DeRuosi Walnuts, USA

Leading US walnut processor DeRuosi Nut, operating out of California's Central Valley, processes a range of both in-shell and shelled walnuts, including varieties such as Chandler, Hartley, Vina, and Howard. Originally launched in 1947, the business is now riding a growth wave, expecting to produce around 25,000 tonnes of walnuts in 2017.

However, the dramatic rise in demand for walnuts comes with its own challenges. Safety and quality specifications are becoming increasingly stringent – particularly when it comes to processing kernels, which must be free of shells, foreign materials (FM), product defects and consistently light in colour. And the phenomenal rise in production also demands technology capable of handling larger-than-ever volumes in shorter periods, with unprecedented accuracy.

To help tackle the different walnut processing challenges as global demand for walnuts soars, DeRuosi brought in Bühler SORTEX E BioVision™ technology – a combination of proprietary Bühler detection technologies - BioCam™, high definition InGaAsHD and colour cameras. It efficiently removes colour defects, shells and FM that other industry technologies have struggled to cope with, meaning it is regarded as one of the most technologically advanced in the industry, achieving enormous success in reducing foreign material and defects in end products.

It is also specifically designed to be heavily loaded at high-processing speeds, so can easily cope with the high capacities required by DeRuosi.