Abstract: A device for discharging bad products from a product stream, including a detection unit for detecting the product stream and a computer unit for receiving property data of the product stream from the detection unit and for identifying bad products in the product stream. The device includes a compressed air discharge unit controlled by the computer unit and a deflection element discharge unit for the passive discharge of bad products from the product stream. The computer unit divides the identified bad products into first-order and second-order bad products and controls the compressed air discharge unit so that it will actively discharge the first-order bad products, and also controls the deflection element discharge unit so that it will passively discharge the second-order bad products.

Abstract: Establishing a rancidity index table and allocating a rancidity index value to an absorption or reflection spectrum of oil fruits, nuts and seeds (2) comprises: irradiating a sample of an oil fruit, a nut or a seed (2) with a light source (3), projecting the reflected and/or transmitted light onto a photosensor (4), detecting the absorption or reflection spectrum by means of the photosensor (4), extracting ingredients of the sample by determining volatile compounds, separating volatile components of the sample by means of gas chromatography, identifying separated volatile components by mass spectroscopic detection of relevant ones, determining a rancidity index value of the sample from identified volatile components of the sample, allocating the detected absorption or reflection spectrum of the sample to the rancidity index value, repeating the previous steps for a representative number of samples and forming a rancidity table from the determined rancidity index values and allocated absorption or reflectio

Abstract: The invention relates to a method, a sensor unit and a machine for detecting “sugar end” defects in potatoes. The method comprises irradiating potatoes with at least one light source, for a plurality of locus points on each potato, wherein locus points lie on the end regions of the potato and other locus points lie in a central region of the potato. The light reflected from and/or transmitted through the respective locus points is selectively projected onto at least one photo sensor which generates light measurement signals for each locus point from the received light. At least one classification feature is determined from the light measurement signals. If at least one classification feature corresponds to a predefined “sugar end” criterion the respective potato is classified as having “sugar end” defects.