GREEFA and MED Automation have installed an advanced measuring system for properties like sugar content and water centre, as well as faults like internal browning in deciduous fruit, for four of its clients.
The advantage and uniqueness of the new generation iFA (internal Flavour Analysis) is that it allows light to penetrate the entire fruit, facilitating the analysis of the full light spectrum on the opposite side, instead of the reflection principle of previous systems. As many as 80 fruit can be analysed per second.
MED Automation’s Philip van Wyk stresses the very accurate measurement of internal browning. Since 2016 this feature has assisted the SA deciduous fruit industry to export its products with confidence, in contrast to former insecurity due to internal browning.
IFA enables sorters to distinguish amongst no browning, light browning and dark browning and has proved to be of special significance to the apple industry. Some producers are of the opinion that no export should be undertaken when there’s even as slight a chance as 6% of browning.
Van Wyk says the same system could be used for grading affected fruit for various purposes on the local market. “In a year like 2015 and with this year’s problem on Pink Lady, its 98% accuracy has started to show its benefits.”
The iFA systems can be installed on existing GREEFA sorting machines within the space of two weeks. This includes training of personnel. “Generally speaking, the introductory process can be described as swift and user friendly,” says Van Wyk.
Video footage:
An overview of the Pack House 4 construction at Two-a-day in Grabouw. MED Automation acted as project managers as well as supplying and installing the peripheral equipment together with GREEFA, who supplied a 10-lane Geosort sizer with iFA (internal quality system). www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1UyjrhqkNI&feature=share
