Artificial intelligence gains ground in postharvest cherry sorting

The cherry market is becoming increasingly demanding, with firmness, colour and Brix level now key factors in determining the commercial value of this fruit. In this evolving scenario, UNITEC has been supporting fresh produce packing houses for more than 100 years with advanced technologies for sorting, processing and packaging fruit, nuts and fresh vegetables.

The main objective is to help companies increase profitability while obtaining batches with uniform quality that meet market expectations.

Artificial intelligence reaches the heart of the fruit

UNITEC does not simply follow market evolution: it anticipates it. For several years, the company has been integrating artificial intelligence systems into its technologies, positioning itself at the forefront of innovation in the sector.

With CHERRY VISION 3.5 AI and 4.0 AI, UNITEC has introduced a new paradigm in postharvest sorting, helping operators identify defects and imperfections that are often imperceptible to the human eye through the use of advanced artificial intelligence models.

Recent cuts, colour variations, punctures and damage caused by insects, such as Drosophila, as well as surface defects, can be detected with high precision, enabling more reliable sorting aligned with the standards required by large-scale retailers and by national and international markets.

The most advanced innovation comes with UNIQ CHERRY, a technology capable of going beyond the external appearance of the fruit by also detecting internal parameters related to taste, such as ripeness level and sugar content.

This approach transforms the very concept of sorting: it is no longer only about detecting defects, but also about enhancing the commercial potential of each fruit.

For packing houses, this means a greater ability to segment batches, reduce value losses and offer cherries that meet consumers’ taste expectations.

Technology for a more efficient supply chain

UNITEC’s strength lies not only in its technological solutions, but also in an integrated product and service vision that supports packing houses throughout the entire process.

Automated lines handle cherries from reception to final packaging through delicate, fast and highly efficient processes. The objective is threefold: to optimise operating costs, reduce waste and allow packing houses to maximise profitability.

Each installation is tailor-made and integrates technologies developed by the company’s internal Research and Development centre. This flexibility enables operators to deal with increasingly complex seasons, marked by extreme weather events and growing variability in product quality.

Trust stories: the experience of companies using UNITEC

The Spanish cherry season has already passed its halfway point and has kept the entire value chain on alert, as the work of a whole year must be brought to market within just a few days.

The sector is going through a particularly intense period: persistent rainfall at the beginning of the season and sudden temperature changes are making operations even more complex.

In this challenging context, Spanish packing houses that have chosen UNITEC technologies for cherry processing and sorting are obtaining significant results.

Llamfruit Cherry, a packing house located in Aragón, Spain, with more than fifty years of experience in cherry production, processing and export, has recently incorporated the new CHERRY VISION 4.0 AI artificial intelligence vision system.

Carlos Llambrich, general manager of Llamfruit Cherry, says:

“In this context, the great challenge is to maintain consistent quality in shipments when the fruit arrives with such heterogeneity. Today, sorting by size is no longer enough; parameters such as firmness, colour, external defects and shelf life must be carefully controlled (...). The incorporation this year of UNITEC’s new Cherry Vision 4.0 AI technology is helping us manage precisely this complexity. The machine enables much more precise and homogeneous sorting, identifying differences that would be very difficult to detect manually in a consistent way. This helps us handle delicate fruit better, separate quality categories more reliably and adapt each batch to the most suitable market, maintaining product continuity even in an irregular season”.

The company also reports an estimated improvement in operating efficiency of between 15% and 20% compared with previous seasons. From a commercial perspective, greater quality consistency is helping to reduce complaints and strengthen customer trust, generating a direct impact on product value and company competitiveness.

The same positive trend can also be seen at Agrupación de Cooperativas Valle del Jerte, one of the main producer organisations in Extremadura, Spain, where the adoption of this technology has made it possible to maintain more uniform quality criteria even during periods of high operational pressure and with highly heterogeneous batches.

More precise sorting makes it possible to maximise the value of each product batch by assigning each quality level to the most appropriate commercial channel. The result is a significant reduction in waste and a greater ability to preserve the commercial value of production.

From an organisational standpoint, the advantages are also clear: the technology supports faster and more objective decision-making, improves the management of fruit intake peaks and increases response capacity during the most critical phases of the season.

This value is especially relevant in seasons marked by heavy rainfall and high variability in product quality, where operational efficiency and rapid decision-making become key factors for commercial success.

However, UNITEC’s real strength lies in designing solutions that translate into a competitive advantage, as confirmed by Frutas Agrotrain, a company that has continued to grow cherries for three generations with the same spirit and dedication as on the first day.

The company has confirmed the importance of being able to rely on CHERRY VISION 3 technology to sort fruit accurately, even in particularly demanding seasons such as the current one.

Frutas Agrotrain states:

“There are currently cherry batches that, if it were not for vision technology, we would probably have left unharvested or thrown entirely on the ground”.

More precise sorting and a reduced need for labour in the packing house are concrete results that generate value for the company.

Global presence, Italian roots

With more than 20 operating offices in the main producing countries and a sales network present in more than 65 countries, UNITEC supports packing houses every day through technical assistance and specialised consulting services.

“We work for your results” is not just a slogan, but a promise that, for more than 100 years, has contributed to the growth of a market that is now moving forward thanks to those who have the courage to make intelligent decisions and invest in technology and automation.

Source: UNITEC