A method including transporting fragile fruit into a hopper. The method also includes transferring the fragile fruit from the hopper into a container that is at least partially submerged in a fluid. The method additionally includes raising the container out of the fluid while the fragile fruit are within the container. Other embodiments are described.

A digital pressure canner and related methods of operation that provide for improved safety and consistency during a food canning process by reducing temperature over and undershoot. The digital pressure canner includes a digital control operating with inputs from digital sensors to accurately control the canning temperature during the canning process. By reducing over and undershoot of canning temperatures, foods within the pressure canner are maintained at temperatures sufficient to kill any bacteria or microorganisms for the entire canning cycle. In order to verify operation of the digital canner at sufficient canning temperatures, mechanical safety devices, for example, a pressure relief valve can be utilized in conjunction with digital controllers and sensors to provide audible and visual feedback to a user during the canning process.

A method and system for long term preservation of ready to eat minimally processed fruit or vegetable, while retaining the nutrition properties, textural appearance and taste of the fresh fruit or vegetable. The method comprising the steps of: Providing at least: a fruit or vegetable, a sterilized seal-able package and a carbonated liquid. Processing the fruit or vegetable by at least washing and disinfecting the exterior of the fruit or vegetable. Placing the processed fruit or vegetable into the sterilized seal-able package Filling the remaining volume of the seal-able package with the carbonated liquid. Sealing the seal-able package. And storing the sealed package at a storage temperature of between 1° C. to 40° C. The processing steps are performed under a disinfected processing environment.

An item packing system configured to sort and/or pack items into item containers, the system comprising a robotic arm. At least one end effector for holding and manipulating an item to be sorted and/or packed, wherein at least one end effector comprises a pressure sensing assembly. A controller configured to receive sensor signals from the pressure sensing assembly to obtain an indication of a magnitude of contact pressure for contact between the end effector and the item held by the end effector. A direction of contact pressure for contact between the end effector and the item held by the end effector, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the end effector is correctly holding the item based on the indication of the magnitude of the contact pressure and the indication of the direction of contact pressure.

The present invention relates to a method for increasing the shelf life of fruit comprising the steps of: treating a fruit with UV light from a UV light source, packaging the fruit in packaging film that allows the fruit to be stored in a modified atmosphere within the packaging film, and storing the packaged fruit, wherein the fruit has a high dry-matter content.

Method for filling and closing a package including the operations of introducing two arms through the mouth, each one having or bearing a gripping tool and impressing a mutual distancing movement on the arms to expand the package with a retention mechanism which operates outside the package to grasp the walls of the package arranged between the arms and the retention mechanism while the retention mechanism approaches and fits over the gripping tool of each arm, such that when the arms move in the direction of the mouth of the package, the arms carry the grasped walls of the package to produce folds towards the interior of the package. For flexible tubular net packages, the at least one gripping tool on each arm has the shape of a protuberance and that the method includes passing through a wall of the package with the gripping tool.

A packaging device incorporating a breathable peel/reseal film and enabling a preservation process for allowing for the distribution, storage and multiple servings of a food product, particularly perishable food product(s), and initiating and controlling the transmission rates, respiration rates or deterioration of the perishable food product(s) and thereby, maintaining good internal and external food quality and normal development of flavor and aroma characteristics. The packaging device includes a plurality of atmospheric control attributes that modulates or controls the atmosphere within the packaging device as the food product(s) respire in order to promote the extended shelf-life of the food product and the maintenance of the quality and desirable marketable characteristics of the food product. The atmospheric control attributes can include perforations that may be positioned in breathable peel/reseal film portion of the package to allow the product respiration for multiple servings without substantially altering the shelf life extension properties of the packaging device.

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.

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.

The invention relates to a method and device for orienting an umbilicated fruit, in which, during a first orientation phase (22), the presence of at least a portion of an umbilicus is detected in at least one initial image (II), then the fruit is driven (24) in spinning rotation about a first axis of rotation at an angular amplitude of between 5° and 45°, and then the presence of at least a portion of an umbilicus is detected in at least one subsequent image (IU). If at least a portion of an umbilicus is detected in at least one initial image (II) and no longer detected in each subsequent image (IU), the first orientation phase is stopped and the method is continued,