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Pistachio packers could save time and money in selecting only the
highest-quality pistachios for consumers, thanks to an ARS-designed
improvement in machine sorting. Hand laborers on a processing line
can correct errors in machine-sorting, but this takes time and cuts into
profits. The new ARS technique more accurately distinguishes pistachios
with clean, light-colored shells from their dark-stained counterparts.
Stains can signal insect damage or, rarely, infection by
Aspergillus flavus, a mold that produces aflatoxin. The
ARS technique augments a bi-chromatic sorter--a device popular in
packinghouses today--with a new machine-vision system. The system relies
on digital scan cameras outfitted with microprocessors called
DSPs--digital signal processors. Machine-vision systems that use DSPs are
relatively new: the ARS work is the first application of the technology to
pistachio sorting. New ARS software instructs the DSPs how to analyze
images of pistachios whizzing past cameras at a rate of 144,000 an hour.
Other customized ARS software tells a computer how to decide whether any
of them has an unacceptable stain on the shell. In tests with more than
2,000 pounds of pistachios, ARS' prototype proved 90 percent accurate in
its decisions, compared to 60 percent for the bi-chromatic sorter.
(PATENT APPLICATION 08/550,310)
Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA
Thomas C. Pearson, (510) 559-5868
Z-Trim, a new no-calorie, high-fiber fat replacer, could soon find a
place in foods ranging from cheese products and hamburger to baked
goods. An ARS scientist developed Z-Trim, which is made from low-cost
agricultural byproducts such as hulls of oats, soybeans, peas and rice, or
bran from corn or wheat. The hulls or bran are processed into microscopic
fragments and purified, then dried and milled into an easy-flowing powder.
When the powder absorbs water, it swells to form a gel that provides foods
with an enjoyable smooth texture. (PATENT APPLICATION 08/563,834)
National Center for Agricultural
Utilization Research, Peoria, IL
George E. Inglett, (309) 681-6363
Udon noodles, a mainstay in Japan and attracting an ethnic market in
this country, are being made with new, soft white wheat varieties
developed by ARS scientists. The new varieties offer enhanced disease
resistance that enables growers to use less fungicides. Udon noodles are
popular in the United States with Japanese-Americans, as well as other
consumers interested in ethnic, low-fat foods. Another market for the new
varieties is in making wheat beer. Over 100,000 bushels of one of the
varieties, Madsen, are used annually by one brewery to make wheat beer.
Udon noodles are a thicker version of spaghetti with a similar taste.
Wheat Genetics, Quality,
Physiology and Disease Research, Pullman, WA
Kay Simmons, (509) 335-8696
Last updated: October 22, 1996
Return to: Quarterly Report
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