Cascade Singulator is a significant improvement in cherry yield and gentle handling over traditional tail cutters

At Fruit Attraction 2021, TOMRA FOOD presented, for the first time, the new and revolutionary Cascade Singulator, an equipment for the separation of tails in cherries, which increases the yield of the process without damaging the fruit. Jesús Cruz Barrios, Sales Manager for Spain, Portugal, Italy and Morocco for TOMRA Fresh Food, explains the main features and advantages of this equipment. What are the main advantages of the Cascade Singulator?The first advantage is the significant improvement in cherry handling compared to traditional tail cutters and hydroseparators. It is well known that stalk cutters hit the fruit with their blades, causing pitting, and water strippers can cause pulling and tearing of the stalk. We have found that the Cascade Singulator provides a much gentler treatment for cherries. On the other hand, it substantially improves the yield and quality of cherry stalk separation. The cascade system and the design of the separators, which are made of stainless steel plates and not blades, align the cherry bunches in such a way that the cut is very clean and always comes from the middle. Also, there is a significant reduction in cleaning time. Unlike traditional tail cutters, the Cascade Singulator has neither conveyor belts nor the dangerous and labour-intensive blades for cleaning. This process is therefore much easier and simpler with this equipment. The last point of improvement is the low maintenance cost. In traditional separators, the blades and belts have to be set up, which is very time-consuming. In contrast, the Cascade Singulator separators are installed in a few minutes and do not need to be set up to start working. Do you have an estimate of the percentage of damaged fruit with traditional tail cutters and with the Cascade Singulator?We have done several tests in Central Otago (New Zealand) and Oregon (USA) with different cherry varieties to determine if the Cascade Singulator causes any statistically significant damage to the fruit and stems. The results obtained show that there is no statistically significant difference between the treatment of the fruit with Cascade Singulator and with manual stalk separation. Furthermore, the separation generated by the Cascade Singulator seems to reduce stem browning. This is because the separation occurs along the edges of the cells, whereas a clean cut would result in more cell rupture, leading to more extensive necrosis. How much does it improve performance in terms of hours and maintenance?In the words of our customer Polehn Farms: "With the traditional cutter it took about seven and a half hours per person per day, and with the Cascade Singulator we have reduced it to only one and a half hours per person per day. In addition, to replace a separator, an operator only needs a couple of minutes instead of the hours it takes to replace the blades of a traditional tail cutter. Does it work for all varieties? If yes, how is the separator adjusted according to the variety and are the blades and bearings changed automatically?Yes, we work with all cherry varieties. The equipment has been tested with Rainier cherries and has worked very well. Unlike the traditional cutter, the equipment does not have blades but stainless steel spacers which are installed directly and do not have to be configured according to the variety. The separators are easy to replace and are ready to operate automatically once installed. Finally, is Tomra working on other innovations for the cherry market?Of course, Tomra's aim is to produce turnkey solutions for our customers in the cherry sector. To do this, the Product Management department works in direct contact with the R&D department to detect the needs of the market and try to cover them with new products that Tomra brings out. Finally, we are working on an artificial intelligence system linked to the cameras to improve the quality of the selection. It has already been implemented in blueberry and now we are also working on cherry and cherry tomatoes.