State-of-the-art vision technology for in-shell pecan grading

THE PECAN, A NUT IN EXPANSION

World consumption of pecans has grown thanks to the new trends in  healthy food consumption and the expansion of new uses ofnuts as snacks or ingredients.

The main pecan-producing countries are Mexico, USA and South Africa. The latter expects to double its production in the next 7 years and, for the 2022 season, Mexico and the USA expect increased profits compared to 2021.

The main consumer is still China, but the demand for pecan kernels in Europe is on the rise, reinforcing the good expectations of this sector.

MULTISCAN TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PECAN SECTOR

Multiscan Technologies has extensive experience in the entire nut sector.

Sorting by color to remove black or pecans with husk was one of the main needs of the producers in this sector, but our technology has continued advancing to the point of developing equipment that allows sorting by a wide range of quality defects.

Our main clients are in the USA and South Africa where we are the leading providers of sorting technology. Our presence in these countries keeps growing thanks to the exceptional performance of our facilities and teams.

MULTISCAN S30P FOR IN-SHELL PECAN QUALITY SORTING

Multiscan S30P is a compact system specially designed for in-shell pecan sorting according to their external quality, color, size and shape.

This innovative equipment is also able to conduct variety sorting, which allows separating those units that have been mixed with the main variety being processed. This application is of vital importance when the product is intended for cracking, as the force to be applied by the cracking machine in this process depends directly on the hardness of the shell of each variety..

Another factor closely linked to the varieties is the humidity, which determines the amount of heat that must be applied to lower this percentage to those suitable for transport or consumption.

MULTISCAN V20P FOR COLOR SORTING OF IN-SHELL PECAN NUTS

Multiscan V20P is a high-capacity system specially designed for the color sorting of in-shell pecan  after the husking processes. Through the use of advanced vision technology, it enables efficient sorting by identifying unwanted or to be reprocessed product. With this solution, pecan processors will optimize their processes, reducing the need for labor and the space required for machinery.

OPTIMIZED PROCESSES AND HIGH EFFICIENCY IN DEFECT SORTING

Multiscan’s range of solutions allows pecan nut producers to comprehensively classify the fruit, optimizing their processes by working with a higher percentage of good product. In addition, it ensures maximum utilisation of the nuts with poorer qualities that are destined for other uses. All this translates into an increase in the profitability of the global business.

Examples of products with defects detected by the Multiscan equipment for pecan nuts

PRODUCTION AND CONNECTIVITY REPORTS

All Multiscan equipment integrates a software platform that provides the customer with an intuitive and user-friendly interface, with the possibility of remote technical assistance. Besides, it also allows communication with other elements of the line and SCADAS, and incorporates supervised machine learning algorithms, which make it possible to train the solution in the detection of certain specific defects.

In addition, the generation of reports allows our clients to pay their suppliers based on the actual quality they receive and provides useful information to monitor on-farm production and make decisions to improve it.

SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL SERVICE

Multiscan Technologies guarantees worldwide coverage for technical support. We also have annual maintenance plans that ensure the maximum performance of our equipment and the updating of our technology.

And to ensure the response to the high demand from our customers in South Africa and the United States, we have our American subsidiary and a commercial and technical agency located in South Africa, with specialized staff that exclusively serves the entire pecan-growing area.

For more information about this equipment for the sorting of in-shell pecan, contact our team of specialists.