The new TOMRA Neon, a new blueberry pre-grader with sophisticated AI technology, brings overall value to the blueberry business model. Joshua Miers-Jones, global category director blueberry and avocado at TOMRA Food, explains.

The global trend towards the machine harvesting of blueberries has brought challenges.

Although machine harvesters are faster and less costly than manual picking, they also harvest debris and fruit clusters which cause disruption on packhouse production lines.

Machines also harvest unwanted green and red berries which unnecessarily reduce pack-out from grading lines.

The new TOMRA Neon allows Blueberry growers to automatically process machine harvested blueberries for the fresh market.

TOMRA Neon pre-grades machine-harvested blueberries before transferring the fruit directly onto TOMRA’s KATO260 optical sorter and sizer.

By employing artificial intelligence modelling, TOMRA Neon detects clusters with unrivalled accuracy.

Because it is compact, durable, and easy to clean, it fits perfectly into any processing and packing line.

TOMRA Neon pre-grades machine-harvested blueberries by employing artificial intelligence modelling, detecting clusters with unrivalled accuracy.

Recognising the challenge

Manual blueberry harvesting is labor-intensive and requires pickers to spend long hours in the field.

This is exactly the kind of tediously repetitive, physically tiring work people no longer want to do.

As a consequence, it is becoming increasingly difficult for growers to recruit and retain seasonal harvesting staff, which has accelerated the adoption of automated harvesting.

Another good reason for harvesting mechanically is the need for speed.

Machines work much more rapidly than people.

But machines cannot see or judge blueberries on the bushes in the same way people can.

As well as harvesting good fruit, machines also pick fruit that’s unripe or grouped in clusters.

A new blueberry pre-grader with sophisticated AI technology, brings overall value to the blueberry business model.

By working closely with blueberry growers and packhouses, TOMRA Food recognised the need to help customers move to machine harvesting, adding value by reducing labor requirements, while still delivering the highest quality product to the consumer.

TOMRA Food’s knowledge of blueberry sorting, grading and packing goes back well over 20 years as it includes the specialised knowledge possessed by the New Zealand-based businesses Compac and BBC Technologies, which TOMRA acquired in 2016 and 2018.

Detailed conversations with customers led to TOMRA setting itself the task of designing and developing a blueberry pre-grader that is technically sophisticated, robust, easy to maintain, easy to clean, and yet also price sensitive.

To achieve the necessary technical sophistication, TOMRA’s engineers drew extensively on their experience developing the company’s LUCAi AI technology, an optional add-on for the KATO260 which classifies and grades fruit with unrivalled accuracy.

LUCAi employs Deep Learning, which uses pre-trained models to teach computers how to process data, such as complex patterns in photos – a principle which TOMRA will extend to other applications.

 Impressive results

TOMRA Neon was tested and validated over two-and-a-half years in varied machine-harvested conditions in North America and New Zealand.

These trials culminated in the controlled, early release and sale of 10 machines during the 2023 season to TOMRA customers.

This made it possible to fine-tune TOMRA Neon’s software, AI algorithms, and mechanical set-up based on millions of kilos of machine-harvested blueberries in commercial environments.

These extensive validation tests have shown that TOMRA Neon optimises optical grader efficiency by removing more than 95 per cent of clusters and more than 90 per cent of green and red berries.

And thanks to its unique ejection manifold, TOMRA Neon runs with a throughput capacity of up to 500 berries per second.

Even when fruit removal is as high as 40 per cent, an output speed of up to 280 berries per second can be maintained to keep the KATO260 running at full capacity.

TOMRA Neon was launched to market in October 2023.

Its introduction means there is now turnkey integration between TOMRA’s Harvest Cleaner, Small Fruit Eliminator, TOMRA Neon, and KATO260 – a suite of solutions that empowers packhouses to process machine-harvested blueberries easily and effectively to the highest level. 

About TOMRA Food

TOMRA Food designs and manufactures sensor-based sorting machines and integrated post-harvest solutions transforming global food production to maximise food safety and minimise food loss.

The company has more than 13,800 units installed at food growers, packers and processors around the world for confectionery, fruit, dried fruit, grains and seeds, potatoes, proteins, nuts, and vegetables.

These solutions include advanced grading, sorting, peeling and analytical technology to help businesses improve returns, gain operational efficiencies, and ensure a safe food supply.

TOMRA Food operates centres of excellence, regional offices and manufacturing locations within the US, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and Australasia.

Follow TOMRA Food on Facebook @TOMRA.Food, Twitter @TOMRAFood, Instagram @TOMRAFood, LinkedIn at TOMRA Food and YouTube at TOMRA Food.