Software finds flaws in perishables, even if they look perfect to the human eye
You might be looking for a bruise on an apple or squeezing an avocado at your local supermarket, but artificial intelligence might have already checked you inside and out.
New software can analyze every aspect of fruits and vegetables before they hit supermarket shelves. You can determine the shelf life of your products and check for internal spoilage and pesticide residues.
By integrating sensors and advanced optics into a 360-degree camera, you can see much more than the human eye can. This means a significant reduction in food loss.
One-fifth of fresh food is lost before it reaches the grocery store. This is due to poor handling and storage during shipping, or spoilage during transit from farm to retailer.
The system of processing fruits and vegetables before distribution to supermarkets is very outdated. Produce is often manually sorted on conveyor belts before being distributed to retailers.
One person manually inspects 15-20 tons of produce per hour. A day he sorted over 100 tons of produce at a fast pace, a tedious job, and understandably workers are prone to making mistakes and overlooking defects.
“Packers are the last systematic link to ensure the quality of products before they reach the consumer, but their analysis is not thorough enough,” said Amir Adamov’s CEO. Neolithic period.
“The fruit and vegetable supply chain is the most wasteful because agricultural products are the most difficult food category to manage.”
The Herzliya-based company develops software that is implemented in sorting and automation equipment in warehouses and packaging plants. Its AI measures the physical appearance of a product and whether it meets market demands in terms of appearance, shape, size and nutritional parameters such as starch, fat, sugar, biomatter and fiber.
Note any anomalies such as uneven distribution of liquid. So the fruit may look perfect on the outside, but it’s bad on the inside. AI also measures residual levels of chemicals and pesticides to confirm whether the fruit is safe to eat.
“There are hundreds of the same products in supermarkets and retail chains, and it’s very difficult to maintain a high level of insight,” Adamov told NoCamels.
“We are present at various links in the supply chain, such as packing plants and distribution centers, to provide the best possible insight.”
Although the two fruits look the same physically, they have very different attributes. He gives the example of two identical avocados. One has a retention period of 3 days and the other has a retention period of 8 days.
According to Adamov, the accuracy of the software is 90%, depending on the product. He says it’s very consistent compared to manually inspecting large batches of produce.
Neolithic is focused on efficiently scanning fast-moving products such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and potatoes (the most consumed agricultural products). Fruits such as pineapples with thicker skins are more difficult to analyze.
The software integrates seamlessly with automated equipment so your packaging plant’s efficiency and speed aren’t compromised. Other solutions, including assistive apps and handheld devices, can be slow.
Neolithic is currently working with Israel’s leading retailers and packers to determine the optimal distribution schedules for dozens of fruits and vegetables. One retailer was able to cut his monthly quality control budget by more than 80% using Scan His technology in their warehouse.
The company recently started a partnership with Israel’s largest avocado producer and exporter, Granot. In 2021, he grew 30,000 tons of avocados, and Granot can now predict when avocados will ripen with up to 90% accuracy.
The company plans to sell best practices developed in Israel abroad, starting with its European supply chain.
“As we move forward, we have suggestions for building better and more pragmatic supply chain partnerships that help our customers deliver to the right destinations, get the best prices and reduce food waste. This is the most important thing,” says Adamov. .
Neolithics was founded in 2020 and has now raised its first venture capital round from investors and OurCrowd. The funds will be used to continue research and development and launch direct sales in the US and Europe.
