Berry without the right to make a mistake: how the company “AVOAR” works with the most delicate raw materials

Raspberries crumble at the slightest touch. Blueberries turn into mush from excess moisture. A pitted cherry can remain a cherry, but only if you pull out the pit so that the fruit doesn’t even “guess” about it. The company “Avuar”, which is part of the LNZ Group , processes and freezes just such delicate products, and does it professionally for the EU and Ukrainian markets. The berry direction at the enterprise is not a side business, but a separate philosophy of working with delicate raw materials, where the price of a mistake is equal to the cost of the entire batch. The director of LLC “Avuar” Mykola CHORNOZUB told the magazine “Yagidnyk” about what is behind each frozen berry from a pack of Tevitta and how to achieve maximum quality when working with such delicate products.

RASPBERRY, BLUEBERRY, CHERRY AND ELDERBERRY: FOUR CHARACTERS
The berry portfolio of the Avuar plant covers four crops, and each of them requires its own technological approach. Raspberries are the key product of the enterprise and, according to the director, a real “calling card” not only of the region, but also of the plant. Both summer and remontant varieties are processed here, which allows you to extend the season and load the production lines more evenly.

Blueberries are rapidly increasing their share: the volume of cultivation of this crop in Ukraine is growing year after year, and thanks to its dense skin, the berry perfectly tolerates shock freezing and is extremely popular in export markets. Stoneless cherries are technically a stone crop, but in processing they go hand in hand with berries and are one of the most labor-intensive processes due to the mandatory stage of mechanical pitting.

– Elderberry is a wild or farm berry that requires a specific approach. It has unique medicinal properties, and our task is to preserve them in their unchanged form, – emphasized Mykola Chornozub.

Each of these cultures dictates its own conditions: delivery speed, cleaning method, calibration method, and freezing parameters. There is no common algorithm, there is only a common principle – do no harm.

“GOLDEN HOUR”: WHY TIME IS THE MAIN ENEMY OF BERRIES
While the time from field to factory is measured in hours for vegetables, it is literally measured in minutes for berries. Berries are a “living” product with an extremely high moisture content and a delicate skin that does not forgive delays. The three key challenges that production faces every day are fundamentally different from those that arise when working with vegetables.

The first challenge is transportation time. For raspberries or strawberries, time is the main enemy: from the moment of collection in the field to entering the pre-cooling chamber, the least amount of time should pass. If the berry overheats in the sun, the irreversible process of cell respiration and juice release begins, which leads to loss of shape, and then no technology will return the berry to its elasticity.

“We require suppliers to cool the berries immediately after harvest. This is not a wish – it is a condition of cooperation,” said Mykola Chornozub.

The second challenge is fragility and preservation of structure. Raspberries consist of small drupes that crumble easily. The slightest mechanical pressure – and instead of a premium quality berry, the production receives puree. The answer is lines configured for the minimum height of the raw material fall, and IQF freezing technology, which allows the berry to “float” in the air, avoiding mechanical damage.
The third challenge is removing micro-defects without damaging the product. Most berries cannot be washed intensively, as this will destroy them. Therefore, cleaning must be extremely delicate.

“This is where our optical sorter comes to the rescue. It scans each berry 360°, detecting the smallest specks of mold, insects, or leaf debris, and instantly removes them with a pinpoint shot of air,” said Mykola Chornozub.