How to Choose a Dried Tomato Processing Line: Case or Tray Filling

If you process tomatoes for drying at industrial scale, there’s a lot of work before the drying itself: receiving, washing, inspecting, cutting, treating with metabisulfite and loading the drying container. Done by hand, those tasks depend on the pace of each shift. The right cutting line turns those steps into a continuous flow and delivers tomatoes ready to go into your drying system.

This guide is for you if you are considering mechanizing that part of the process. We’ll cover the line’s stages, the two configurations Albion manufactures —the TO C 2800 and the TO B 2800—, how to choose between case filling and tray filling, and how to run a rough annual volume estimate.

Why mechanize cutting and filling?

Four underlying reasons:

1. Fruit integrity from the moment it’s unloaded. Receiving tomatoes directly into water reduces mechanical impact and preserves fruit integrity.
2. Consistent cutting. Every tomato comes out in three longitudinal pieces, the same way every time: the optimal format for fast, uniform dehydration.
3. Controlled treatment. Metabisulfite application is calibrated to industry-standard dosing, in a dedicated tank.
4. The right load in every tray. On the TO B 2800, a dosing system loads each tray with the right amount of product.

The process, step by step

Both lines in the TO family share the same architecture: they take fresh tomatoes from the field and deliver them cut, treated and loaded for drying.

1. Water-flume receiving

The Water-Flume Receiver with Elevator takes the tomato discharge directly into water, the standard format for fresh tomatoes. The elevator doses the flow toward washing.

2. Washing

The Rotary Drum Washer is a perforated drum that rotates under water spray, removing adhered soil and field residue.

3. Inspection

On the Inspection Conveyor, operators remove damaged, green, over-ripe or out-of-spec tomatoes before cutting.

4. Three-way cutting

The Three-Way Tomato Cutter slices each tomato into three longitudinal pieces with parallel blades: the preferred format for industrial drying.

5. Metabisulfite application

The cut tomato is submerged in the Metabisulfite Application Tank, with a preservative authorized for drying that protects color and shelf life. The integrated elevator lifts it out and drains it.

6. Draining and filling

This is where the two lines part ways. The TO B 2800 adds a Screen that separates excess metabisulfite liquid before filling. Both lines end in a Roller Table for filling: cases on the TO C 2800 and trays on the TO B 2800, where a dosing system loads each tray with the right amount of product.

All product-contact surfaces are AISI 304 stainless steel, resistant to tomato acid and to continuous metabisulfite use. Inspection and transport belts are white sanitary polypropylene, and the drives use oil-bath gearmotors with fully shielded three-phase motors.

The two configurations: TO C 2800 and TO B 2800

Model	Capacity	What it includes / who it’s for
TO C 2800	2,500–2,800 kg/h	6 machines, no intermediate screen, case filling. For plants that dry in tunnels or yards and don’t need additional draining before filling.
TO B 2800	2,500–2,800 kg/h	7 machines: the same sequence plus a screen before tray filling. For plants with industrial oven drying.

The TO C 2800 is the family’s base line, a simplified version of the TO B 2800. At 2,500–2,800 kg/h, the capacity is sized for the agri-industry of San Juan and Mendoza.

Cases or trays: how to decide

Both lines have the same capacity. The decision comes down to the output format, and that format is set by your drying infrastructure.

Choose the TO C 2800 if…

• You dry in tunnels or yards and work with cases.
• Your process doesn’t require additional draining before filling.

Choose the TO B 2800 if…

• You have industrial oven drying, with trays as the loading format.
• You want the product to go into the oven in a thin layer, with more surface exposed to hot air.
• You don’t want product going into the oven over-wet: the screen removes excess metabisulfite and optimizes moisture content before the oven, saving energy in drying.

How to size it: a rough estimate

Both lines process 2,500–2,800 kg/h. Because they work before drying, the estimate covers tomatoes before drying, not finished dried tomatoes.

The basic formula is:

Annual volume = hourly capacity × hours per day × days per year

Indicative example with a standard operation of 8 hours × 200 days a year (1,600 hours):

• 2,500 kg/h × 1,600 h = 4,000 metric tons per year.
• 2,800 kg/h × 1,600 h = 4,480 metric tons per year.

Concentrated season: at 60 days of 10 hours (600 hours), the same line processes between 1,500 and 1,680 metric tons.

Working backward: to process 2,000 metric tons of tomatoes, at the low end of the capacity range (2,500 kg/h), you need about 800 line hours: 100 days at 8 hours a day.

⚠ Important: these are rough estimates, not a production commitment. Adjust hours and days to what your plant actually runs during the season.

Equipment you can add

Our equipment catalog lists components and modules available both to integrate into a line and as standalone units:

• Elevators for vertical transport, configured for the throughput and product type of the module they’re installed on.
• Inspection conveyor with adjustable speed, dedicated lighting and side bins for non-conforming product.
• VB 500 bin tipper: hydraulic, for line start, compatible with standard bins. If your tomatoes arrive in bins, ask us whether it makes sense for your setup.

Warranty, pre-assembly, financing and support

• 12-month warranty on mechanical parts of our own manufacture. It does not cover consumables or damage caused by improper maintenance.
• Pre-assembled and concatenated in our workshop before dispatch: the line arrives ready to install on-site.
• Financing: many customers finance their investment through Banco Nación credit lines for Argentine-made industrial machinery. You handle the application with the bank; Albion issues the necessary documentation.
• Support: after-sales technical support is concentrated in Latin America, but we ship equipment worldwide. Albion equipment operates today in 18 countries across 6 continents.

Behind every line is a family company from Mendoza, founded on April 20, 1966, by Atilio César Dal Pozzo, now led by the second generation with the third already on board, and a team of more than 50 in-house experts.

Next step

1. Send us the basics: fresh tomato volume per season, drying system (tunnel, yard or oven), how tomatoes arrive at your plant, and the space and services available.
2. We define the configuration (TO C 2800 or TO B 2800) and send you a quote.
3. We review financing through Banco Nación credit lines, if it applies to your case.

See photos and details of every machine on our Dried Tomatoes page, or contact us to start your quote.