Frozen vegetable processors target of IPA launched Best sorter

18-Oct-2010 - Last updated on 20-Oct-2010 at 07:10 GMT

Frozen vegetable or fruit manufacturers are the target of a new free-fall camera sorter that detects foreign materials using colour, shape and structure recognition technology, claims Best.

Launching the Opus Optical sorter at the IPA trade show in Paris, the Belgian developer said that the feedback from frozen vegetable processors regarding their sorting challenges prompted the development of the inspection unit.

"We regularly liaise with this sector as we are located near the 13 producers operating out of the West Flanders area that constitute 35 per cent of the European frozen vegetable manufacturing sector," explained Steve Raskin, sales manager at Best (Belgian Electronic Sorting Technology).

Cost effective detection method

He told FoodProductionDaily.com that the Opus, which has a small footprint and an inspection width of 1 meter, provides a cost effective detection method to give manufacturers that additional insurance at the pre-bagging stage.

Incorporating a new high resolution Best camera - the RGBIR - and SWIR (short wave infrared) technology, the system utilizes the fact that water based frozen vegetables absorb light, whereas erroneous material such as wood and plastic reflect it. Furthermore, said the supplier, colour based inspection can pinpoint rotten produce or vegetables with undesirable black spots.

The Opus also detects foreign material such as stones, with their closed structure meaning they reflect infrared differently than vegetables or fruit.

Raskin said that, while not quite the levels of the more costly laser based sorters, the false reject levels of the Opus are low. Detection rates range from 90 to 95 per cent, which is "sufficient for most frozen vegetable processors seeking the integration of an additional control point in their production line."

The sorter, he continued, has capacity of 7 to 9 tonnes per hour to meet the typical production demands of the sector.

Through a graphical user interface, operators have manageable control over the machine, and Best states that the Opus is set to be OPC ready to enable integration within the general processing control system at an end user's facility.

The Opus, claims the Leuven headquartered supplier, also relies on template matching software to target stems and stalks in green beans, while compressed air guns reject defects post the free-fall and camera inspection stage.

Manufactures, said Best, can test product at the supplier's demonstration centres, located next to international airports.