Demonstration of an IoT 4.0 mussel processing system for an advanced seafood canning industry.

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The main steps along the canned mussels processing line are: cleaning, cooking, cans filling, sterilization in autoclave and labelling. Since the cooking and sterilization stages reach a temperature of 140º and 120º, among all production costs, energy is especially high. Only these two steps consume ≈70% of the total energy of the process. Currently, mussel processing time is standard, not adjusted per batch, and within the current cookers and autoclaves it is normal to have an uneven heat distribution, creating cold spots. To compensate cold spots, other spots are overheated, which decreases product quality due to dehydration and nutrients degradation. Energy consumption in mussel canning lines can be optimised in two ways: by reducing the cooker and autoclave’s processing time, and by minimising the current uneven heat distribution in both devices. These are the main pain points of mussel canneries (and other seafood industries), and in TEINCO we have a solution: We developed an innovative cooker and autoclave that, by using advanced imaging technology and artificial intelligence, are programmed according to the characteristics of each batch of mussels, achieving a reduction of 20% on processing time, and avoid cold spots by using smart algorithms and a system for temperature optimisation and homogenisation. We added an IoT system with 4.0 sensors that leverages the power of process data and offers remote monitoring and preventive maintenance, augmented reality and machine learning capabilities. TEINCO will scale-up MUSSELPRO to a full-scale DEMO unit and demonstrate it in JEALSA, a real mussel cannery, to reach the market readiness. To do so, we have scheduled a 42-month work plan with 6 WPs. RESULTS: ECONOMIC: 20% shorter processing cycles result in 15% energy savings and 20% higher output. Even heat distribution results in 3% lower product dehydration. SOCIAL: increase output results in 20% higher labour demand. ENVIRONMENTAL: ↓15% GHG emissions & ↓50% water