Objective
The EU is the undisputed worldwide referent in the olive oil sector, responsible for 70% of the worldwide production. To face the global competition, olive oil produced in the EU must be a distinguished product by its premium quality and competitive price. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) demand is increasing due to new consumers concerns (healthy, ecologic food) and the incorporation of new, high-income countries (US, Australia, China, etc.). To reach the highest quality oil, only top quality olives should be used. But frequently defective or unwanted olives enter the oil mill. These are frozen, dehydrated, over-mature, insect damaged or ground-picked olives, to name some, which will lead to downgrading the oil quality, i.e. organoleptic and chemical parameters (free acidity, esters, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, etc.) being affected negatively. Market price will also be lowered. Olive sorting by quality and/or maturity at the reception area in the mill is becoming a need in a sector which is shifting towards intense cultivation, mechanical harvesting and large capacity plants with enhanced technological means. As of today there are no focused solutions in the market. Leveraging on her success in the Table Olives sector, Multiscan will address the next technical challenge impacting olive oil, a huge market valued at 6,000 M€, by developing equipment specifically tailored for the sorting of incoming olives. Through state-of-the-art vision technology, the Multiscan EVOOLUTION will ensure that defective and unwanted olives are removed from entering the mill, consistently obtaining higher quality EVOO. End-user trials in oil mills from both hemispheres will assure the perfect matching of EVOOLUTION to the needs of all oil producers. By 2024, we will put in the market close to 300 EVOOLUTION units, resulting in accumulated net profits of 17 M€ and the direct creation of 20 new job positions in our company.
Fields of science
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryaldehydes
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryketones
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturefruit growing
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencecomputer vision
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryalcohols
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
03820 Cocentaina Alicante
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.