Bühler has adapted its optical sorting technology for use on the processing lines of two major walnut producers.
The company has installed a solution for Moldovan nut grown Monicol that can remove not only hazardous material from the sorting line – mainly shell – but also foreign materials such as sticks and stones, as well as spotting dark colour defects on the nuts themselves.
The Monicol installation followed extensive trials to test the Sortex E BioVision’s efficacy and accuracy, Bühler said.
Monicol CEO Dumitru Vicol said: “The trials were conducted on product with input contamination ranging from 10% to 34%, achieving accept quality of 99%. On trials of input contamination at 15%, the accept quality rose to 99.9%, with no shell found per 1kg. A typical customer requirement allows for one piece of shell in every 10kg, so we were very happy with these results. The Sortex E BioVision is helping our business to grow by achieving greater trust in our products and therefore customer satisfaction. We’re expecting it to play a major part in the on-going efficiency and profitability of our business in the coming months and years.”
Moldova is one of the ten largest walnut producers globally and the third largest supplier of shelled walnuts to the European Union, due to its rich soil and temperate climate of warm summers and mild winters. Its production for the year 2015-2016 is expected to hit 40,000 metric tonnes of walnuts.
Bühler has also introduced new sorting technology for US-based Andersen Nut Co., which was operating existing infrastructure that was low on capacity and high on processing times, which in turn meant high production costs.
The existing system was sorting walnuts to remove shell, discoloured nuts and rancid products, which often meant between six and eight passes through equipment before product could be passed to the hand-picking tables.
Bühler’s laboratory demonstrations were so successful, dramatically limiting the number of passes required, that Andersen Nut Co. ordered the Sortex E BioVision the same month.
Andersen Nut Co’s Dan Andersen said: “The Sortex E BioVision proved to achieve the same levels of quality and better yields in just two to four passes, which achieved higher volumes. It was also able to target all defects effectively. What’s more, production volume increased because the machine was able to handle higher capacity.”
The Sortex E BioVision is also capable of removing hazardous material up to 50% smaller than previously possible in a single sort for many varieties of nuts – including walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios and hazelnuts. The solution, which is unique to Bühler, not only minimises losses of good nuts, it also ensures greater accuracy in detecting foreign material while reducing processing time.
Bühler global product manager for optical sorting Faisal Baig said: “Sorting walnuts can be challenging for conventional sorters, particularly if the product batch contains shell, septa and dark kernels that all need removing at the same time. Designed with a special optical configuration, BioVision is able to perform both sorts simultaneously and can easily handle different varieties and grades of walnuts – in-shell and shelled, including sizes ranging from halves to double-diced and colours ranging from extra light to amber. In addition to removing even the smallest pieces of shell and septa, the Sortex E BioVision with dedicated colour cameras and Profile technology, can remove discoloured, shrivelled, rotten, insect-damaged and butterball walnuts.”
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