The food sanitation and unpacking tunnel has a stainless steel structure and a steel mesh conveyor belt, with the ability to adjust the speed. In the pre-scalding area, special attention has been paid to ensure uniform steam distribution to all surfaces of the product and efficient extraction of the steam used through an upper fairing and an electric fan.

The bag cutting operation is carried out by rotating blades mounted on adjustable arms, meticulously designed to achieve maximum precision and leave the product ready to be manually removed by the operator. The belt is also equipped with an automatic water washing system to keep it in optimal cleaning conditions.

The process starts when the product is placed on the belt and enters the tunnel, where the package is heated externally, facilitating the separation of the bag or wrapper. Upon exiting the tunnel, an automatic blade makes a horizontal cut in the bag, which is then handled by the operator. Following the belt and after extraction, the product enters the second stage of the tunnel. Here, a series of steam jets removes the gelatin from the surface and cleans the product. This process ensures optimum product cleanliness with minimal exposure to air or other contaminants. The product can then be sent directly to the packaging line.

The TNPP tunnel represents an innovative solution for the automatic unpacking and surface cleaning of raw and cooked products through a semi-continuous process. This machinery addresses common problems in production, such as unpacking and sanitizing products.

The incorporation of this system within the production compartment brings several benefits:

• Automatic removal of the bag or skin
• Reduce labour and processing times
• Sanitization and reduction of the superficial bacterial load of the product
• Availability of a clean product before the packaging process
• Increase in productivity