DELLA TOFFOLA, has launched a new intelligent wine press, adding to their already impressive complement of award-winning winery equipment. “This technology combines all the benefits of our existing central membrane press, and utilizes artificial intelligence (AI), to create an even more efficient, time-saving, gentle fully automatic press.” notes Ken Kosmicki, Sales Manager for DELLA TOFFOLA USA.
“The technology turns our fast-acting central membrane press into an intelligent press, using a sophisticated set of analytics, based on the settings your winemaker programs into it,” he adds. “The AI programming takes the guesswork out of the first run quality and allows your staff to focus on other tasks.”
DELLA TOFFOLA has long been known for their unique central membrane press which covers 360° of the pressing area, unlike the lateral membrane design of their competitors. The press is faster and uses less pressure thus ensuring softer pressing for better quality. If you are a winery wanting delicately pressed fruit, the advantage is obvious. With the average pressing time also lower than if you are a winery that processes many tons per day, the time advantage is also clear.
The addition of a new AI brain to this already efficient press raises it further above its competitors. The press system now operates as a single program which is determined by the machine’s algorithm and neural network. “The formula,” notes Kosmicki, “is based on weight cells and on the ratio of weight, weight loss, and juice through a flow-meter and colorimeter.”
The algorithm determines when the press should rotate, thus creating fewer rotations overall, and providing a better free-run, with less suspended solids and lees. Add juice flow and color, and the program determines which should be the free run, stops, etc., and also diverts the next juice into a second run tank.
“Most press drums rotate more than they need to, and thus create suspended solids,” says Kosmicki. “our press only rotates when necessary, so the first juice quality is very high.”
He explains, “The automatic juice quality selection system is a kind of meter to help with monitoring, so you can program it to cease once the juice is outside of the color range setting. The rest of the juice then goes to the second quality batch.” He adds, ”It is all based on what the winemaker selects for color on the meter,” and the intelligent programming can then assist with any additions the winemaker feels might be needed.”
If a winery can think of the resulting juice as “first quality” and “second quality” (maybe tank 1 and tank 2), then the first quality is optimized. The second quality will inform you about the additions that you might want to make. Wineries in Europe and South Africa are now seeing these effects positively affecting the resulting product.
For some wineries, multistage usage is necessary to have continuous pressing capability. As an example, three presses operating on the same program, thus having automatic and continuous press cycles, could then take turns moving through cleaning cycles. A heavy production facility might have three large presses, whereas a smaller facility might have three smaller or mid-sized machines more suited to a smaller-sized facility. Setting upcycles in this way, limited personnel are needed in comparison with other press operations, as the CIP (cleaning) is fully automatic, which cuts down on personnel. You will still need an operator, but he does not physically have to clean machines or set press cycles.
Says Kosmicki, “Our focus is on tons per hour, as opposed to press size, and we encourage our clients to think in terms of flow. We offer different capacities to fit all ranges of production. DELLA TOFFOLA offers an opportunity for limited operator intervention, to remove human error.”
Presenting a full complement of grape receiving equipment, all of DELLA TOFFOLA’s pieces are modular, which offers a great variety of components to choose from. Besides the central membrane press, their equipment includes everything from crushpad equipment to packaging and almost everything in between.
DELLA TOFFOLA offers options that work for small, boutique operations all the way to the largest producers. As an authentic technological partner, they deliver a wide range of equipment for obtaining the best possible product, each step of the way.
DELLA TOFFOLA will be in attendance at the UNIFIED 2021 Virtual Trade Show, January 26 – 28. The full team will be available for virtual meetings and to answer any questions regarding Della Toffola products. Contact Della Toffola for more information at dellatoffola.us or call 707-544-5300.
