Technologies for an impeccable classification of nuts

Ensuring food safety and meeting customer product specifications are challenges for nut processors. On the one hand, foreign material and peel must be prevented from entering the product flow of the processing line. On the other hand, nuts can be externally and internally defective, making it almost impossible to detect. In addition, there is a risk of inadvertent mixing of allergenic nuts with hypoallergenic ones.

 

 

 

To face all these threats, there are optical sorters that are capable of classifying nuts according to specifications; minimize false rejections; increase removal efficiency; minimize or eliminate the need for manual sorting; help solve the labor problem (cost, scarcity, effectiveness), among other benefits.

 

Nut sorting requires different solutions to fulfill various tasks.

 

For example, when sorting almonds, at first, you need to remove foreign material, inner or outer shell. A very detailed inspection is not required at this stage. The TOMRA 5C is a perfect solution for this task, and in some cases the TOMRA 3C, with the capacity to classify more than 16 tons of nuts per hour. With an efficiency of 99.5%, it removes the shell, husk, sticks, stones, among other defects.

 

The second check for foreign material and kernels is done when almonds arrive at the processor. This is what the TOMRA 5X is for, a belt sorter capable of unmatched performance. This machine has imaging and X-ray technology to detect and eject dense materials such as stones, clods, glass and plastics.

 

For the classification of smaller and less dense foreign materials, such as peels, chips and allergens derived from cross-contaminated products, there is the TOMRA 5C. It is a premium optical sorter designed for nuts and frozen vegetables. At this point in processing, the TOMRA 5C is equipped with a BSI+ laser and camera with the ability to view the biometric data of materials on the line, using 2 different technologies to remove any foreign material.

 

For the third stage of classification of almonds, the TOMRA 5C is used again. Thanks to 2 Biometric Signature Identification (BSI+) scanners, the TOMRA 5C shows its ability to find almost invisible defects such as insect damage, gumming, brown spots, mold and dried product. Most of these defects are inedible and the rejected product would be useful in oils for cosmetics.

 

BSI+ technology scans materials at visible spectrum and NIR wavelengths. Compare the biometric characteristics of the objects with those stored in the database to determine whether to accept or reject it. This technology can detect and reject other defects such as decay, rancidity, mold, water, dehydration, oil content, and allergens.

 

The almonds will then again pass through a TOMRA 5C equipped with double lasers and BSI+ cameras, to determine the smallest defects such as encrusted pores and shell.

 

Before going to market, the walnuts must be checked for cosmetic blemishes. TOMRA 5B is an ideal classifier for the identification of individual defects. It combines immersive 360-degree display technology with advanced shape algorithms for object processing.

 

All TOMRA sorting technologies are easy to use, networkable and remotely controlled. Some have self-learning capabilities to continuously hone their classification accuracy.