Food & Beverage Asia December 2020/January 2021

FIRST LOOKS 51
Key Technology introduces new VERYX BioPrint hyperspectral sorter
Key Technology, a member of the
Duravant family of operating companies,
has introduced the VERYX BioPrint digital
sorter. Combining near infrared (NIR)
hyperspectral detection with colour
cameras, VERYX BioPrint analyses a richer
set of data about the materials it is sorting
to improve detection performance and
maximise process yields. Key’s VERYX
BioPrint C140 sorter for nuts removes
shells, foreign materials (FM) and product
defects, as well as shape sorts and colour
grades to maximise product quality while
virtually eliminating false rejects.
to identify and move difficult-to-detect
FM and defects, without the yield loss
generated by inadvertently directing good
product to the reject stream, even when
defect loads are high.
Marco Azzaretti, director of marketing
at Key, explained: “Our new BioPrint
hyperspectral imaging system gives us
superior flexibility to tailor optimal sort
solutions for each customer application.
Nut customers are already using VERYX
BioPrint in their operations and have
proven its success – they’re experiencing
outstanding product quality and ease of
“complete removal” of shell and FM wit the
highest good product yield.
Sorting up to 8 metric tonnes of product
per hour, VERYX BioPrint C140 can be
deployed for sorting nuts from preselection
to final grading. It works as a
standalone sorter, either in line or batchfed,
and in a cascading line of multiple
sorters, depending on the needs of the
processor.
“We plan to develop VERYX BioPrint
sorters for other applications where
chemometric detection offers performance
Sorting walnuts, almonds, pistachios,
cashews and other nuts, VERYX BioPrint
removes shells, rocks, sticks, glass,
plastics, moisture-related defects, insect
and other surface damage, rot, mould
and more while colour grading and shape
sorting to meet strict product quality
specifications.
use.”
The accuracy of the BioPrint detection
system is complemented by VERYX’s
high-resolution ejection system, which
features minimal spacing between air
nozzles to better target objects identified
for removal. Intelligent software manages
the air nozzles’ actuation strategy to
and customer value. The next frontier
of optical sorting is improving the
identification of internal defects and
other conditions that are not discernible
by inspecting the surface of objects,”
Azzaretti added. “Hyperspectral imaging
also has tremendous potential to
select product on the basis of its taste
properties. For example, VERYX BioPrint
VERYX BioPrint C140 can be equipped with
front- and rear-mounted hyperspectral
imaging sensors for all-sided inspection of
each object in the product stream. It can
be configured with colour cameras and
Key’s new Bio Fusion detection technology,
which fuses information from both sensor
types to identify and remove a wide
range of FM and defects from the product
stream.
suit the objects’ size, shape and weight.
The combined precision of VERYX’s
detection and ejection systems results in a
C140 can help processors of Spanish-style
almonds detect individual so-called bitter
almonds.” ■
Key Technology
Hyperspectral imaging utilises more
wavelengths of information than other
NIR inspection systems to detect the
chemometric and biological properties of
objects. Multi-channel, high-resolution
colour cameras facilitate “precise” colour
grading and shape sorting. On the other
hand, Bio Fusion combines pixel-level
data from the hyperspectral sensors and
colour cameras to produce a “signature”
associated with each material substance
that passes the sorter. This enables VERYX
The VERYX BioPrint digital sorter
from Key Technology
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021