Sorting and grading is the main activity in the business post-harvest handling of agricultural products, both in the fresh state or in another state. This is because sorting and grading is an initial activity in the handling of materials that will determine the further handling process keberhailan. This matter will be discussed in the definition and purpose of sorting and grading materials; quality standard material sorting and grading results; and the principles and techniques of sorting and grading of materials, as well as sorting and grading equipment materials in accordance with applicable standards or consumer standards.
Let your attention ataupedagang middleman collecting agricultural produce (fruit, vegetables or fish) in the market. Before they sell merchandise, what do they do? If you look carefully, you will definitely see the separate activities of agricultural produce is good for the purpose of collecting the same material type or classify materials based on certain criteria, such as color, size, weight and others.
Classifying material it can provide benefits for the merchant because the merchant can sell his wares in a variety of price despite the same product .. Selling with price variations for the same product can usually provide more benefits than if you sell one kind of commodity without prior sorting and categorizing. In addition, there are many benefits to be gained from the activities of sorting and grading.
Figure 1. Activity sorting and grading of vegetables manually
Let us understand the sorting ranging from understanding The definition of an existing or either of the dictionary or from experts who have first expressed. The term sorting Indonesian dictionary known as sorting means sorting (necessary and remove unneeded and so on). The definition in accordance with the understanding in the freedictionary who explained that the sorting is to classify or separate from other materials, for example, to sort out the wheat from the chaff.
Meanwhile, according to Afrianto et al (2008), sorting is the separation of the commodity during the flow of commodities, such as sorting at harvest location based on the type, the size of the requested market. Based on such understanding can be explained that the notion of sorting a series of activities to separate the material in various ways to obtain materials in accordance with certain criteria. In addition to understanding the definition of sorting, you also need to understand the grading, because of the activities carried on both activities there was a trend similar or even the same.
Grading is the process of separation of foodstuffs based on quality, such as size, weight, quality (Afrianto et al, 2008). Sorting the materials agricultural and fishery products are a series of activities carried out with the aim of separating agricultural / fishery is good and bad, or separating other objects are not expected. Definition of a good harvest is not physically damaged and looks attractive.
While poor yields are the results that have experienced decay or physical damage due to evaporation or pests and diseases. Sorting is done to separate the good harvest and the ugly. Grading is done to group products into quality class / grade according to criteria of quality class / grade of each commodity. Sorting and grading of activities can be carried out manually, using simple tools to use complex tools, it usually depends on the type of commodity, the scale of activities, as well as the resources available.
Here is presented a picture sorting and grading is simple, moderate and using the machine.
Figure 2. Activities sorting and grading of fruits using simple machines