How is a UV lamp used on a dried fig sorting belt?

On a sorting belt, UV lamps are fixed 20 to 40 cm above the belt, and as the figs pass underneath, sorters pick out the ones that glow greenish-yellow by hand. The lamps are lined up end to end along the belt so that every fig passes under the light.

How many lamps do you need?

Each AFLALED belt lamp is 100 cm (1 metre) long and is added end to end to match the length of your belt. A 6 to 7 metre belt usually takes 6 to 7 lamps. On wide belts, two rows are installed, one on each side.

Which beam angle?

The wide-beam (120°) model spreads the light and covers the full belt width in one row. The narrow-beam (60°) model concentrates the light on one strip and lights it more intensely. Choose 120° for wide belts and 60° for narrow, fast belts.

Installation and power

The lamp runs continuously on 220 V. Lamps are linked with waterproof connectors. The housing is aluminium, stays cool and is IP65 rated. It contains no mercury, so there is no risk of toxic vapour if it breaks.

Settings that make sorting easier

Keep the belt slow enough for sorters to look at every fig. If the sorting section sits in a dark area or is covered, the glow is easier to see. You can check in a dark room and in bright conditions, even in sunlight, but the clearest view is always in dim light.

Remember that sorters work under UV light for long hours. UV protective glasses are recommended, and nobody should look directly into the light.

What happens to the rejected figs?

The Codex code of practice for dried figs recommends inspecting incoming figs under long-wave UV light and removing the fluorescent ones. Rejected figs are marked and destroyed so that they cannot re-enter the food chain.

Replacing old fluorescent tubes

Fluorescent UV tubes lose UV output over time: the tube still lights up, but the glow of suspect figs gets weaker. An LED lamp produces 365 nm light directly and keeps its output for a long time.

Belt sorting is a pre-sorting step. The laboratory result shows whether the lot is clean.

AFLALED belt model (100 cm, 120° and 60°).

Send us the length and width of your belt and we will work out how many lamps you need.
Phone / WhatsApp: +90 532 233 42 81 · E-mail: satis@altayshop.com

Related questions: Rechargeable UV lamp or belt lamp: which one do you need? · Does a UV lamp work in daylight?

Sources

  1. Codex Alimentarius (FAO/WHO), Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in Dried Figs, CAC/RCP 65-2008. fao.org
  2. Sulyok, M., Krska, R., Senyuva, H., Profiles of fungal metabolites including regulated mycotoxins in individual dried Turkish figs by LC-MS/MS, Mycotoxin Research 36(4), 381-387 (2020). ncbi.nlm.nih.gov