0000000000203676
AUTHOR
Alleri M.
Implementation of a wireless instrumented sphere for fruit processing
The aim of this study was to implement a wireless instrumented sphere to study the critical points in a citrus packing line by real-time measuring the impacts experienced by fruits. The noncommercial device was based on a MEMS (microelectro-mechanical system) sensor node with a sensing range from ±1 g to ±400 g (g = 9.8 m s-2), a ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) memory, a radio frequency (RF) transmitter, a microcontroller, and a 75 mAh lithium battery. The sensor node was placed inside an appropriate case with a total weight of 100 g to represent a 'Tardivo di Ciaculli' mandarin. An FR receiver allowed real-time transmission of the measured data. Total acceleration values, representing the stresse…
Use of a portable VIS NIR device to predict table olives quality
There is a growing interest today in high-quality and sustainable production especially in the agro-food sector where the use of automated, precise and non-destructive monitoring analytical systems is spreading more and more. In table olives consumption colour and texture are very important quality attributes deriving from ripening, size of the cell wall, middle lamella and fibrous tissues that can be compromised by bruising during harvest operations or postharvest handling. Mechanical damage also accelerates physiological processes, which lead to senescence, spoilage and loss of nutritional value. Nocellara del Belice cultivar is one of the most important table olive varieties in Italy bot…
Safety in Hazelnut Mechanical Harvesting
Hazelnut cultivation occupies an area of about 13,000 ha in Sicily, 10,000 of which are concentrated in the province of Messina, specifically in the pedo-mountain municipalities of the Nebrodi. These are heterogeneous plants by cultivar and planting time. To date, the hazelnut represents a scarcely mechanized marginal crop, with a characteristic training system as the multi stemmed bush. The harvest takes place as soon as the hazelnuts reach maturity and detach from the herbaceous dome that surrounds them falling to the ground. Before harvesting, swathing is carried out by hand using rakes, or facilitated by backpack blowers, or mechanically by means of a swather or with a tractor-mounted b…