Site Planning & Layout
Installation, Commissioning & Operation
Automatic, Low Energy & Eco-friendly
Client Name: P***C
Country: Republic of Poland
Region: Greater Poland Voivodeship – Europe's largest button mushroom production base, accounting for 30% of EU mushroom output, known as the "Mushroom Capital of Poland".
Core Products: Button Mushroom, Portobello, Shiitake, Oyster Mushroom, Enoki, King Oyster, Broccoli, Cauliflower
Equipment Configuration: Hadof Customized Micro-nano Bubble + Ultrasonic + Flexible Brush Combined Edible Fungus Washing Line (Compatible with Ice Water Preservation & Vibratory Dewatering System)
Commissioning Time: Q3 2024
Poland is Europe's largest mushroom producer and exporter. Button mushrooms from Greater Poland are famous for their whiteness, firmness and delicious taste. P***C Group is the region's largest edible fungus exporter, supplying Germany, France, the UK and Nordic markets. However, with the extreme requirements of European retailers for cleanliness and shelf life, traditional cleaning methods face unprecedented challenges:
Mushroom Water Absorption & Softening: Fungi like button mushrooms and portobellos absorb water easily. Traditional washing increases weight by 15%, deteriorates texture, and shortens shelf life by 3 days.
Sediment in Gills: Complex mushroom gills trap sediment that traditional spraying cannot remove, leading to repeated complaints from German customers about "sand in mushroom soup".
Rapid Browning & Oxidation: Cut and bruised surfaces oxidize quickly after washing, losing commercial value within 24 hours with a 10% damage rate.
Broccoli Worm Eggs: Dense broccoli florets hide insect eggs, with low manual picking efficiency and positive detections in UK supermarket inspections.
Fragile Caps: Delicate mushroom caps have an 8% damage rate in traditional mechanical cleaning, requiring 30% price reduction for damaged products.
The client's requirements were clear: no water absorption, zero sediment in gills, no browning, zero insect eggs on broccoli, and zero cap damage.
After comparing equipment from Germany and the Netherlands, the client chose our company. Our advantage lies in deep process adaptation for edible fungi, not general-purpose machines.
Solution: 5 Customized Designs for European Edible Fungi
1. Micro-nano Bubble Cleaning, Mushroom Water Absorption < 2%
0.05mm micro-nano bubbles generate gentle but efficient impact to remove surface dirt without damaging fungi. No long soaking required – mushroom water contact time < 30 seconds, water absorption controlled within 2%, weight unchanged, texture firm.
2. Ultrasonic Cavitation + Pulse Spraying, Zero Sediment in Gills
40kHz ultrasonic field penetrates deep into gills to shake off sediment. Combined with 10Hz pulse spraying for complete impurity removal. German TüV testing shows 0 sediment residue in 100 mushroom samples.
3. Citric Acid Color Protection + Ice Water Preservation, 90% Lower Browning Rate
Food-grade citric acid (0.3%) controls pH at 5.5 to inhibit oxidation. Water temperature stabilized at 2-4°C, core temperature below 6°C after washing. Browning reduced by 90%, whiteness maintained for 72+ hours, shelf life extended by 4 days.
4. Vortex Separation + Vibratory Screening, 100% Broccoli Egg Removal
Vortex separation tank removes eggs and light impurities. Vibratory screening with high-frequency low-amplitude vibration removes remaining debris. Zero egg residue in EU official inspections for 1 year.
5. Sponge Cushion + Silicone Brush, Cap Damage Rate < 1%
Food-grade sponge conveyor with independent grooves for each mushroom. Soft silicone brushes (15rpm) reduce damage rate from 8% to 0.8%, meeting European supermarket Grade A standards.
After 1 year of operation, P***C Group has achieved remarkable transformation.
Capacity & Market Breakthrough
Daily capacity increased from 60 tons (manual) to 180 tons (automatic), peaking at 220 tons in peak season. On-time delivery rate rose from 70% to 99%.
Channel upgrade: Clean mushrooms entered top supermarkets including ALDI (Germany), Carrefour (France), Tesco (UK), with 25% higher price. 2024 exports to Germany up 150%, France doubled, becoming Poland's top EU exporter.
Significant Economic Benefits
ROI: Labor reduced from 150 to 12 workers, saving over �3 million/year. Full equipment investment recovered in < 18 months.
Loss reduction: Water absorption loss down 90%, browning loss from 10% to 1%, cap damage from 8% to 0.8%, annual loss reduced by over �4 million.
Technical Leadership
First Polish fungus washing line certified by German ALDI "Zero Defect" supplier. Won Poland Ministry of Agriculture "Agricultural Processing Innovation Award", driving industrial upgrading in Greater Poland.
"Hadof's equipment makes our Polish mushrooms look freshly picked from the forest in German supermarkets. German customers say these are the cleanest mushrooms they've ever seen – no sand in the gills, clear soup. This is the dignity of Polish mushrooms."
—— CEO of P***C Group
