H2020 EVOOLUTION Project: Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Advanced Classification Solution
- Type Project
- Status Filled
- Execution 2018 -2020
- Assigned Budget 892.786,13 €
- Scope Europeo
- Main source of financing H2020
- Project website EVOOLUTION
The second reporting period lasted 19 months (total project duration: 31 months).
Following initial testing, Prototype 1 was upgraded with a new air ejection system and analytical methods to create the 1-BIS prototype. This upgrade was the fastest and most efficient way to complete the scheduled testing in the Southern Hemisphere for the duration of the project. In parallel, Prototype 2 was built with an improved vision system and successfully tested in Spain. This testing phase was very useful for evaluating the efficiency of the upgrades before the launch of the commercial version: the industrial unit. Two industrial prototypes were manufactured for in-season validation testing in Spain and Portugal to acquire the necessary knowledge of different cultivar types (super-intensive, traditional) and requirements.
The first industrial unit was installed on the receiving line of our Spanish tester for validation under real-world conditions during the harvest and processing season. A second additional unit was assembled and installed in Portugal, where a high impact of anthracnose was detected in the 2020 season. Both units were highly successful, achieving specific defect grading efficiency well above the target (>90%), with perfect alignment between ripeness index measurement and grading. Chemical and organoleptic analysis of the olive oils produced after grading demonstrated the potential to modulate the production of olive oils with different profiles from the same incoming product and obtain a higher quantity of high-quality EVOO. Users will be able to customize their olive oil production.
The facilities, production line, and multiscan processes were prepared to industrialize EVOOLUTION manufacturing, along with the generation of all necessary supporting materials and documentation, including user documentation. An after-sales service has been developed, including a remote assistance service to assist users with instant online adjustments if necessary.
We have obtained the CE mark and comply with ISO standards for all machinery and electrical components. Following an external risk assessment, all necessary measures have been taken to prevent the identified risks.
We have filed a patent application for a new technology used in EVOOLUTION, with a resolution expected in 2022.
During the pre-sales phase, the Multiscan team focused on introducing EVOOLUTION to major olive oil producers around the world. During this second reporting period, we radically adapted our communications and outreach activities due to travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, reinforcing our digital and verbal communication channels. We created two videos to introduce EVOOLUTION to the general market and generated extensive supporting visual documentation (videos and images) to address potential customers' specific concerns about the technology, installation, and maintenance.
EVOOLUTION is a specialized grading solution conceived and designed by Multiscan Technologies to address the specific needs of the olive oil sector, which lacks the capacity to efficiently grade olives before processing at the olive mill. On the one hand, the presence of damaged or defective olives can negatively impact the quality of the oil; if the resulting oil cannot be classified as "extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)," its market value is significantly reduced, generating huge losses. On the other hand, current trends in the olive oil sector, such as super-intensive cultivation and mechanical harvesting, make grading technology even more necessary. Furthermore, industrial olive oil production relies on continuous processing with extremely high yields. All of these aspects pose a major challenge for achieving efficient sorting of the fruit that reaches the olive mill.
We address the challenges of the olive oil sector with EVOOLUTION, an advanced sorting solution that uses cutting-edge machine vision technologies to efficiently remove olives and unwanted material before entering the milling process. Olive oil producers will ensure the use of only high-quality olives, resulting in high-quality oils with a higher market value.
We have worked on five prototypes, including two industrial (commercial) units, and have fully met all project objectives. We have achieved high grading efficiency for the most complex olive defects worldwide and have enabled highly accurate classification by ripeness index. The technology is fully developed and pending patent protection. EVOOLUTION has reached commercialization, representing a major technological and commercial breakthrough for Multiscan in the olive oil sector, valued at €6 billion.
The EU is the undisputed global leader in the olive oil sector, responsible for 70% of global production. To face global competition, olive oil produced in the EU must be a product distinguished by its superior quality and competitive price. Demand for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is increasing due to new consumer concerns (healthy and organic foods) and the incorporation of new high-income countries (USA, Australia, China, etc.).
To achieve the highest quality oil, only premium olives should be used. However, defective or unwanted olives frequently enter the mill. These include olives that are frozen, dehydrated, overripe, damaged by insects, or harvested from the ground, to name a few. This will lead to a degradation of the oil's quality, meaning organoleptic and chemical parameters (free acidity, esters, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, etc.) will be negatively affected.
The market price will also drop. Grading olives by quality and/or ripeness in the olive mill's receiving area is becoming a necessity in a sector evolving toward intensive cultivation, mechanical harvesting, and high-capacity plants with advanced technology. Currently, there are no specific solutions on the market. Leveraging its success in the table olive sector, Multiscan will address the next technical challenge impacting olive oil, a huge market valued at €6 billion, by developing equipment specifically designed for grading incoming olives.
Using cutting-edge vision technology, Multiscan EVOOLUTION will ensure the removal of defective and unwanted olives before entering the mill, consistently obtaining higher-quality EVOO. End-user trials at mills in both hemispheres will ensure EVOOLUTION is perfectly adapted to the needs of all olive oil producers. By 2024, we will market nearly 300 EVOOLUTION units, generating a cumulative net profit of €17 million and the direct creation of 20 new jobs in our company.
Olive oil has scientifically proven health benefits, which has led to the proliferation of premium, high-quality products and brands, especially in the extra virgin olive oil category. As mentioned above, the global olive oil sector is valued at €6 billion. The European Union leads this industry, responsible for more than 70% of global olive oil production. Olive oil is crucial to the economies of many EU regions throughout the Mediterranean basin and is part of their cultural heritage.
In terms of employment and socioeconomic impact, EVOOLUTION will be responsible for the direct and indirect creation of jobs in sectors with long-term opportunities, such as technology applied to the agri-food sector. EVOOLUTION is expected to generate cumulative profits of €22 million and the direct creation of 12 new jobs at Multiscan during the first three years of commercialization.
- MULTISCAN TECHNOLOGIES SL
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