Felix Instruments webinar announces new kiwifruit measurement tool

Leading agro-technical instrument developer FELIX INSTRUMENTS will host two webinars, on 7 July, to launch the latest version of its high-tech kiwifruit quality meter. Making "light work" of kiwifruit maturity testing: Assessing fruit maturity accurately in the field, without the lab. The new and improved F-751 kiwifruit quality meter allows kiwifruit growers and packers to accurately and non-destructively estimate kiwifruit dry matter and Brix to indicate quality and quality and maturity using near infrared (NIR) technology.The webinar - presented in both Spanish and English - will include a live demonstration of the device and will focus on how kiwifruit personnel can use the meter in their process.In recent trials, in partnership with Start-A-Fresh ltd, the kiwifruit quality meter has proven its effectiveness with Hayward, Gold and Red kiwifruit varieties.Packers and retailers can quickly and efficiently check fruit quality with an F-751, checking around 200 samples per hour (11 seconds per fruit), compared to 30 samples with next day results when using the microwave technique.The device offers the following accuracy (based on 1.5 x RMSE of the model)-Dry matter accuracy of +/- 0.5% for Gold3; +/- 1.0% for Hayward; +/- 1.2% for Red19-Brix (sugar content) accuracy of +/- 0,6° for Gold3; +/- 1,9° for Hayward; +/- 1,2° for Red19-Shading angle accuracy (internal flesh colour) of +/- 0.6° for Gold3; +/- 1.2° for Red19."We are pleased to highlight the latest phase in the advancement of the Kiwi Quality Meter and what this means for the industry," said Scott Trimble, Marketing Director of Felix Instruments. The highly portable instrument is designed for simple and accurate one-button operation, saving time and money, while avoiding the losses associated with destructive methods. It also works seamlessly with Fruit Maps, the free interactive crop mapping application created by Felix Instruments and Queensland University. The meter offers direct cost savings in terms of less lab testing, labour and destroyed fruit, while reducing guesswork and providing more vital data. The ability to easily measure more fruit more easily and more frequently helps growers make better data-driven harvesting decisions. Growers can use the NIR device to better determine how different nutrient or herbicide applications affect fruit quality. Herbicides affect fruit quality, while for distributors, the F-751 provides more visibility into the product quality of incoming and outgoing produce, setting the stage for better decision making and cost savings. In English (Wednesday, July 7th @ 2pm Pacific) - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8ojQQQeCR9Kz7TpQAk0-3g  En español (Miércoles 7 de julio a las 8:00 hora del Pacífico) - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qX2iABmzRtOzgXPi_RYhDw