A firm from Germany has invented a robotic avocado line that can pit, halve and peel 1000 avocados (Persea Americana) an hour.
Kronen GmBH will unveil its “robot avocado line” at the Fruit Logistica, a showpiece of innovations in the produce industry. The event will start on February 7, 2024 in Berlin.
In anticipation, the company explained its peeler-and-cutter system in a press release.
In working mode, a human worker first places the fruit on the tray of the robotic avocado line. Then a robot uses a special gripper to gently pit the uncut fruit on a rotating unit without damaging it. Immediately after the pitting, the adjacent knives slice the fruit into two even as they clamp the stone.
The next step is peeling the two halves in a completely aseptic human-free manner.
With regard to accuracy, the firm says that the automated mechanism carves a smooth outline on the avocado’s outermost flesh. The peeling precision leaves no visible mark on the outer flesh of the avocado unlike when using a knife manually.
Once complete, the peeled halves go for human inspection in the next tray before they are ready for distribution.
Alternatively, there is an option for dicing, quartering and cubing the fruits. Kroner uses a GS 10-2 belt cutter which slices the halved avocados into fancy shapes. This system could be promising for restaurants.
Another hallmark of this technology is its aseptic or hygienic make up. All robots, called Stäubli, undergo automatic treatment through an integral cleaning mechanism.
On the safety aspect, this robotic avocado line receives full risk assessment before it can reach other users. Additionally, each robot comes with a direct communication line to its manufacturer, Kronen, for remote repair.
For it to work, the automation requires mature avocados with a ripeness pressure unit of 0.2 N/mm2. The fruit’s hardness also ought to be similar to that of a slightly ripe avocado at less than 0.8N/mm2.
This peeling solution follows a time when avocado prices in Germany saw lower import prices between March and August 2023. This was due to increased production from supply markets. During this last quarter of 2023, import prices fell below the 2,349 EUR or $2,555 a tonne mark.
On their part, retail prices of Germany’s avocados remained consumer-friendly despite the country experiencing 8.7% inflation in early 2023. The fruits cost at least 3 Euros ($3.28) per kg and a maximum of 3.93 EUR ($4.29) in late 2023.
On the flip side, waste products such as peels may also generate extra income for food firms. Evidence shows that peel and stone, which constitutes 34% of total avocado weight may be a source for hard carbon, an alternative heating solution.