An emerging company, TransIberian Foods (TIF) has chosen the flexibility, efficiency and quality offered by TOMRA Food and installed the KATO 260 precision grading system powered by LUCAi Artificial Intelligence technology, and two CURO filling stations

The company has chosen TOMRA Food’s advanced blueberry grading and filling solutionsfor its blueberry packing line. With the TOMRA KATO 260 advanced, industry-leading precision grading system with LUCAi Artificial Intelligence technology and two TOMRA CURO filling stations, it achieves the extreme flexibility needed to meet the varied and demanding requirements of its international customers.

TransIberian Foods has 20,000 sq m of refrigerated space with 14 docks and is currently expanding its operations with the development of a new project focused on the refrigeration, ripening, and packaging of avocados and other tropical fruits, both locally produced and imported. 

Manager of TransIberian Foods, Jesús Cruz explained that due to the diversity in the origin of the blueberries, they were looking for a packaging line that was extremely flexible, capable of handling all the commercial formats required by European supermarkets for our clients. "This meant having the ability to quickly adapt to different sizes and types of packaging, from small trays for individual portions to larger containers for wholesale. TOMRA has enabled us to offer a wide range of options to our clients, companies that distribute to European supermarkets, adapting to their needs and market demands,” added Cruz.

TOMRA Food expressed that they were pleased with the Translberian Foods project, highlighting that Translberian Foods were looking for advanced technology solutions to address this challenge. The implementation of advanced technology allowed the company to optimise their fruit selection, grading and packaging processes, ensuring that each product meets the highest international standards. This precision and efficiency is not only essential for maintaining the integrity, but also the quality of the final product, from reception to delivery.

The packaging process at TransIberian Foods begins with the fruit being fed into the KATO 260 sorter, optimising its performance. The fruit is gently loaded into the KATO 260, ensuring a continuous supply and uniform distribution in the sorter. Next, the KATO 260 exclusive rolling conveyor system inspects the fruit’s surface from all angles. Cameras capture multiple images of each piece of fruit, and the machine's software can identify defects as small as 0.2 mm at high speed for precise grading. 

A valuable optional enhancement for the KATO 260 is the LUCAi software and hardware package, which uses AI to achieve unparalleled accuracy in fruit sorting and grading. After each piece of fruit moves along the sorting line, it is photographed by multiple cameras. LUCAi identifies and indicates how each blueberry should be graded. Capable of processing up to 2,400 images per second, LUCAi can also view the fruit in wavelengths not visible to the human eye, detecting subtle defects such as dehydration, bruising, and early anthracnose.

At the end of the line, the fruit is processed by a packing system featuring two CURO16 units, each with 16 filling stations. These units boost productivity by reducing human handling errors and fruit loss. They weigh with precision, and can simultaneously pack for different markets. This system is the fastest weight-based filling solution on the market, capable of handling up to 200 packs of 125 g of fruit per minute. Moreover, TOMRA Food’s equipment also offers exceptional packing flexibility.

"With TOMRA Food’s solution, we can quickly adapt to market demands and efficiently manage demand spikes during peak seasons," concluded Cruz. "We are extremely satisfied with the advanced sorting technology, as it enables us to handle fruit from various sources effectively and ensures we deliver high-quality products.” 

Chosen from 107 candidates from 34 countries, the DLG (German Agricultural Society) and Women in Ag Magazine recently announced the winners of this year's 'Women in Ag Award'

The award honors candidates in four categories namely, 'Agriculture', 'Agribusiness', 'Education' and 'Technology and Research' each with first, second and third place. Focussed on recognising the work of women in the agricultural sector, the award ceremony will be held on 13 November at EuroTier 2024.  

The award winners were selected from 107 candidates from 34 countries by an international jury of representatives from agricultural practice, science, organisations and the media. The focus is on special achievements for the development of local, national and international agriculture.  

The award winners by category include:

Category: Agribusiness

• 1st Place: Doreen Jean Nsasiirwe - An experienced agriculture professional dedicated to improving health and conserving the environment by offering natural, nutritious, and sustainable health products.
• 2nd Place: Susan Waithira Kuria - Seasoned entrepreneur who is also the co-founder and managing director of Essential Drugs Ltd, who has a great passion for advancing the livestock sector through innovation and modern technology.
• 3rd Place:  Neamat ElTazi - Co-founder and COO of PoultrySync, Egypt, along with her co-founders developed a technical solution for the poultry industry that enhances flock performance and efficiency, resulting in notable improvements in operations and profitability. 

