Fresh pomegranates need to be of high quality. This is why Unitec developed a technology to sort fruit according to grade, weight and colour. Its clients are in Italy, South America and Turkey, among others.
"We can also assess the external quality of the fruit. The integrity of the crown and the percentage of red colour on the skin are very important, though the presence of small defects on the skin is not a problem as it would be on apples or pears," explains President Angelo Benedetti.
"We are perfecting a system to assess internal quality - we must be responsible for what we make available to consumers as there is no other way to promote fruit consumption. Produce must be good from an organoleptic point of view and in line with the taste profile of all categories of consumers."
According to Benedetti, pomegranates are a niche fruit that could either explode or die. "I believe it will explode because it is now used in juices, smoothies, salads, etc. It is considered a super-food and therefore it will become more popular. The only limit is the variability, as it is just like apricots - you can find an excellent fruit or you can find an awful one."
The Unitec sorting machine has been designed to respect the peculiar characteristics of this fruit, but it can be customised to meet specific clients' needs.
