The foreign material identification accuracy of TOMRA Food’s sorting and grading solutions has won a prestigious International FoodTec Award for “using artificial intelligence and cloud technology to improve food safety, quality, and traceability while increasing process efficiency.”
Presented tri-annually by the DLG (German Agricultural Society), the International FoodTec Awards honor “ground-breaking developments in innovation, sustainability, and efficiency in the food technology sector.”
The panel of judges – from research, academia, and the food industry – awards gold medals for products with a new concept, and silver medals for “existing products which have been developed to such an extent that a substantial improvement in their function and their process is achieved.”
TOMRA received a silver medal for “Foreign Material Identification, powered by AI and TOMRA Insight.”
Applying AI and deep learning
Artificial intelligence is hugely helpful for the potato market because of the highly variable nature of factors such as weather and incoming raw materials. When assisted by AI, sorting and grading machines can make more accurate ‘accept or reject’ decisions, recover more good product from compromised raw material, and more precisely classify the products on the line into different grades.
TOMRA’s solutions attain these advantages by adopting the AI method of deep learning. This uses pre-trained models to teach computers how to process data, such as complex patterns in photos. In combination with different sensor technologies these images of foreign material captured by TOMRA sorters are analyzed by a deep learning model. They help to constantly improve the solution by continuously retraining the model.
TOMRA’s Foreign Material Identification solution is integrated with the cloud-based data platform TOMRA Insight. This automatically extracts data from sorting machines to provide real-time and retrospective insights into raw materials and machine performance.
Machine operators can respond instantly to TOMRA Insight’s live data via a user-friendly dashboard to make adjustments which improve product consistency. Stored data can be analyzed to obtain higher-level insights.
This enables trend-monitoring and comprehensive analyses across a single or multiple seasons, within a specific region, and across regions. These insights empower users to optimize processes, drive efficiencies, and enhance overall performance.
Felix Flemming, Head of Digital at TOMRA Food and Recycling, commented: “We are pleased that the jury of the International FoodTec Award has recognized TOMRA’s industry-leading innovations in AI and cloud-technology, and the importance of these solutions to customers.
For more information:
Michelle Haynes
TOMRA Food
Tel.: +64 21 377 141
Email: [email protected]