The global expansion of the potato business has created a very dynamic market for optical sorting equipment and the influx of capital has promoted a lot of developments from manufacturers. The demand for high throughput, accuracy, hygienic design and durability has translated into the optical sorters for the potato industry being built to the highest standards and latest technological advancements.

Potato Business Digital has gathered insight from some of the top sorting equipment producers, in order to build a more complete picture of the current technological innovations that are in use today, as well as the R&D trends that will shape the market in the years to come.

Marco Azzaretti, director of marketing at Key Technology says modern optical sorters found in potato processing plants are among the most advanced in the world. They are able to detect and classify a very wide range of defects and remove different types of organic and inorganic foreign materials (FM) while withstanding the production challenges inherent in the operating environment.

“What sets our VERYX optical sorter for processed potatoes apart is its unique ability to inspect the entire surface of each object in the product stream and sustain that all-sided surface inspection accurately, day after day. Additionally, the Sort-To-Grade software automatically ensures the required product quality grade is maintained at maximum yield. Ultimately, VERYX gives potato processors the assurance of satisfying their customers’ quality requirements while achieving high operating efficiencies,” Azzaretti explains.

Stefano Bonacina, DT global head segment, Fruit&Vegetables, Bühler says their SORTEX F has been in the market for three years and they are continually improving it and releasing new features. “The biggest and most recent one has been the update to its operating system to ProSortX 4.0™, which not only brings ease of use and simplicity but also Industry 4.0 connectivity. It is the culmination of over 18 months of development effort and extensive field trials, where we’ve really listened to what processors need from an optical sorter. In terms of future advancements, aside from better detection technologies, we are excited about the opportunities remote connectivity and analytics offer, like our new AnywarePro data analysis package,” he points out.

Differentiating Factors 

Another technology that is designed to add precision to the sorting process is Chemical Imaging Technology (CIT) and the capabilities it brings on defect sorting and foreign material sorting. According to Lukas Lackner, vice president of Insort GmbH., their Peelscanner and Peeler Control are proving invaluable because of their capability of utilizing one setting for the entire season (early harvest and late storage). Additionally, the FM IP camera captures videos of all FM removed in line, while further developments of the AI technology for defect and shape sorting will likely drive a huge increase in overall capability.   

Specialists from Newtec said their equipment stands out in terms of capacity – with the Celox-P-UHD being “the only machine on the market which can simultaneously grade products in both size, shape, and quality – and then deliver the products in up to 16 different categories at a max capacity of up to 30 t/h.”

According to them, the mechanical setup with chutes, rollers, and a “spinaflex-system” is able to cope with great spans in product dimensions, from the smallest to the biggest potatoes in one go without the need for pre-grading. As the sorting is performed in a single process, the footprint of the machine is quite small, allowing for easy integration in a production line.

You can read the rest of this article in the Spring Issue of Potato Business Digital magazine, which you can access by clicking here.