JBT Marel installs complete salad processing demonstration line

JBT Marel has installed a complete salad and vegetable processing demonstration line at its Lakeland Customer Innovation Center in Florida, allowing food manufacturers to assess cutting, washing, dewatering and drying as a connected operation. The system is available for customer trials using actual products, providing a working environment in which the performance of individual machines can be examined alongside their effects on subsequent processing stages.

The installation combines a belt cutter and trim table, infeed conveying, flotation washing, dewatering equipment, a buffering section, shaker feeding, Tornado drying and collecting conveyors. Integrated controls connect the sequence, enabling changes in operating conditions to be evaluated across the process rather than through independent machinery demonstrations.

JBT Marel has not disclosed a rated capacity for the completed line, a measured increase in production throughput or quantified reductions in water consumption and product waste. The development is the installation of a connected demonstration system, not a reported performance improvement at a customer’s commercial factory.

Fresh-cut salad production involves a succession of mechanical and water-based operations that can influence the condition of the finished product. Cutting determines the size and shape of prepared material, while subsequent conveying and washing introduce additional handling. Dewatering and drying then remove surface moisture before the product is transferred towards packing.

The interaction between those stages can be difficult to establish through separate machinery trials. A cutter may deliver acceptable results when assessed independently, but the condition of its output influences how leaves and vegetables move through subsequent equipment. Variations in cut size and product loading can affect distribution in the washer and the amount of water carried into the downstream process.

At Lakeland, preparation begins with trimming and belt cutting before product enters the wash line through an infeed conveyor. The cutting configuration can be adjusted for different products, allowing the resulting material to be assessed throughout the subsequent sequence. Leaves and vegetables vary in their mechanical properties, so the handling conditions suitable for a firm product may require modification when processing more delicate material.

The flotation washing stage uses water to transport and separate the product during cleaning. Maintaining a suitable flow of material through the washer is important because irregular loading can alter how product is distributed and handled. The process must also operate within the site’s required water management and food safety arrangements, which depend on the intended product and processing conditions.

Washing is not equivalent to a validated pathogen elimination step. Its effectiveness depends on equipment operation, water quality management and the wider food safety system. The new demonstration line allows the physical washing process to be evaluated, but JBT Marel has not claimed that the installation achieves a specified microbiological reduction or replaces the need for upstream contamination controls.

Product leaving the washer carries surface water that must be managed before packing. The dewatering stage removes part of that water, reducing the amount remaining for the subsequent dryer. The condition of the product entering drying influences the process because wet leaves and vegetables can behave differently according to their shape, surface characteristics and distribution.

Buffering equipment provides an intermediate stage between operations with potentially different feed requirements. Changes in the rate at which product leaves the washer need not be reproduced immediately at every downstream machine if the configuration can accommodate short variations in flow. The useful buffering capacity depends on the equipment and product involved, and the supplier has not published a measured improvement in line availability attributable to the new installation.

The shaker feeder distributes material into the Tornado dryer, helping establish a more consistent feed across the machine. Uneven loading can create differences in the treatment experienced by product travelling through a dryer, while excessive handling may affect delicate leaves. The connected demonstration allows those trade-offs to be investigated while adjusting the equipment and examining the product after processing.

Collecting conveyors complete the installation, allowing the resulting material to be inspected before subsequent packing operations. Customer trials can therefore examine physical condition, cut quality, retained moisture and handling damage across the whole sequence. The facility supports such evaluations but does not reproduce every inspection, weighing or packing arrangement that might be present in a commercial factory.

Integrated controls also allow manufacturers to consider the sequence during start-up, stopping and changes in feed conditions. In a commercial processing line, each machine must operate within the limits of adjoining equipment. An interruption downstream can affect the way upstream stages are supplied and controlled, while repeated starts and stops may influence product handling and equipment availability.

Layout and cleaning access form part of the Lakeland demonstration programme. A processing line must fit within the space available and provide access for inspection, maintenance and cleaning. Hygienic operating requirements can influence conveyor arrangements, equipment spacing, drainage and the separation of different production activities, making the suitability of the complete layout as important as the rated performance of individual machines.

Customer trials will take place with JBT Marel application specialists, who can adjust the equipment and examine how actual products respond. Tests conducted with a manufacturer’s own vegetables or salad leaves can provide more relevant information than nominal machine specifications alone. Final equipment selection still requires assessment against the intended plant’s operating conditions, production schedule and food safety controls.

The connected line forms part of a broader change at the Lakeland facility. JBT Marel says selected equipment and components for fresh-cut and frozen fruit and vegetable processing are moving into the site’s manufacturing scope, bringing some production activity closer to its North American customers. The announcement does not specify a completed transfer of every affected component or quantify the additional manufacturing capacity.

The company intends to combine regional manufacturing with demonstrations, application support, training, parts planning and other services. These activities may allow technical teams to examine equipment modifications and customer requirements within the same operational location, although no measured reduction in lead times or service costs has been reported.

Lakeland already contains other fresh produce demonstration equipment, including a Flip & Wash bin washer introduced earlier in 2026. That machine addresses the cleaning of reusable produce containers and remains a separate development from the newly integrated salad preparation, washing and drying system.

Iñigo Pardo, Product Line Director, Food Preparation at JBT Marel, said the connected installation allows processors to use their own products and observe the interactions between the processing stages. The facility is accepting customer demonstration enquiries, with trials intended to inform future machinery selection and line design rather than establish a universal performance specification for every salad processing operation.