Nut sorter meets zero-defect expectations in high-end markets, says developer

08-Apr-2015 - Last updated on 09-Apr-2015 at 08:47 GMT

Morada says Key Technology's nut sorter has helped high quality standards in its target markets

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A laser sorter has helped reduce false rejection rates at the Morada nut company, according to the firm behind the technology.

Key Technology’s laser sorter Taurys has been installed at Morada’s US walnut shelling plant where it has been described as a “workhorse”.

Morada sells shelled walnuts to food processors as ingredients and ready-to-eat nuts to retailers and is targeting high-end markets, such as Japan, Korea and Germany.

“It has a very high success rate and very low false rejects; sorting 8,000lbs an hour,” said Scott Brown, production manager at Morada.

Meeting zero-defect requirements

Marco Azzaretti, advanced inspection systems product manager at Key Technology, said the markets Morada was targeting had high quality standards with zero-defect requirements.

He said this was why the chute-fed laser sorter appealed, as it could be configured to sort the color and structural properties of a wide variety of nuts, as well as dried fruit, frozen fruits and vegetables, fresh cut produce, confections, coffee, and snack foods.

“The objective and consistent nature of the technology, compared to the subjective and inconsistent nature of humans, improves final product quality, which increases the value of the product,” he said.