The opening ceremony of the Pilot Scale Pistachio Processing Plant, which was established with the cooperation of TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center Life Sciences Vice Presidency and Gaziantep Commodity Exchange (GTB), within the scope of the INNOFOOD Project under the Competitive Sectors Program, was held with the participation of Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank.
The opening ceremony of the Pilot Scale Pistachio Processing Plant located on the highway from Gaziantep to Nizip was attended by the Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank, former Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül, TÜBİTAK President Hasan Mandal, TÜBİTAK Vice President and TÜBİTAK MAM President Ahmet Yozgatligil, INNOFOOD Project Coordinator Cesarettin Alaşalvar and the directors and protocol members of the institutions.
After the opening ceremony, Minister Varank and the accompanying delegation visited the Pilot-Scale Pistachio Processing Plant and made inspections.
With this Plant, it is aimed to improve pistachio processing conditions by establishing a scientifically and technologically fully equipped pilot scale pistachio processing line in Gaziantep. Pilot Scale Pistachio Processing Line aims to allow pistachio to be processed in a much higher quality and healthier way with high technology instead of traditional methods, to increase the interest of industrialists and other institutions in the R&D and hygienic pistachio production and to constitute a role model in the sector with its R&D services.
The machines worth 1 million 526 thousand 879 Euros in the plant built on an area of 6712 square meters were supplied within the scope of the INNOFOOD project and consist of six units, which are Cleaning, Flaking (wetting and peeling), Cracking, Roasting, Crushing and Packing lines. With 2 tons per hour, the plant has a maximum daily processing capacity of 30 tons of dry red-shelled pistachio, and a product output of 1 ton of roasted pistachio per hour and 1 ton of roasted peanut per hour.
The Pilot Scale Integrated Pistachio Processing Plant opened in Gaziantep, the homeland of pistachios, will contribute to keeping the quality and food safety at the highest level by processing the pistachio with advanced technology.
WHAT IS THE IPA-INNOFOOD PROJECT?
The Project “Development of Research and Innovation Facilities for Improving Regional Competitiveness of Food Industry” (INNOFOOD) is an R&D project including a great deal of infrastructure investment for research, laboratories and innovation facilities in order to support food and beverage sector SMEs throughout Türkiye, especially in 12 Level-II regions with high-priority. The project aims to help enhance the product quality and reliability of SMEs operating in food and beverage sectors, and to help SMEs develop R&D-based products/production technologies and improve competitive power in national and international markets.
In line with these purposes, Turkish Food Innovation Platform (TÜGİP) has been formed to serve as a communication network and clustering platform for all actors in the food and beverage sectors. With the Food Innovation Center, consisting of an advanced food safety laboratory and pilot processing plants, the process of establishing regional laboratories and systems comes to the final stage.
