Giuseppe Manetto

Improvements in Citrus Packing Lines to Reduce the Mechanical Damage to Fruit

Improvements in Citrus Packing Lines to Reduce the Mechanical Damage to Fruit Giuseppe Manetto*, Emanuele Cerruto, Simone Pascuzzi, Francesco Santoro Department of Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, Italy Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science (DiSAAT), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy gmanetto@unict.it

Resources employed and innovation requirements in cactus pear packing lines

In the last few decades the cultivation of cactus pears represents an important element in the economy of subtropical regions with scarce water resources. The increasing market competition from other countries has forced Sicilian producers to modernise the packing houses where the fruit is processed. The study carried out has shown that the technology employed in the newest packing lines is of a high level and that a low level of human, material and energy resources are necessary; moreover, packing and despining need further innovations. Trials conducted with an instrumented sphere IS100 has permitted critical points on the packing lines to be identified and to identify materials on which the fruit impacts during the processing.