Agrosta automates firmness testing for soft fruit

Agrosta has developed FIRMTECH A, a benchtop texturometer built specifically for blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, grapes, cherry tomatoes, olives, plums, strawberries, peaches and other soft produce...

What makes it different

Automated sample sequence. A motorised turntable indexes each fruit under the probe. The instrument tares, descends, measures and returns on its own, for 1 to 99 samples per run. A whole tray is measured without operator intervention between samples.

Precision where it matters. ±0.01 mm positioning accuracy and 0.2 g force precision, on a rigid mechanical frame that limits flex under load, so the measured displacement reflects the fruit's deformation rather than the instrument's.

Two measurement modes. Firmtech mode compresses the fruit to a target force and returns the compression travel and a firmness factor in g/mm. Penetrometry mode measures peak force over a set depth, suited to skin-puncture and flesh-resistance studies.

Live curves and instant statistics. Watch the force-versus-displacement curve of each sample as it is measured, with n, mean, standard deviation, CV %, minimum and maximum updated as results arrive.

Traceable lot records in Excel. Save each run to a lot file identified by name or barcode, with raw curves, per-sample values, batch statistics, fruit type and postharvest information. Recording again under the same lot name appends to the file, which makes storage and time-course studies straightforward.

Your protocols, one click away. Save your validated settings under any fruit name (trigger, target, measurement speed, number of samples) and reload them instantly.

Practical by design. Windows software in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, automatic USB detection, and an overload protection that retracts the probe if the force exceeds a safety limit.

What is in the box

• 16 mm metallic tip for Firmtech mode and 3.5 mm tip for penetrometry

• Two 32-notch trays: one with square cups (blueberry, oval grape, oval plum, olive, long cherry tomato, raspberry, blackberry) and one with circular cups (cherry, round cherry tomato, round grape)

• USB stick with the software installer (free licence)

• Power module

Load cell capacity is 3 kg, maximum stroke is 50 mm, and the tray position is adjustable, so larger fruit such as peaches can be measured too.

Who is it for?

Plant-breeding and postharvest research teams, packhouse and quality-control laboratories, and growers' cooperatives and technical institutes who need fast, documented and repeatable firmness data.

PRICE: 5180 € Transport included worldwide

A new APP for Agrosta 100 Blue, ultramodern and entirely designed by AI Claude / We propose now a customized app for all clients buying 5 devices or more.. as we recently did for Gautier Semences