(Key Technology: Walla Walla, WA) – Key Technology has introduced optical sorters for processed protein products such as frozen chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, fish sticks, and plant-based meat alternatives. Automatically removing product defects and foreign material (FM), Key’s optical sorters, including COMPASS and VERYX, help optimize product quality while improving yield and reducing labor.

“Processors of protein products worldwide have relied on Key’s vibratory conveyors for more than 25 years,” says Jack Lee, Duravant Group president of food sorting and handling solutions. “However, when it comes to sorting, historically they’ve been satisfied with manual inspection. Now, with such a tight labor market and consumers’ product quality expectations higher than ever, automating inspection makes more sense. Drawing on our application expertise in material handling, we’ve developed optical sorting systems that automate a process that previously required several workers per shift while simultaneously achieving more consistent product quality.”

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