Bühler’s new sorting portfolio poised to increase nut yields, boost quality and reduce waste

22 May 2023 --- Bühler has launched a portfolio of Sortex optical sorters to increase nut yields, combat aflatoxin and offer easy use to nut processors globally. The new portfolio is set to solidify Bühler’s status as the market leader in nut processing machinery and provides an optimistic outlook on a sustainable future for the industry.

There is a wide range of complex challenges that the nut industry faces. For example, the expectation for quality has never been higher; consumers and retailers have zero tolerance for the presence of mycotoxins, a poisonous chemical released from certain strains of fungi that can contaminate nuts. Foreign materials such as sticks, stones and shells can also create unsafe food, states Bühler.

Alongside this, consumers expect nuts that are uniform in size and shape, with no insect bites or other cosmetic damage.

Sourcing and shipping nuts
Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Joel Chase, optical sorting product manager at Bühler, says global supply chains struggled post-pandemic, with large stocks being held over from previous harvests as the shipping crisis affected exporters worldwide. “A slightly smaller harvest last year, coupled with the recovery of shipping networks, has thankfully allowed the nut industry to ‘catch up.’” 

Sourcing nuts has always been an issue, but more and more orchards are being planted yearly to keep the supply up with the demand, explains Chase. 

“In a world where costs for producers and consumers seem to rise daily, it is important to find and create value for our customers. That can be achieved in two ways: Firstly, by enabling higher overall quality standards, even from low-quality inputs, producers can generate greater value for their end product. Secondly, increasing yields by reducing false rejection means fewer good products leave the food chain, which is good for everyone, producers, consumers and the environment,” he underscores. 

Bühler’s TotalCare service and maintenance products, combined with the Sortex Monitoring System data analytics packages, mean operators and managers can have full visibility of what is happening on their line from anywhere in the world, safe in the knowledge that spares parts and support are available rapidly to get them back up and running in no time.

Chase tells us that one recent opportunity has seen one of our new cameras being used to sort kernels before they have thoroughly dried. “Yields have nearly doubled and they are saving energy and money by not having to run the dehumidifiers for as long as they used to. This development is fascinating as it ties in perfectly with Bühler’s commitment to halve the energy, water and waste in our customer’s value-chains by 2025 compared to pre-pandemic levels.”

Overcoming challenges within the nut industry 
Bühler believes the challenges are not only related to safety and quality. 

For years, the market has seen the cost of raw materials increase, forcing processors to spend more on the production process. On top of this, with global environmental initiatives, governments are cracking down on the land and water usage of nut plants.

Bühler’s optical sorting portfolio has been designed to counter the challenges of the nut industry, setting the standards for quality while reducing waste and increasing yields to offer the advanced sustainability and quality that processors require. 

High performing sorters 
The Sortex H SpectraVision is Bühler’s highest-performing optical sorter on the market. A color sorter, and a specialist in blanched and natural kernels, the Sortex H brings up to 50% higher reject concentration, meaning processors can provide a higher quality product to the market while also reducing waste. 

Bühler’s optical sorting portfolio has been designed to counter the challenges of the nut industry.The H machine also brings high capacity with full-color cameras and LEDs with triple the light of other sorters to make challenging defect detection a thing of the past. 

Minimizing toxic contamination
The Sortex LumoVision is Bühler’s answer to mycotoxin contamination. LumoVision is marketed as a breakthrough in sorting technology that will minimize toxic contamination in nuts and improve yield by identifying and removing cancer-causing, aflatoxin-infected products. 

The Sortex LumoVisioncan reduce the aflatoxin level by up to 90% (as indicated by industrial trials). 

Meanwhile, Bühler’s Sortex J SpectraVision brings high-level color sorting by sorting five tons per hour per module and utilizing the MerlinAI engine, the Bühler J is built for performance and ease of use. 

Sortex N is a specialist pre-cleaner for both natural and in-shell nuts. Combining Bühler’s time-proven shell-detection cameras – BioCam and OptiCam – with a new sorting platform, the Sortex N brings efficient shell and critical defect removal at up to 20 tons per hour. 

Finally, the Sortex Monitoring System (SMS), Bühler’s cloud-based data capture software, provides processors with essential metrics and data for peak performance anywhere in the world and on any device. SMS alerts processors to any faults in the process line, enabling a quick response and saving money from lost production time and errors. 

By Elizabeth Green