LIVE from Fruit Logistica: Unitec spotlights AI-driven defect detection and automation

At a press conference held during Fruit Logistica in Berlin, Unitec presented its latest advances in fruit quality analysis, defect detection, and automation, outlining how AI-powered systems and semi-robotic harvesting are reshaping post-harvest operations globally.

Opening the session, President Angelo Benedetti positioned defect analysis as a central focus of the company’s work.

“There is no absolute ‘good’ fruit — markets accept fruit differently,” he explained. “Our job is to see what is inside the fruit: what is acceptable and what is not.”

According to Benedetti, Unitec’s technologies evaluate both external and internal parameters across multiple fruit categories. While certain metrics — such as Brix levels — remain standard, others, including acidity perception, are more subjective. The company’s role is to classify quality consistently across products including table grapes and tomatoes, using systems that continue to improve through dedicated R&D and AI-driven data analysis.

Automation also featured prominently in the discussion, particularly as labour shortages intensify across producing regions. Benedetti highlighted packing house applications, citing operations such as Melinda as examples where Unitec systems deliver measurable performance gains. Data management is another core pillar, enabling traceability from the field through to large-scale distribution while improving decision-making across the supply chain.

Looking ahead, Unitec is expanding semi-robotic harvesting. The company is already trialling automated picking systems for crops such as peaches and apples, with the longer-term ambition of supporting growers globally wherever fruit and vegetable production requires classification and quality control.

From the company’s Innovation Centre, Nour Abdrabbo detailed recent technology developments across multiple categories. Table grapes — described as a high-consumption product historically lacking technological attention — have become a priority, particularly given labour-intensive cleaning and processing requirements. Recent installations across Italy and Spain have delivered productivity and quality improvements, with customers reporting strong satisfaction.

In cherries, Unitec’s Vision 4.0 AI technology focuses on detecting insect-related defects, including invisible punctures caused by fruit flies. Optical systems enable producers to identify damage that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Avocado solutions now measure dry matter to determine ripeness and “ready-to-eat” windows, while blueberry technologies assess field quality and export suitability — even analysing entire crates through sample punnets.

The company is also expanding into nuts, with installations for hazelnuts and pistachios and early-stage work underway in almonds. Internal quality detection systems are already active across kiwifruit, peaches, mandarins, and oranges.

Abdrabbo added that Unitec is advancing technologies for dates — one of the world’s most consumed fruits — as well as apples, where low margins are driving demand for more efficient packing solutions. Through its Unirobotics division, the company is deploying field palletisation systems, including installations in Sicily, and automating tasks such as placing clamshells into crates.

Customer case studies further illustrated operational gains. In Spain, Unitec partnered with grape producer Moika, completing three installations over two years. The project focused on increasing kilograms packed per hour per worker while reducing giveaway and minimising under- and overweight deviations.

Benedetti also addressed ongoing development challenges, noting that fully integrated in-field harvesting and sorting remains a work in progress. The goal is a system capable of picking fruit while simultaneously selecting quality, directing output either to packing houses or processing channels.

As table grape consumption continues to rise — particularly in Spain and Italy — Benedetti stressed that seedless versus seeded varieties do not affect Unitec’s classification capabilities. The broader objective is to deliver more consistent product quality to end consumers through a hybrid model combining automation and manual labour, currently operating at roughly a 60/40 split.

Unitec also confirmed its role as the official technology partner for Asia Fruit Logistica 2026, reinforcing its strategic focus on innovation, automation, and data-driven quality management across the global fresh produce industry.

To learn more about Unitec’s AI-driven quality and automation technologies, or to discuss collaboration opportunities, send your inquiry.