Quality selection by camera technology

• Quality selection in most packing operations is currently still achieved by human selection.
• This operation depends on the physical removal of fruit by grading staff on the packing line onto a moving belt. The use of electronic wands also requires human selection, but allows automatic transfer of below specification fruit out of the line into a designated area.
• Quality selection cameras allow computer aided recognition of defects, reducing the need for large numbers of personnel on the grading tables.
• Currently this technology works well on the continent with their varieties, but has limited use in the UK.
• There are systems operating and these will continue to be improved. Current systems working in the UK have reduced the need for personnel on the grading line to a minimum.
• At specific stages human involvement is required for the removal of rots but generally any human quality selection can be confined to the final packing stage, where any minor defects which have passed the camera can be removed.