Nondestructive Quality Evaluation of Agricultural Products - Industrial Application

Use of nondestructive quality evaluation techniques for agricultural products is steadily increasing. Reasons for increased application and refinements of techniques in processing of agricultural products are discussed, especially with regard to more automation and less labor in processing, increased processing rates, and demand for more quality and uniformity of product. Information is presented on a number of nondestructive techniques presently being used, and the need for additional development is covered. Special emphasis is given to the efficiency, practicality, and economic feasibility of various techniques. Agricultural products covered include peanuts, pecans, poultry, eggs, pork, and seeds. Nondestructive techniques discussed that are used for processing these commodities into uniform, high-quality products include visual examination, weighing, screening, gravity sorting, air classification, electronic sorting, and estimation of chemical composition. A more detailed discussion of electronic color sorting of peanuts, pecans and almonds is presented, particularly in relation to aflatoxin sampling and reduction, preparing for further processing, and evaluation of commercial sorters for speed and accuracy.