Pasquale Catalano

Planning and automated management of a horticultural station.

This paper presents a simulated environment for a horticultural station composed of storage cells, precooling systems and refrigerators. The numerical model developed for the simulation of the station is based on an object oriented structure that allows separately verifying the reliability of the results of each functional block.

Experimental system and tests to optimize a tomato drying process

The aim of the current work is to give a contribution to the study of the drying process of tomatoes through the synergy of the hot air and microwave technologies. The drying of tomatoes is a process commonly used to preserve the product and to prolong its shelf-life. In this paper, four experimental tests on the product under study, were carried out. Then, different drying diagrams were developed and analyzed taking into account the conventional air system, the micro- wave system and the simultaneous use of hot air and microwaves. The drying tests were carried out using the Cencara tomatoes type. The drying of tomatoes is a process commonly used to preserve the product and to prolong its shelf-life. However, tomatoes dried under natural conditions may be exposed to dust, rain and high temperatures. In these conditions some problems can determine a worsening of the quality of the final products. These problems are: crack of the structure, bleaching, hard texture, loss of flavour and nutritional prop- erties, low rehydration capacity, non-enzymatic browning (1). In spite of that, a rising attention to the production of dried tomatoes is clear owing to the several ways their use and cooking (2). Therefore, there is a rising demand by the consumer of finished products having their nutritional and sensorial characteristics preserved as much as possible. The experimental and industrial research turns its attention to optimization of the tomato drying process (3-6). Many pa- pers on single method dehydration have been published re- cently (7-10), but not so many evaluate effects of combined drying process (10, 11), especially on tomatoes (12-14), and in particular using microwave drying (13, 15). In this study, the combination of microwave and convec- tion processes to tomato was analysed with the intent to im- prove the sensorial quality and shelf-life of food, to speed up and to reduce drying time with consequent energy savings and reduction of management costs compared to the hot air drying process (16-19). In particular, the aim of the present experimental work was to investigate the drying behavior of the system considering this particular kind of tomato Cen- cara cultivated in Southern and Central Italy. The choice of this product to be treated, was done considering its typical- ness. The effective setting-up of the drying plant is specific for these particular samples of products (cut in half) consid- ering the use of the final products. (These kind of tomatoes are often eaten after an under oil preservation). A wide demand from the customer at local and national level regarding this kind of product, determined the decision to use this system for its production. At the same time, the quality valorisation of the product may be carried out also using suitable traceability systems. Within some agro-food areas, the traceability becomes a must especially to enhance local product.

Vibration analysis using a contactless acquisition system

The problem of vibration measurement has assumed increasing importance in recent years for different aspects. In the first phase of this study an analysis of vibrations by means of contact accelerometers was carried out to study a tree shaking machine used in the mechanical harvesting of olives. Then a kinematic analysis of motion with a contactless method was carried out on a belt transmission system equipped with three pulleys: a high speed camera was used, able to capture up to 500 frames per second thus to follow the position of any moving point of the mechanical system under investigation. Vibrations were acquired detecting the positions during time of a marker fixed on the belt. The proposed method made it possible to analyse the mechanism and verify both known behaviours and neglected aspects in the usual kinematic analysis carried out using acceleration measurements.

Influence of the feed pipe position of an industrial scale two-phase decanter on extraction efficiency and chemical-sensory characteristics of virgin olive oil: Decanter feeding impact on extraction efficiency and olive oil quality

BACKGROUNDnNowadays, olive oil extraction is basically achieved by means of two-phase decanters, which allow a reduction of water consumption and the leaching of phenolic compounds. Despite this, most of the working settings derive from studies carried out on three-phase decanters. Hence, the aim of the present study was to assess the influence of two-phase decanter feed pipe position (FP) on the extraction efficiency and chemical-sensory characteristics of virgin olive oil. Three different positions were considered: at 825 mm (FP1), 610 mm (FP2) and 520 mm (FP3) from the outlet of the oily phase.nnnRESULTSnPosition FP3 allowed the highest oil recovery (up to 10%), the lowest percentage of oil in the olive pomace and, in general, a regular trend in terms of oil extraction efficiency. However, the oily must that came out of the decanter was not completely clean in terms of residual content of solid sediment and water. The feeding position partially affected the profile of antioxidant compounds.nnnCONCLUSIONnIn two-phase decanters, loading the olive paste close to the outlet of the oily phase is recommended to increase the extraction efficiency without jeopardizing the chemical-sensory characteristics of virgin olive oil.

