Accuracy and reliability in product classification

“We believe UNITEC Blueberry Vision is a revolution in the blueberry industry. In a couple of years at most those who do not have this technology will be out of the industry.” This is what Cristobal Duke, General Director of Collipulli (Chile) said about Unitec Blueberry Vision technology at the end of last season. Unitec Blueberry Vision is the first technology worldwide that can eliminate any defective product, analyzing the whole fruit both internally and externally. This essential aspect opens a new frontier in the selection and classification of blueberry quality, making it possible to see both the pulp and skin of the fruit. “Thanks to Unitec Blueberry Vision – says Alejandro García, owner of the Chilean company Prize – we got rid of manual selection, there are no people sorting blueberries anymore. I believe that there are no chances to select something when you have millions and millions of blueberries passing in front of your eyes. You may sort out some major defects, but actually it is impossible to make a selection for soft fruit or for defects which are not visible to the naked eye. Today we are really sorting blueberries, in the past we were not. Because of this, it does not matter if we have 10%, 15% or 20% of bad fruit; our final product is now better, consistent and homogeneous.” With Unitec Blueberry Vision you can select and classify fruits according to their degree of ripeness and softness. It is also possible to sort with absolute accuracy external visible defects, like peeled or dry fruits, the presence of stems and/or fruits with dehydration. At the same time, Blueberry Vision also ensures the accurate selection and classification of typical parameters such as size and color. The results obtained by the Chilean packing houses that chose Unitec Blueberry Vision for blueberry selection and classification are excellent. “Our final product is totally clean – says Oscar De Blasis, owner of the company Merex (Chile). – There is very small or no defected product. Our final product looks uniform inside the clamshell, which makes a very good impression to the consumers who will buy it in the supermarket.” The results obtained by the company Prize are impressive too. “Unitec Blueberry Vision is something different – adds García – and I think that in the near future we will see a change in industry standards, because this technology allows us to supply our customers and consumers with a totally homogeneous product which matches the quality standards and consistency that we want to supply.” These tangible results were achieved in a season that was affected by bad weather, but the Chilean companies that relied on Blueberry Vision succeeded in successfully lasting through it. “This year we had a couple of extreme events – says Cristobal Duke from Collipulli – and if we hadn’t had Unitec technology, part of the fruit would have been lost. Without this machine up to 15% of the fruit would have gone to IQF. This is a big benefit, since it gives us the possibility to retrieve all the fruit delivered by the grower, whose main interest is to export his fruit.” Reliability, absolute accuracy and consistency of the product offered, then. But not only. With Unitec Blueberry Vision patented technology, packing houses can have guarantees on the stage of selection and quality classification of fruits and therefore can improve their competitiveness in all the markets where they operate or intend to operate in the future, in order to expand their business. Consumers will never feel betrayed, if packing houses constantly offer fruits of consistent quality over time and eliminate possible disputes arising from fruits that do not meet the expected quality standards. “With this technology – concludes Oscar De Blasis, owner of the company Merex – we want to reach the Asian and European markets with a better product, since these markets can pay a better price for good fruit. Unitec technology gave impulse to cherries in the Asian market, and I believe it will be the same for blueberries with this new technology. I think that thanks to Blueberry Vision we are going 2-3-4 years ahead in the future of the blueberry industry.” More information