The Manta machine has a two-metre wide scan area that can handle up to 27 metric tons (60,000 pounds) of processed vegetables or fruit per hour.

It is therefore faster than Key Technology's Optyx 6000, which handles 10 metric tons of product each hour, and the Tegra that typically processes up to 14 metric tons in the same time.

The Manta also includes high resolution scanning to detect and remove small defects and foreign material.

The machine has already been bought by Bonduelle, one of Europe's largest vegetable processors, and is set to be installed this year, according to Key Technology. Their Manta sorter will be configured to handle a range of vegetables including peas, several varieties of beans and carrots, potatoes, turnips, and other vegetables.

"We have multiple Manta sorters being installed in various plants around the world for the upcoming 2008 processing season," said Bret Larreau, processed vegetable and fruit industry marketing manager at the firm.

Manta is being developed for other industry applications too. Investment in optical sorters is increasing owing to food industry pressures to improve food quality and safety. The tools are typically used for fruits, vegetables, potato strips, snack foods, confectionery and seafood.

Key claims its new sorter has the highest number of sensors and image processing modules of any such device on the market. It can be configured with up to eight top-mounted colour or visible infrared cameras and up to two top-mounted FluoRaptor fluorescence-sensing lasers. Optional bottom-mounted sensors can also be added to meet the specific needs of each application.

These sensors and cameras allow the machine to detect any variations in colour in fruit or vegetables and remove those with defects. Other advantages of the Manta include its design which allows for on-belt viewing as well as off-belt, in-air viewing and unlike other sorters that need extra elements such as separate cooling systems, water filters, and air dryers, Manta incorporates all the necessary components in one system.

Key Technology also claims that the machine has fewer horizontal surfaces where debris can build up and no overlapping surfaces that can trap bacteria, making the technology less susceptible to sanitation problems.

The company is promoting the machine as user-friendly with product settings that

can be stored and easily retrieved for fast product changeover. In addition it has sophisticated real-time and on-demand diagnostics help avoid downtime and detect conditions that could compromise inspection.

The Manta will be on display at the Interpack show taking place in Dusseldorf next month.

Nasdaq-listed Key Technology has manufacturing facilities in the US and the Netherlands. It has recently launched a sorter that can remove the cores from lettuce heads.