Microclimate measuring and fluid-dynamic simulation in an industrial broiler house: testing of an experimental ventilation system.

In 2011, strains of West Nile Virus (WNV) belonging to lineage 1 spread for the first time in Sardinia region (Italy). In contrast to previous WNV Italian incursion, the strains were found in Culex modestus and, more surprisingly, they were able to cause severe clinical signs in the affected birds. Based on the partial sequence of the NS3 encoding gene, the Sardinian WNV strains demonstrated a high similarity with the other WNV strains recently detected in the Mediterranean Basin. Nonetheless, the 2011 Sardinian sequences were grouped in a distinct sub-cluster. Both the NS3-249P and NS3-249T genotypes were detected in the Sardinian outbreaks confirming that the co-circulation of different genotypes in the affected population might be common for WNV as for many RNA viruses. No association, however, was observed between virulence and viral genotype.

Bovine RFID tracing system with livestock safety remote sensing

The events linked to the BSE crisis, have undermined and eroded consumers confidence in the safety of beef meat and have led people to consume less, if at all, beef meat. The European Commission has enforced a series of measures which are meant to restore consumers confidence in beef meat safety and quality. Therefore, also in light of the pressing demand for transparency and safety in terms of the products consumers buy, animal identification and animal identification tools have by now become of great importance for the entire channel. In particular, RFID technology (Radio Frequency IDentification) allows to design and experiment an electronic system relying on the use of transponders which make it possible to identify and register the animals in a database in a reliable manner. Therefore transponders can supplement and complete the traditional animal registration system based on the use of ear tags.

A new supporting tool for pigs handling in the breeding-slaughterhouse production chain

This paper focuses on a research concerning the operational management of the pig-handling phase, during the period of breeding and before slaughtering. Given the behaviour of these animals during transfers, a particular tool has been designed to manage them in this phase. A total number of 48 animals, divided in 4 groups, were moved without use of the tool (control groups) and by using the tool described in this article. The time required by the control groups to leave the pen ranges from 21 to 125 seconds; while, when the proposed tool was used, the time for the movement of the animals ranged between 10 and 17 seconds. In particular, in the groups where the tool was deployed the waiting phase (before the first animal goes out) lasted less than half of the time of the waiting phase of the control group, thus showing a minimization of the effects of the panic phenomenon among the animals. Thus, the studied device can be considered as valid guide technique, both for the quick exit of the first animal and for those that follow. Once the row has been formed, the animals continue neatly to leave the box. This study also shows that this solution can also be considered appropriate for reducing the identified critical issues in the traditional handling. The need of only 1 worker to move the group of pigs is important to achieve economic saving. The deployment of this tool, thus, make possible to consider the movement of animals no longer a critical stage, but as a routine step of the production cycle of porks meat.

Experimental study of a mechanical ventilation system in a greenhouse

Greenhouse cultivation is one of the most energy intensive activities in agriculture. This is especially true in cold climate zone. Generally heating systems involves boilers fed with fossil fuels. This means low yields of the heat generator and high pollutant emissions. Moreover, the increase of annual crop yield in greenhouses is possible only through a very close control of the internal conditions. Ventilation systems could allow proper control of temperature, relative humidity and CO2 rate. For this purpose a prototype of a mechanical ventilation unit was installed at service of a mini-tunnel greenhouse. The recovery unit is equipped with a heat pump and is able to increase the thermal energy recovered, by the flow of exhaust air, through a high efficiency heat exchanger. A first study was carried out to evaluate the thermophysical and energy performances of the system during the heating season. The experimental apparatus consists of mechanical ventilation system, a perforated duct for air distribution, a fog system to adjust humidity and a supervision system to acquire the field data. Another dedicated supervision system allows to measure and collect all the parameters of the prototype, such as thermophysical parameter of the air flow, thermophysical parameter of the refrigerant circuit of the heat pump, status and alarms of the unit. To characterize the whole system under investigation the main data measured are temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide inside the greenhouse and temperature in all section of the prototype. Other two mini-tunnel greenhouses are monitored as references. One is heated with radiant tubes placed on the bench and humidified with a fog system, the other is completely passively heated (without heating system) and humidified with the same fog system. A First test was performed to evaluate the ability of the system to regulate the indoor temperature of the greenhouse with a set point of 27 °C. By using a temperature probe installed on the return side of the machine, the results shown an appropriate temperature regulation.