Optical Sorting Machine Manufacturers

Optical sorting machines — technologies and food applications

Optical sorting machines use cameras, light sensors, and image analysis software to detect and remove defective, off-colour, or contaminated product items. Modern optical sorters use multiple sensing technologies to detect a wide range of defects: visible spectrum cameras (colour and surface defect detection); near-infrared (NIR) sensors (detect surface and sub-surface composition differences — water, fat, protein, sugar content; also detect certain contaminants with different NIR absorption to the food product); laser sensors; and X-ray (X-ray systems detect dense contaminants including bone fragments, glass, stones, and some metals — see X-ray inspection systems). Optical sorting applications in food processing include: grain and rice colour sorting (defective grain removal — see colour sorters page); nut and seed defect removal; dried fruit sorting (mould, sugar crystallisation, off-colour); fresh produce inspection (surface defect detection in packing lines); potato and vegetable piece sorting for ready meal or frozen food lines; and fish bone detection.