The citrus fruits are emptied in bulk at the entrance of the citrus packing line by means of an automatic dumping system or manually unloaded by workers. The oranges are then visually inspected on a special roller conveyor belt with overhead lights. Laborers will remove the rotten and crushed citrus fruits as they may cause sanitary issues along the line and could disrupt the operations at the facility.

Next, the oranges are cleaned by means of a dedicated washing and brushing machine for citrus fruits. The washing machine sprays water and sanitizing agents on the fruits to reduce mould and bacteria development. Special horsehair brushes polish the oranges and spread the sanitizing solution on their surface. It is also possible to apply protective citrus waxes which: prevent exposure of the citrus to fungicides, prolong their shelf life, and enhance their appearance.

After being washed and coated, the citrus fruits pass through a tunnel dryer with a controlled temperature and humidity. The citrus drying machine blows hot air which helps stabilize the waxing agents on the surface of the fruits and ensures that any moisture and humidity is removed. Simpler drying systems, such as sponge dryers, may be recommended depending on the application.

The citrus fruits are singulated and transported by means of special roller cups to the electronic citrus sorter. The cups rotate the fruits as they are photographed under the high resolution and infrared cameras. The images collected by the cameras are analyzed by our innovative vision software to precisely characterize each product by: Weight, Size, Shape, Color, Ripeness, Brix Content, Acidity, External Quality, Internal Quality.

Our patented HDiA technology is a next generation sorting technology internally developed and perfected by our team of experts over decades. Our citrus sorting machines use this intuitive vision technology to detect with minute accuracy the external quality defects on the surface of the citrus fruits such as bruises, blemishes, blackspots, scars, and many more. Additionally, the HDiA is a non-invasive solution for analyzing the sub-surface of the citrus to detect brix content, acidity, degree of ripeness, frost damage, and more. What makes this technology innovative is its ability to understand and learn new defects autonomously as more products are processed through the machine.

After the citrus fruits are graded by size, color sorted, and inspected for quality defects, they are ejected from the cups to different exits based on user-defined parameters. Subsequently, workers at each lane will collect perfectly clean oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes, or grapefruits which are consistent in weight, size, shape, and color and absent from any internal or external quality defects. These citrus fruits can be packed manually in carton boxes, trays, or crates. It is also possible to transport them to flow pack machines which can pack the citrus fruits in pillow bags, plastic trays, or even wrap them individually. Another option is to direct them to net bagging machines which pack the citrus fruits in beautifully finished net bags with a commercially appealing design.

At the end of the citrus packing line, we can install bin filling units for stacking the citrus into the large bins. The bin filling system has a carefully engineered exit system which ensures that the citrus are gently deposited into the bins without damaging them. They also come with built-in sensors that detect the fill rate of the bins and ensure that they are not over stacked. Once completely filled, the bins are ready to be transported for further processing or for storage.