Turkish exporter shares experience on dried fig sorting machines usage

Kral Incir is one of Turkey's most important dried fig exporters. Thanks to installing two TOMRA Helius and two TOMRA Ixus sorting machines, the company is now able to meet the high standards demanded by export markets.

At its site in Nazilli Aydın in the Aegean region, Kral processes around 6.000 tons of figs annually. Under the King brand it has been supplying foreign markets for almost 50 years. Today, 80% of its production is destined for export to European countries (France, Germany, Belgium), the United States and East Asia.

Over a half of the world's dried fig production (approx. 120.000 tons), is supplied by Turkey. 

According to Kral Incir's General Coordinator, Alper Aksüt, Turkey is the world’s first dried fig producer and exporter. The value of these exports is about $300 million annually.

Dried figs are the most difficult to process

Kral Incir offers dried fig products domestically and worldwide for different uses - as packaged dried fruit for sale in supermarket chains and as raw material for the pharmaceutical sector.

Aksüt commented that dried fig is very difficult to process and package: the fig's shape changes constantly because of the size and softness of the fruit's grain volume. However optical sorting machines such as TOMRA's sorters can help businesses by detecting and eliminating foreign materials and mycotoxin fractions.

To guarantee that the final product is prevented from the aflatoxin-contaminated figs, a lot of attention has to be paid in cultivation, harvesting, and sorting processes. 

Aksüt explained that the fungi that cause aflatoxin in dried figs generate kojic acid. Fortunately, kojic acid radiates in green-blue color in the darkness under ultraviolet light, which means it can be detected by the TOMRA Helius in the dark-room environment. And Kral Incir sorts foreign materials such as metal, glass, and stone with the TOMRA Ixus. Since product quality and crop volumes can change from year to year, it is useful to know that we can rely on optical sorting machines when the yield quality is poor. Aksüt affirmed that TOMRA's sorters significantly speed up their production times.

Outstanding after-sales service 

During the seven years that Kral Incir has used TOMRA machines, the company has been very pleased with the after-sales service support, according to Aksüt.

Dried figs are strategically important in Turkey and it is essential to invest in product processing to keep on meeting demands of destination markets. “TOMRA's sensors ensure a clear view of every single product and any defects.", affirmed Ahmet Koçyiğit, TOMRA Food Turkey Sales Manager.

To learn more about dried fig sorting solutions, please send your inquiry