September/October 2022 - 7

Peeling the way toward higher
yields and improving labor costs
How ASTRA Fruit
Peelers can improve
productivity levels, labor
costs and higher yields
Dedicated to cutting down on labor
costs and producing higher yields,
ASTRA Fruit Peelers are changing the
game for growers and distributors across
the world. Used in over 40 countries,
ASTRA's peelers are proven to produce
higher productivity levels when
compared to hand peeling and other
traditional fruit peelers. ASTRA has
more than 80% of shares in persimmon
fruit peeling in Japan, making it one of
the largest shares in the country.
Ryo Takeshita, sales manager of
ASTRA, said their peelers produce a
higher yield rate when comparing hand
peeling methods and traditional peelers.
" ASTRA peelers have a high yield rate
since it peels the very surface of the fruit
skin along its shape. On the other hand,
both traditional peelers and hand peeling
methods peel the skin with many edible
parts left on the fruit, " Takeshita said.
When comparing the yield rate with
hand peeling, other traditional peelers
and ASTRA's fruit peelers, ASTRA always
comes out on top as configured below:
Apples
ASTRA: 92% yield, 8% waste.
Hand peeling and other traditional
peelers: 85% yield, 15% waste.
Compared to traditional peelers and
hand peeling methods, ASTRA's waste
on their Apple peelers is nearly 50% less.
Pineapples
ASTRA: 62% yield, 38% waste.
Hand peeling and other traditional
methods: 40% yield, 60% waste.
ASTRA's pineapple peelers use 37%
less waste than hand peeling methods
and other traditional peelers.
ASTRA has several different types
of peelers, but two of them are most
beneficial to growers - especially in the
United States.
KA 700H
ASTRA's flagship peeler, KA-700H, is
compact (12in x 12in) and extremely fast,
peeling up to 400 fruits per hour. KA700H
can peel over 20 different types of
fruit - including apples, oranges, kiwis,
lemons and peaches.
" Because KA-700H is four times faster
than hand peeling, it saves users over
50% on labor costs. Growers can see
the difference in labor cost any time
between one and three months from the
start of use, " Takeshita said.
KA-700H is easy to use regardless
of the user's fruit peeling experience.
ASTRA's machine can even peel oddlyshaped
fruits - automatically adjusting
to fit the fruit's shape and size.
KA-750PM
ASTRA's KA-750PM is used to peel larger
fruits such as pineapples, mangos, and
various types of melons. KA-750PM uses
its large steel blade to peel fruits vertically.
With minimal edible flesh removed in
the process, the product yield is over
20% more than traditional hand peeling.
" One of our customers in South
Asia used to peel their pineapples with
six people. After the purchase of the
machine, the same number of pineapples
were able to be peeled by just one person
operating the KA-750PM, " Takeshita said.
According to ASTRA, when peeling
pineapple by hand, 30% of waste is
edible. However, KA-750PM only peels
non-edible skin, ultimately reducing
edible waste. Plus, KA-750PM saves over
50% on labor costs, making it six times
faster than hand peeling.
ASTRA is participating in the IFPA
Global Produce Show on Oct. 27-29,
booth 705. They will bring the two
models to the show.
To see ASTRA's fruit peelers in action,
visit https://youtu.be/mRf1XdgFOWk.
To learn more information about
ASTRA, visit https://en.e-astra.co.jp/
ADVERTISEMENT | © 2022 ASTRA Inc.
https://en.e-astra.co.jp/
September/October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2022
