Drying and cooling of grapes destined to processing: control and monitoring with non-destructive quality evaluation using spectral images

• Grant number: 13/08708-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agricultural Engineering - Process Engineering of Agricultural Products
• Principal Investigator: Barbara Janet Teruel Mederos
• Grantee: Barbara Janet Teruel Mederos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola (FEAGRI). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Claudio Luiz Messias ; Fabio Mencarelli ; Juliana Sanches de Laurentiz ; Luis Gustavo Marcassa ; Rafael Augustus de Oliveira

Abstract

The proposed project has multidisciplinary characteristic and includes teachers and students of College of Agricultural Engineering at UNICAMP, Centro de Tecnologia da UNICAMP and Universidade de São Paulo, in Optical area, grape farmers, application company and researchers from Escuela Superior Tecnica de Ingenieros Agronómos, of Universidad de Madrid, Spain (ETSIA) and DIBAF- Dipartimento per la Innovazione nei Sistemi Biologici Agroalimentari e Forestalli da Universitá degli Studi della Tuscia, all in the context of Precision Agriculture applied to Chains Productive. The proposal covers technology and research areas that has growing and demanding the research and technological development technology transfer to Agribusiness demands, the sustainability, reduction of environment impacts, rational use resources, improvement of production processes and adding value to products, all backed by an adequate cost-benefit ratio for the Brazilian producer. As consideration for the project execution, account with of laboratory infrastructure and physical space. Are proposed as objectives to obtain grants enabling applying instrumentation nondestructive techniques (Spectral Images) and automatic control and supervision (using open-source software ScadaBR®) to grape dehydration process (temperature between 37 and 22 º C and relative humidity around 40%), followed to 5°C cooling, which may be designed to making wine and the concentrates juice. The dehydration and cooling aims to reduce the water content for the concentrate of soluble solids and polyphenols, without affecting the quality and flavorings properties of grapes, with adequate cost-benefit ratio, contributing both to the viticulture in the São Paulo state, as the sector of juices. To achieve the expected results is proposed to mount an experimental system, which includes the heating, cooling and dehumidifying the air, equipped with a system for acquiring and processing spectral images for the nondestructive evaluation of grapes (pH, polyphenols, soluble solids), and the sensors installation for measurement and signals transmission corresponding to the measurement temperature, relative humidity, air flow and electrical power consumption. The temperature, relative humidity and air flow will be controlled by modifying the power in a battery of electric heaters and forced air velocity. The monitoring, supervision and control will be developed using the software ScadaBR® with man-machine interface configurable meeting the needs of application, which could facilitate the transfer of technology to the industry productive. It is hoped further study in the area of process thermal control and spectral imaging systems applied to Agriculture and Precision Agro-industry for the production chains, seeking to acquire skills and infrastructure to continue the research in the College of Agricultural Engineering. (AU)