TOMRA Food will showcase its sensor-based sorting solutions at the Almond Conference 2019, which will take place from December 10-12 in Sacramento, California. It will demonstrate the TOMRA 3C, the new optical sorter which is set to be a game changer for almond hulling and shelling operations. TOMRA Food will also highlight the benefits of its ground-breaking Detox Laser technology, which is having excellent success across the world with its accurate detection of aflatoxin contamination, and take part in the panel discussion “Sorting for Aflatoxin” on December 11.

The most frustrating challenges for almond producers lie around detecting the tiniest defects and removing these nuts from production. Many inspection systems simply are not sensitive enough to spot the tiniest pinhole damage, making rework by human inspectors unavoidable.

Fragments of shell becoming embedded in almond flesh is an unavoidable effect of the shelling process. Some types of almonds are more prone than others due to water content of the nut and hardness of shell.  Unfortunately for processors, embedded shell is classified as foreign material.  With confectionary companies demanding less and less foreign material, embedded shell has become one of the most focused on defects to remove.  Many confectionary companies require less than 5 pieces of foreign material per ton.  To put this into perspective, there are approximately 1 Million almonds in one metric ton, so to ask for less than 5 pieces to have embedded shell is an enormous request.

Almond doubles (twins) are just as tasty and nutritious as their single cousins, yet often cause a high quality product to be sold at a lower grade due to the challenges around blanchin or slicing the odd shape. Whilst premium whole nut brands might reject these concave nuts, there are plenty of others waiting to turn them into butter, flour or use them in snack bars.

As a company who take great pride in delivering exceptional quality of both their kernel and in-shell produce, the TOMRA 3C has enabled Laragon to significantly enhance their operation.

Hailed as a nutritionally dense ‘super food’, the global demand for healthy, plant-based protein alternatives has seen the nut industry explode with almonds emerging as one of the most popular sub-categories globally.

One of the most important trade shows for the global nuts sector, the annual International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC) Congress, held in Florida earlier this summer, presents an invaluable opportunity for industry leaders to share knowledge, expertise and, most importantly, key insights and forecasts into where this multi-million-dollar food industry is going.

TOMRA Food announces the appointment of a highly experienced category expert to strengthen its global sales organization, further tighten its relationship with the nut industry, and consolidate its position as a thought leader in the sector.

Nimbus BSI+, TOMRA’s advanced nut and dry fruit sorter, is a highly-effective solution for detection and elimination of out of quality pistachios during the nut processing cycle. With advanced nut sorting and processing capabilities, Nimbus BSI+ makes life easier for many pistachio producers, maximizing their yields and boosting the end-product quality.

With global peanut production huffing past the 45 million metric ton mark in 2018, according to International Nut and Dry Fruit Board, the global appetite for this unassuming ground nut has been skyrocketing. Not only have peanuts established themselves as an increasingly versatile food item in the human diet, but their consumption is distributed globally, with China producing and consuming approximately 40% of the produce.