northwest, used as a key ingredient in the manufacture of many major beverages and juices. JBT, which will be exhibiting at this week’s 2018 Northwest Food & Beverage World Expo, is a leading player in the puree segment, offering high quality, cost-effective solutions for processing, such as the READYGo PUREE system.
According to Donn Sabato, JBT’s North America Director of Sales, JBT’s puree systems and other complementary lines will be a main focus for the company at the Portland, Oregon-based event, which takes place at the Oregon Convention Center from January 8-10.
“There is an amazing amount of fruit in the Northwest – cherries, apples, strawberries, raspberries – and this is a show for processors of fruits and vegetables, apart from citrus,” he explains.
JBT’s booth at Process Expo
For its part, JBT Liquid Foods, which will be appearing at the event in conjunction with JBT’s freezing and cooking business unit, works with the Pacific Northwest’s three principal food processors, with systems for purees being one of the key lines. “We’re focusing in on purees that can be used as an ingredient in other products and juices, including by some of the biggest beverage manufacturers, such as blueberry, raspberry and even cucumber purees,” says Sabato.
JBT systems set to be highlighted at the show include the FTE50, a liquids-solids separator for higher viscosity products, such as puree, and the READYGo PUREE, a skid-mounted complete puree system that can process everything from tropicals and berries to stone fruit, but which requires only minimal installation support. Other complementary products, such as JBT’s aseptic fillers will also be showcased at the event.
With Portland hit by one of the worst snowstorms in its history during the 2017 Northwest Food & Beverage World Expo, Sabato adds that JBT representatives and other attendees are keeping their fingers crossed for better weather this time around.