Fruit and vegetable preserver

Fruit and vegetable preservers tend machines to prepare and preserve fruit and vegetable products. They aim to keep preserved perishable foods in a stable form. Thus, they perform duties such as freezing, preserving, packing after sorting, grading, washing, peeling, trimming and slicing agricultural products.

The duties of a fruit and vegetable preserver include, but are not limited to:

• extracting juices from various fruits
• extracting oils from oil-bearing seeds, nuts or fruits
• cooking, salting or drying fruit, vegetables and related foods
• mixing and adding ingredients such as pectin, sugar, spices and vinegar to assist preservation and enhance texture, appearance and flavour
• transferring preserved foods to sterile jars, bottles or other containers

The following job titles also refer to fruit and vegetable preserver:

fruit and veg preservation operative
fruit and vegetable preservation operative
fruit and vegetable preservation operator
fruit and veg preservation operator

A high school diploma is generally required to work as a fruit and vegetable preserver.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Fruit and vegetable preserver is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to fruit and vegetable preserver.

fruit and vegetable canner
sauce production operator
fish canning operator
fish trimmer
chilling operator

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of fruit and vegetable preserver. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of fruit and vegetable preserver with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

dairy processing technician
green coffee buyer
food technician
food analyst
food safety inspector

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of fruit and vegetable preserver.

• Fruit and vegetables maceration: Extract essences from vegetal materials to obtain the desired aromatic properties.
• Food storage: The proper conditions and methods to store food to keep it from spoiling, taking into account humidity, light, temperature and other environmental factors.
• Food preservation: Deterioration factors, controlling factors (temperature, additives, humidity, pH, water activity, etc., including packaging) and food processing methods to preserve food products.

These skills are necessary for the role of fruit and vegetable preserver.

• Maintain cutting equipment: Maintenance of the cutting equipment (knives, cutters, and other elements).
• Check quality of fruits and vegetables: Check fruits and vegetables received from suppliers; ensure highest quality and freshness.
• Clean food and beverage machinery: Clean machinery used for food or beverage production processes. Prepare the appropriate solutions for cleaning. Prepare all parts and assure that they are clean enough to avoid deviation or errors in the production process.
• Apply HACCP: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).
• Apply preservation treatments: Apply common treatments to preserve the characteristics of food products taking care of their appearance, smell and taste.
• Execute chilling processes to food products: Carry out chilling, freezing and cooling operation processes to food products such as fruit and vegetables, fish, meat, catering food. Prepare food products for extended periods of storage or half prepared food. Ensure safety and nutrition qualities of frozen goods and preserve products in accordance with specified temperatures.
• Work in conveyor belts in food manufacturing: Work in rotating conveyor belt systems in food manufacturing.
• Process fruits and vegetables: Process fruits and vegetables refer to all kinds of methods and techniques used to prepare food products using fruits and vegetables as raw materials.
• Follow hygienic procedures during food processing: Ensure a clean working space according to hygienic standards in the food processing industry.
• Apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages: Apply and follow national, international, and internal requirements quoted in standards, regulations and other specifications related with manufacturing of food and beverages.
• Apply GMP: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
• Use food cutting tools: Trim, peel and slice products with knives, paring or food cutting tools or equipment according to guidelines.
• Prepare fruits and vegetables for pre-processing: Perform basic preparations of fruits and vegetables such as inspecting, cleaning, sorting and grading. For instance, select fruits and vegetables that are adequate to be processed and eliminate those of inadequate quality.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of fruit and vegetable preserver. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Food canning production line: Steps in the canning process line from washing, conditioning and weighing food products, washing and preparing cans, filling cans, as well as other operations in order to obtain the end product.
• Temperature scales: Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales.
• Food dehydration processes: The processes by which fruit and vegetables are dehydrated including techniques such as sun drying, indoor drying, and industrial applications for drying food. The dehydration process goes from selection of the fruit and vegetables according to their size, washing the fruit, classifying according to the product, storage, and mixing with ingredients resulting in a final product.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of fruit and vegetable preserver. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Tend drying equipment: Tend drying equipment, including kiln driers, hearth ovens, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.
• Tend canning machine: Tend canning machine powered by electricity or batteries in order to can various types of food.
• Care for food aesthetic: Convey presentation and aesthetic elements into the production of food. Cut products properly, manage right quantities into the product, care for the attractiveness of the product.
• Operate a heat treatment process: Apply heat treatment aimed at preparing and preserving half-finished or finished food products.
• Operate equipment for food homogenisation: Tend equipment and machines such as extruders that exert extreme pressure, sheer, turbulence, and acceleration to foodstuffs in order to stabilise and give them a homogeneous texture.
• Check quality of products on the production line: Check products for quality on the production line and remove defective items before and after packaging.
• Operate industrial ovens: Observe temperature and heat oven to the specified temperature. Operate roasting pans and facilitate the roasting process with instruments that prevent grain from sticking to the pans.
• Maintain food specifications: Preserve, review, and evaluate existing food specifications such as recipes.
• Work according to recipe: Perform tasks in food preparation according to recipe or specification in order to preserve the quality of ingredients and to ensure replication accuracy of the recipe. Select the appropriate materials to follow the recipe, taking into account the current situation.
• Assess environmental parameters at the workplace for food products: Assess environmental parameters such as temperature and humidity at the workplace for food products. Assure suitable conditions for production processes, plants, laboratories, as well as storages.
• Manage fruit juice extraction processes: Use presses and filters to extract juice from fruit.
• Adjust drying process to goods: Adjust machine settings to adapt drying processes, drying times, and special treatments to the requirements of the goods to be dried.
• Dispose food waste: Dispose or collect food waste with the purpose of recycling or throwing away from the production process. Follow established procedures for their disposal taking care of the environment and the safety matters according to legislations.
• Jell fruits: Jell fruits mechanically following procedures.
• Identify the factors causing changes in food during storage: recognize the most relevant factors (chemical, physical, environmental etc) that can alter the food during its storage
• Analyse characteristics of food products at reception: Analyse characteristics, composition, and other properties of food products at reception.
• Apply different dehydration processes of fruits and vegetables: Differentiate and apply different dehydration processes of fruits and vegetables according to product characteristics. The processes include drying, concentration, etc.
• Ensure compliance with environmental legislation in food production: Make sure to comply with environmental legislation in food production. Understand the legislation related to environmental matters in food manufacturing and apply it in practice.
• Label samples: Label raw material/ product samples for laboratory checks, according to implemented quality system.

7514 – Fruit, vegetable and related preservers

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References

1. Fruit and vegetable preserver – ESCO
2. Who is fruit, vegetable and related preservers – TUCareers