Abstract: Drupaceous fruit pieces, including fruit flesh with and without pit matter adhering to the flesh as well as loose pits and pit pieces themselves, are passed through an integrated system of multiple sorting units utilizing different sorting methodologies. The sorting units include a laser-based sorting unit that sorts according to differences in light scattering, a diode-based sorting unit that sorts according to differences in light reflectance, and in certain embodiments a camera-based sorting unit that sorts according to differences in color. The system also includes an impact separator that dislodges pit material from fruit flesh from which the pit material has not been dislodged by any preceding units, most notably by pitting machinery through which the fruit has passed prior to entering the system of the invention.

Abstract: The moisture content of a foodstuff or other solid matter is determined by reducing the matter to a paste, packing the paste into a vessel equipped with multiple pairs of plate electrodes and one or more temperature sensors, applying an AC voltage across each pair of electrodes, and measuring the impedance of the paste from each pair of electrodes. The multiple impedance measurements are averaged or otherwise processed to obtain a value that is representative of the paste, and that value and the temperature are processed against calibration data to achieve a value of the moisture content of the paste.