End-to-End Blueberry Processing Solutions

End-to-End Blueberry Processing Solutions

FPS Food Process Solutions is a global turnkey food technology solutions provider specializing in the design, integration, and delivery of complete processing systems for the food industry. Our blueberry processing line is a premium solution engineered to receive large or small totes of product, automatically dump, wash, dewater, freeze, sort, and package this delicate fruit with minimal handling. From raw product reception to final packaging, every stage is optimized to enhance food safety, operational efficiency, and finished-product quality, delivering a fully integrated solution that enables processors to achieve consistent performance, superior product quality, and long-term operational success.

A diagram of an end-to-end blueberry processing line with each piece of machinery labeled. .
A diagram of an end-to-end blueberry processing line with each piece of machinery labeled. .
  • Automation line with blue crates filled with strawberries on a conveyor belt in a food processing facility.
  • The inside of a freezer tunnel that is currently processing strawberries.
  • An industrial conveyor belt with blue plastic bins in a clean factory setting. Number 2 sign on wall, tools on the wall, and machinery on the right. This is part of FPS Food Process Solution's end-to-end blueberry processing line.
  • A piece of food processing equipment that is part of FPS Food Process Solution's end-to-end blueberry processing line.
  • Pan washer with pipes, valves, and motors in a factory setting washing strawberries.
  • A weigh hopper with stainless steel tanks, a control panel, and blue conveyor rollers in a factory setting used for strawberries.
  • Close-up of a shaker with pipes, bolts, and a label, set in a warehouse or factory environment shaking strawberries.
  • A FRS (Fluid Removal System) made of stainless steel with pipes, valves, and gauges in a clean, brightly lit facility with white walls and a large window.
  • Industrial machinery and metal framework in a clean, well-lit room, that is part of FPS Food Process Solution's end-to-end blueberry processing line.
  • An industrial metal tube machine that is processing blueberries as part of FPS's blueberry end-to end processing line.
  • The exit of a food processing machine going onto a conveyor belt is dumping out blueberries as part of FPS Food Process Solutions' end-to-end blueberry processing line.

Large Tote Infeed Line

Full totes are automatically destacked and dumped with minimal labour requirements. The slow-rotating dump unit gently transfers blueberries by reducing product drop height, helping protect product quality. Empty totes are washed, flipped, and restacked for efficient return to the field.

Small Tote Infeed Line

Small totes are loaded onto the receiving conveyor, with adjustable speed control ensuring a consistent product feed and optimized line performance. The system eliminates manual dumping fluctuations while washing and returning totes for quick restacking and reuse in the field.

Scalper Shakers

Product then transfers up to a scalper shaker, which removes large leaves or sticks which may be with the product. Good product transfers through round holes in the shaker pan to a secondary pan underneath while leaves and sticks stay on the top pan and are directed to a waste bin.

Air Cleaning - Winnower

The winnower uses high velocity airflow to remove light materials such as pieces of leaves, or other debris from the product. Waste materials are collected into a bin.

Riffle Board

Product is immersed in water and travels across a riffle board. The riffles create waves and turbulence that gently help remove sediment and soil from the blueberries. Sediment is collected and can be flushed to drain without interrupting the line, thanks to the two-lane design.

Flotation Tank

The berries are then deposited into a flotation tank, which removes unripe green or white berries as well as remaining small pieces of leaves and other floating material.

Fluid Removal System (FRS) 2.0

Patented FRS 2.0 combines a suction plenum with controlled shaking motion to remove more free water than conventional dewatering methods. Reduced surface water improves IQF freezer efficiency, extends runtime, and supports higher finished-product quality.

IQF Tunnel Freezer

FPS IQF tunnel freezers rapidly and uniformly freeze delicate fruits while preserving appearance, texture, flavor, and quality, delivering high throughput, maximum yield, and consistent IQF performance.

Tote Add Back Dumper and Cluster Buster

This system re-introduces previously frozen product from totes or combo bins. Product is dumped into a hopper using a hydraulic tote dumper. Underneath the hopper is our cluster buster unit, which breaks down clumps of products which may have occurred during storage or if product was partially thawed and re-frozen.

Destemmer

Our frozen berry drum destemmer is highly effective at removing stems from blueberries. Destemming after the freezer is beneficial compared with fresh-berry belt or rod destemmers, which can cause significant product damage. Once frozen, the product is more resilient, resulting in higher overall product quality.

Grader Shakers

Configurable grader shakers with removable pans can remove small ice pieces and separate undersized fruit or fragments before final sorting and packaging.

Optical Sorter

The optical sorter removes foreign material and defective product according to your specifications. Multiple configurations are available to match product requirements, throughput, and quality targets.

Bulk Packaging

Product can be directed to a bulk packaging system for fast efficient filling of combo totes before cold storage or for further processing.

Case Packing Line

Automated or semi-automated case packing and palletizing lines can be configured to suit your production needs. The line shown includes a case erector, bag inserter, accurate filling system, case sealer and metal detector/checkweigher with reject feeding manual palletizing station.

Contact Us for More Information
Download End-to-End Blueberry Handout