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CHRIS RUFER SPEAKS ON THE NEXT INNOVATIONS IN TOMATO PROCESSING

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15th World Processing Tomato Congress Session:
Technology and Innovation in the Tomato Processing Industry

During the 15th World Processing Tomato Congress in June 2024, Chris Rufer of The Morning Star Company discussed his views on future innovations in tomato processing. He addressed several topics such as the future of processing tomato seeds, transplanting, harvesting, and hauling, grower contracting, raw tomato pricing, labor and talent development, climate change, government regulations, sustainability, the possibility of new countries entering the processing tomato industry, and the future role of AI.

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Morning Star Newsletter now distributed electronically

As a reminder, Morning Star is now distributing our newsletters electronically using an email distribution vendor called Mailchimp. Your e-version will now include informative Morning Star videos and highlights. Depending on your company's firewall, these emails may initially be directed to you spam folder.

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MORNING STAR’S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES AND UPCYCLING

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Making more from less through resource recovery. Upcycling tomato pomace to create dehydrated vegetable powder.

At Morning Star, responsible and sustainable practices are integral to our operations. From our specially designed lightweight tomato tub trailers to the use of gravity in our flume systems and recycled heat energy, we prioritize sustainability in every aspect of our processes, including the treatment of tomatoes themselves.

While the sustainability movement has been ongoing, one noteworthy approach gaining recognition is the upcycling of production line food co-products. Upcycling involves transforming the co-products of a food item into higher-value products, minimizing waste and contributing to a more circular economy.

In our tomato paste production, many of our products exclude tomato seeds and have only small amounts of peel. During the Finishing Process, where seeds and peel are separated from the tomato juice, a co-product called tomato pomace is generated. We collect this nutrient-dense mixture of peel and seeds, utilizing it in various ways, such as soil amendments, animal feed, and further processing to create a dehydrated vegetable powder ingredient. This ensures that 100% of the tomato serves a useful and environmentally friendly purpose.

Maintaining sustainability as a top priority, we have capitalized on the resources our factories offer. We expanded our processing line to include mechanical and solar drying, milling, and post-drying processing. Morning Star now produces its own dehydrated tomato powder, using recycled heat energy from the factory processing line to generate nearly 25% of the dryer’s heat. Additionally, about half of the dryer’s motor is powered by our steam turbines. This incorporation of the drying process into our production line has not only helped offset fuel expenses but also reduced our carbon footprint.

To fully maximize our dryer's capabilities and upcycling practices, we have extended our drying operation to include vegetable and fruit co-products beyond tomatoes. These co-products, rich in nutritional value, serve as key ingredients not only in pet food but also find valuable applications in the cosmetic industry. As our production process advances, this nutrient-dense ingredient will expand to become a value-added commodity in the foods and supplements consumed by humans. Morning Star remains committed to innovation and sustainability, contributing to a healthier and more environmentally conscious future.

Click to learn more about our Dehydrated Fruit and Vegetable Powders

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AUTOMATED LASER WEEDING

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Automated laser weeding, an environmentally sound alternative to herbicide use and high labor cost in processing tomato production

Laser weeding up close

The standard practice to eliminate weeds in crop production around the world is the use of agriculture chemicals called herbicides. Its use has been the common alternative to prevent obnoxious weeds from affecting crop yields since the beginning of the Green Revolution, dating back to the 1960s. However, the effect of the excessive use of these chemicals is a negative impact on our environment. For example, herbicides can pollute our surrounding environment through flooding or irrigation drainage, since chemical residues can be leached or moved from nearby farming areas into water bodies such as rivers, lakes, and underground reservoirs. On the other hand, the labor cost of hand weeding is becoming prohibitive for conventional processing tomatoes and posing an even greater challenge in organic tomato production, where use of synthetic herbicides is not allowed.

Laser Weeding Machine

In 2019, the Morning Star Agriculture Research and Development Department started to look for solutions that could help us overcome these challenges. We started a very promising research partnership with ESCARDA Technologies, an agriculture technology company based in Berlin, Germany. Through this collaboration, we have developed a solution in processing tomato crops using an automated laser device that kills weeds without the use of herbicides. The one-row prototype has two main components: 1) a high-tech AI (artificial intelligence) vision system that accurately detects weeds and differentiates them from tomato plants, and 2) a highly accurate laser component that shoots and kills weeds in a matter of milliseconds. Preliminary data obtained during prototype field testing in early June, 2022 was very promising, with both components working seamlessly. However, as in any R&D process, we identified improvement opportunities and are currently working on fine-tuning those aspects. Our aim is to achieve two main goals: laser accuracy and equipment speed. The next step in the field validation process is testing of the final laser weeding box, to be conducted in late October, 2022.

As the project continues its normal development process, Morning Star is excited to further solidify our partnership with the ESCARDA Technologies team. We strongly believe that our tomato grower business partners could benefit from the successful development of this laser weeding technology. Furthermore, we are certain it will provide not only a valuable tool to tomato growers in their fight against weeds, but also an important opportunity to minimize environmental harm through use of chemical herbicides.

Weeds killed by a laser weeder

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