Reducing Fruit Waste with Microwave Sensing
Using non-destructive microwave technology to detect fruit ripeness and reduce supply chain waste
Project Details
Industry
Agriculture & Food
Client
Produce Distribution Company
Technologies
Project Overview
This project addresses the critical challenge of food waste in the produce industry by implementing Fresco's innovative microwave sensing technology that can non-destructively assess internal fruit quality and ripeness.
Food waste is a significant global issue, with approximately 30-40% of all produce being discarded before reaching consumers. A major contributor to this waste is the inability to accurately track and predict fruit ripeness at scale without damaging the product.
The Food Waste Challenge
The food industry faces enormous waste challenges, with fruits being particularly susceptible due to their relatively short shelf lives and sensitivity to storage conditions. This waste represents not only economic losses but also squandered resources and unnecessary environmental impact.
Food Sustainability
Tackling waste through technology
The Challenges of Ripeness Detection
Determining fruit ripeness accurately and at scale has traditionally presented several complex challenges:
Internal Quality
Most traditional methods can only assess external appearance, missing internal defects and actual ripeness levels.
Scale Problem
Distribution centers process thousands of fruits daily, making invasive testing methods impractical and wasteful.
Time Sensitivity
The window for optimal ripeness and sale is often brief, requiring real-time monitoring and quick decisions.
These challenges highlight why traditional methods fail to address the problem effectively, and why an innovative approach using microwave sensing technology is transformational.
Our Solution: Fresco Microwave Sensing
Our solution leverages Fresco's groundbreaking microwave sensing technology developed by Vertigo Technologies. This non-destructive technique allows us to look deep inside fruits to assess multiple quality attributes simultaneously, including ripeness stage, internal defects, and shelf life in a single measurement.
Key Advantages
- 1Deep penetration: Microwave technology sees ~10x deeper into fruits than NIR methods
- 2All-in-one solution: One sensor measures multiple attributes (Brix, dry matter, firmness, etc.)
- 3Versatility: Works with many fruit types including mangoes, avocados, pears, apples, and tomatoes
- 4Speed: Instantaneous results allowing entire batches to be checked in minutes
Impact Metrics
Accuracy in assessing internal fruit quality
Implementation Across the Value Chain
We deployed Fresco's microwave sensing technology across the entire fruit supply chain, creating an integrated system for optimal decision-making:
Farming & Breeding
Optimized harvest timing and selective breeding based on internal quality metrics
Fruit Trading
Quality-based sorting and pricing for fair and transparent transactions
Distribution & Retail
Intelligent inventory management and shelf rotation based on predicted ripeness
Processing
Optimal ingredient selection for fruit processing based on internal quality