Embodiments of product handling systems facilitate transfer of individual product items from incoming bulk form into dedicated trays for inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging. Inspection may comprise interrogation of product items within a tray by electromagnetic (e.g., optical, hyperspectral) or other (e.g., physical, acoustic, gas sensing, etc.) techniques. Prior to packaging, product items disposed within the tray may be stored in a moveable carousel responsible for controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, illumination, ambient gases, product-to-product interactions, and/or others. Movement of product items from a carousel's transfer station to an outside staging position may be accomplished using robots and/or conveyor belts. Embodiments may allow rapid, low-cost consumer selection of specific individual product items based upon their accompanying metadata (e.g., source, identifier), in combination with the results of inspection (e.g., visual appearance). Embodiments may receive product items pre-packaged in tray format to expedite inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging.

An onion product containing sodium metabisulfite, flavors, a food-grade acid, onions, flavor, onions, and an acidified solution comprising water and a food-grade acid, which makes it possible for an onion food product to achieve commercial sterility. Although makeable in other ways, an onion product results from a four-step fill process, including dosing sodium metabisulfite, liquid dosing of heat-stable flavors, onions, acidified solution comprising water and a food-grade acid, into a container, sterilizing, and optionally inverting the container.

Provided are methods and compositions for improving storage and/or transportation of food, flowers, plants, or the like by coating of the same with silk proteins or other substances including silk fibroin, chitin, acetylated monoglycerides, shellac, starch, high fructose corn syrup, mayauba wax, maydelilla wax, beeswax, vegetable oil, paraffin oil, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, cellulose, pectin, alginate, chitosan, gum Arabic, soy protein, zein, casein, and/or whey.

Systems and method of wrapping an object are disclosed. An object wrapping system includes a contractible loop, a positioning system, and a wrapping material system. The contractible loop is configured to be deployed in an expanded position and a contracted position. The positioning system is configured to position an object in alignment with an aperture defined by the contractible loop. The wrapping material system is configured to position a wrapping material between the object and the aperture. The positioning system is configured to move the object into the wrapping material and through the aperture when the contractible loop is deployed in the expanded position. The contractible loop is configured to deploy into the contracted position to at least partially close the wrapping material around the object.

The invention relates to a method and a device for placing fruit or vegetables on a tray (11) comprising an upper face (13) having a plurality of recessed cells adapted to be able to receive a single object in each one, two objects placed in two adjacent cells juxtaposed in the same plane being able to come laterally into contact with each other. During any step of placing at least one object in at least one receiving cell (14) adjacent to at least one full cell already containing another object, the upper face (13) of the tray has an upwards envelope curvature adapted to avoid any contact between the objects.

The invention relates to a method and a device for placing fruit or vegetables on a tray (11) comprising an upper face (13) having a plurality of recessed cells adapted to be able to receive a single object in each one, two objects placed in two adjacent cells juxtaposed in the same plane being able to come laterally into contact with each other. During any step of placing at least one object in at least one receiving cell (14) adjacent to at least one full cell already containing another object, the upper face (13) of the tray has an upwards envelope curvature adapted to avoid any contact between the objects.

Provided is a production method for a freshness-keeping bag capable of reducing the inflow of oxygen from the outside of the bag to a very low level, and thereby keeping the freshness of a content thereof for a long period of time. The present invention provides a method for producing a freshness-keeping bag formed of a film, wherein the freshness-keeping bag has a band-shaped joining region in which two ends of the film are overlapped and joined together, the joining region comprising a plurality of joined parts in which the two ends of the film are joined together, and a non-joined part which is located between adjacent ones of the joined parts and in which the overlapped ends of the film are not joined together, the non-joined part composing a non-linear ventilation passage communicating between an internal space of the bag and the outside of the bag, the method comprising the step of forming the joined parts by ultrasonic welding, wherein the step of forming the joined parts includes continuously forming the joined parts in the film, while rotating a disk-shaped ultrasonic welding anvil with respect to the film, wherein the ultrasonic welding anvil has a plurality of protrusions formed on an outer periphery thereof continuously at given intervals and correspondingly to the configuration of the joined parts of the bag.

An improved robot for packing produce such as fruit or other produce is provided. The robot includes a plurality of longitudinal carriage arms arranged in an array, and cantilevered off a support unit such that each longitudinal carriage arm is independently movable between an extended condition and retracted condition. Each arm includes a head connected to it that is independently movable in a vertical direction to pick up, hold and/or drop off an item of produce. Each longitudinal carriage arm is further independently movable in a lateral direction to alter the relative spacing between the plurality of heads such that the heads can move across lanes of the robot. The cantilevered arrangement of each carriage arm allows for compact set-out and other advantages.

An improved robot for packing produce such as fruit or other produce is provided. The robot includes a plurality of longitudinal carriage arms arranged in an array, and cantilevered off a support unit such that each longitudinal carriage arm is independently movable between an extended condition and retracted condition. Each arm includes a head connected to it that is independently movable in a vertical direction to pick up, hold and/or drop off an item of produce. Each longitudinal carriage arm is further independently movable in a lateral direction to alter the relative spacing between the plurality of heads such that the heads can move across lanes of the robot. The cantilevered arrangement of each carriage arm allows for compact set-out and other advantages.

An article transfer apparatus includes a holding portion, a driving portion that moves the holding portion, a control unit, and a reference detection portion that detects a reference position of a target article held by the holding portion. The control unit performs reference detection control to detect, by the reference detection portion, the reference position in a state in which the target article is lifted, determination control to determine a positional relationship between the holding portion and the reference position based on a result of detection by the reference detection control, and position calculation control to calculate, based on the positional relationship determined by the determination control, a movement destination position that is a position, of the holding portion at the movement destination, at which an outer edge of the target article held by the holding portion fits within a movement region.