At Fruit Logistica, French machinery manufacturers, MAF Roda Agrobotic, presented their selection of improved fruit and vegetable machines. Within a few seconds, machines can scan and grade different qualities and colour. Frederic Scellier, sales manager, explains that machines are equipped with advanced technology, which makes it easy to remove fruit and vegetables with internal and external defects. MAF Roda displayed four types of machines.
Improved machines
The Globalscan 6 is a machine which grades several kinds of fruit and vegetables on quality and colour, as well as the diameter, length and shape. Frederic said: “It checks for external defects on apples, citrus and peaches. A camera containing RGB and NIR infrared makes this possible. It also has a high resolution making it is easy to see small defects.”
“The Viotec is complementary to Globalscan 6. This machine is able to detect the start of rotting in citrus, by using specific UV(Ultra-violet LED) and IR lighting. It can separate the citrus that have areas of mould which is invisible to the naked eye. Damage can generate big losses for the producers of citrus.” The Globalscan 6 and Viotec are machines that treat the external imperfections of fruit and vegetables.
“Insight 2 is a scanner with a spectrometer for sugar, which analyses the brix level and acidity of citrus.” This machine is based on an analysis of the development between the light emitting near-infrared using halogen lamps and the analysis of different wavelengths received by a sensitive spectrometer.
IDD2 arranges the fruit in various ways. First the products go to Pomone 100/112, which is a grading machine for apples, onions and melons. Afterwards, the fruit or vegetables then go to the IDD2. This machine sizes the fruit or vegetables according to internal defects. “This is a new technology without a spectrometer. Therefore MAF Roda’s clients can use all varieties, without the need to change it for another variety.”