Please note: this is an old article
It was published in July 2011, so the information may be out-of-date.
A New Zealand company based here in Shepparton has recently trialled new technology with outstanding results.
Compac Sorting Equipment develop and manufacture fruit and vegetable packing technology their most recent introduction to our region is from Taste Technologies Ltd.
Compac moved to Shepparton as an anchor tenant of the Greater Shepparton Business Centre in June 2010.
Lonnie O'Dwyer Greater Shepparton Business Centre Development Officer congratulated the New Zealand company for their amazing products and services.
"We are extremely fortunate to have leading edge sorting technology here in our region. Compac are a great example of the variety of businesses we can support here at the Business Centre."
Through the latest NIR (Near Infra Red) technology, pack houses can now sort their produce not just by size and colour, but by indicators of product taste. This is done without damaging produce as mechanical mechanisms do not touch the individual fruit.
Taste is measured by the percentage of solids in a given weight of the fruit juice.
It is often expressed as equalling the pounds of sucrose, fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins and other solids in 100 pounds of a particular juice. This in known as Brix.
Brix varies directly with plant quality. For instance, a sour-tasting grape from worn out land can test eight or less for brix. A sweet-tasting grape grown on rich fertile soil can test 24 or better for brix. Similarly, a tasteless, almost bitter cantaloupe melon has a far lower reading than a sweet, 18-brix cantaloupe.
For more information visit www.compacsort.com.au