Category: Agriculture

• 1st Place: Jana Gäbert - A farmer and scientist in leadership roles who promotes unconventional conventional agriculture, bridging science and practice to address climate change while focusing on biodiversity, sustainability, and innovation.
• 2nd Place: Caroline Jaspart - Owner of a farm in Belgium who was appointed president of the Union des Agricultrices Wallonnes. She represent the voice of women farmers in various places and carries out projects on the status of women and well-being in the workplace. Her quest is to show that the female farmer is an entrepreneur just like any other. 
• 3rd Place: Judith Bakirya - Managing director of Busaino Herbs and Fruits (BusHFruit), Busoga, an AgroEcology farm who works with small garden owners who are the neighbours, and are both in-growers of nuts, beans, soya and vegetables in the fruit farm and out-growers of avocado and jackfruit. 

Category: Education

• 1st Place: Rosinah Mbenya - A professional environmentalist who serves as the country coordinator for PELUM Kenya. She has accumulated expertise in development projects, particularly in agroecology, climate change, market development, advocacy, capacity building, and networking.
• 2nd Place: Christine Jodloman - A dedicated agriculture advocate from a family of farmers in the Philippines who has co-created and reached more than 40,000 farmers in the Philippines and in ASEAN region.
• 3rd Place: Helen Louton - A leading academic in animal welfare with a particular focus on poultry husbandry and management who is also a professor of Animal Health and Welfare at the University of Rostock, Germany. She has positively contributed to the training of individuals in agriculture, scientific research and agricultural practice in addition to setting new standards in poultry welfare.

Category: Technology and Research

• 1st Place: Annika Behler - An agricultural scientist at the Institute of Agricultural and Urban Ecological Projects (IASP), Germany, who aims to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact in farming.
• 1st Place: Katharina Berse - A project manager for strategic agricultural research at Evonik Creavis, Germany with she and her team developing a solution to stabilise Gram-negative bacteria in liquid formulations, promoting more sustainable agriculture. In addition to her work, Katharina Berse also runs a farm with her husband, focusing on both crops and livestock.
• 2nd Place: Lisbeth Henricksen - As a visionary thinker and the director of Innovation at SEGES Innovation, she is responsible for developing and innovating new knowledge, tools, and products for farmers across all primary production sectors, including dairy, pigs, arable farming, climate and sustainability, economics, and management. 
• 3rd Place: LaKisha Odom - She works at the intersection of sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in agriculture, focusing on innovative solutions for sustainable food production and economic viability for producers. At the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), she leads DEI efforts and research programmes that support regenerative farming, healthier food access, and diverse farmer adoption of sustainable practices.

In an attempt to accelerate the development of its unique peptide-based, nature-inspired bioinsecticides, leading agri-biotech company, SOLASTA BIO has completed an oversubscribed US$14mn Series A funding round, attracting major investors including Forbion, FMC Ventures and Corteva Catalyst

The investment round was led by Forbion through its BioEconomy fund strategy with co-lead investment from agricultural strategics FMC Ventures (FMC Corporation) and Corteva Catalyst (Corteva, Inc). SOLASTA Bio has developed the world's first technology platform for creating insect control agents that are nature-inspired rather than selected from a synthetic chemistry library. 

Besides meeting the efficacy standards of current chemicals on the market, these environmentally friendly agents address a growing global need for effective crop protection by selectively targeting insect pests while protecting beneficial pollinators such as bees. SOLASTA Bio’s platform can be mobilised for any pest of interest, across both crop and non-crop applications such as stored grain. 

With the investment round secured, SOLASTA Bio will continue to advance its technology platform and pipeline of insect control agents, targeting a US$27bn annual market opportunity. In parallel, the business will continue to build out its US operations, having already established a base in North Carolina, expand its real-world field trials across key geographies, scale-up its biomanufacturing capabilities and further develop strategic opportunities including applications beyond crop use.

With the urgent need to protect pollinators and wildlife, while boosting agricultural productivity, SOLASTA Bio aims to play a leading role in the transition toward sustainable crop protection. The company is targeting market entry as early as 2027 – at least half the time traditionally taken by synthetic pest control products - demonstrating a significant advantage of the platform technology.

“SOLASTA Bio has come a long way since we set out on this journey three years ago. Having established operations in the UK and US, we’ve now got an international team with outstanding competencies in technology and agribusiness and, importantly, we have developed our unique technology platform to address grower pain points," said FRSE, CEO and co-founder of SOLASTA Bio, Shireen Davies PhD. "The results of our field trials have been hugely encouraging, demonstrating high efficacy of biopeptides against target insect pests, as effective or better than standard insecticides. With Series A now secured, it’s time for SOLASTA Bio to kick on to the next level and successfully hit our targets for commercialisation.”