May 16, 2024

AI deep learning tech aids cherry packinghouses efficiencies

Cherry packers in California, the U.S., and New Zealand implemented TOMRA’s AI-powered trademarked LUCAi technology with its InVision2 grading platform during the past two seasons with excellent results.

Prima Frutta Packing, Dunstan Hills and Panmure Orchards increased production and packing efficiencies while minimizing waste and maintaining the high quality of the product. The user-friendly interface made it easy for operators to adapt to the new technology, according to a news release.

The three cherry growers share the challenge of meeting the growing demand, with consistent high-quality produce, in the short cherry season, which typically begins in mid-May and finishes at the end of June in California, while in New Zealand it runs from early to mid-December to late January. After a full season with TOMRA LUCAi, they found that they benefited from higher productivity, enhanced quality selection with consequent higher margins for their customers, and reduced food waste, according to the release.

LUCAi’s cherry grading platform is unique in that it comes with vast amounts of data collected by TOMRA in different regions across the world, building pre-trained models using real images of cherries. This means that it is ready to deliver its superior sorting and grading performance as soon as it is installed, according to the release. It uses TOMRA’s Deep Learning technology to identify with accuracy an extensive range of defects – from edge cracks, Pacman cherries, open sutures, cosmetic blemishes and stem pulls, to spurs, cracks and all defects around the stem; from dehydration to apical splits; and it will recognize colors in the ripe phase with precision, according to the release.

Prima Frutta Packing is a family-owned business based in Linden, California.

It packs cherries using the latest packaging technologies to ship across the U.S. and internationally to markets in Asia and other regions. It was founded in 1991 by Tim Sambado to pack the produce from orchards on and around the family’s ranch, which is marketed by Primavera Marketing, also run by the family. The business has grown steadily and ten years ago it introduced TOMRA Food sorters into its processing line to achieve the quality demanded by its customers.

“We pride ourselves on our consistent quality, day in day out, season to season,” Sambado said in the release. “Our customers look for us to deliver a high-end quality product as well as excellent service. We can’t do our business without technology and information. We are obsessed with data, and we are obsessed with getting the best technology in the world.”

In 2023, TOMRA Food was in the final stages of development of its AI-powered LUCAi platform, ready to trial its innovation with customers in different conditions and regions – from California to New Zealand. When Prima Frutta was offered the opportunity, Sambado, a keen believer in technology, was eager to see how it could help him achieve the improvements he wanted for Prima Frutta: “We wanted to become more accurate, to simplify the system for our operators, and to be able to detect some defects that in our traditional mapping system was more difficult,” he said in the release.

LUCAi’s user-friendly interface software makes it very easy for the customer’s operators to get the best sorting and grading performance from their processing line. “It allows us to make changes and gives us accurate data on how it is going to impact our grading before we apply the change. This means that the operators can do things with much more confidence and quickly. They don’t have to do a lot of sampling and testing before they can apply a change because they get the data immediately,” Sambado said in the release . This immediate feedback is important because “in the cherry world, when you’re running 40,000 cherries a minute, you just don’t have a lot of time to sample.”

Dunstan Hills is a longstanding customer that has been running TOMRA equipment for almost 10 years. Based in Central Otago, New Zealand, Dunstan Hills was also keen to implement the TOMRA LUCAi technology on its InVision2 grading platform.

Dunstan Hills grows cherries primarily for export around the world. After a full season with TOMRA LUCAi, they found that they benefited from higher productivity, enhanced quality selection with consequent higher margins for their customers, and reduced food waste. “With LUCAi, we achieved better grading and increased throughput of around 10 percent – and it is easy to use,” Ian Nicholls, Dunstan Hills’ operations manager, said in the release.

LUCAi guarantees the packaging of quality fruit, meticulously sorted and placed in optimal boxes, prepared for the most favorable market prices,

LUCAi handles various cherry qualities with precision, consistently segregating fruit classes for different markets, even in challenging batches, thus preventing fruit waste and potential market claims, Benedetta Ricci Iamino, TOMRA’s global category director – cherries, said in the release.

“Our customers can now confidently expect their best fruit, in prime condition, reaching optimal markets, all at highly competitive prices,” Iamino said in the release. “LUCAi caters to a diverse range of preferences and customizations, providing a comprehensive solution poised to revolutionize the industry landscape and enable our customers to achieve unprecedented success in the cherry industry.”