Pietro Catania | Università degli Studi di Palermo (original) (raw)
Papers by Pietro Catania
The transplanters of grafted vines at present on the market are equipped with laser transmitters ... more The transplanters of grafted vines at present on the market are equipped with laser transmitters and receivers, which ensure the parallelism among the vineyard rows. These high cost instruments cause some operational problems: not operational return way of the machine, the need for more than one surveyed point when the soil shape is irregular, the need of two operators, besides the machine driver, etc. The aim of this work is to assess the accuracy of GPS systems in order to use them in place of the laser systems. The distances among the grafted vines and the distances among the vineyard rows were measured using two positioning systems (a differentially corrected GPS system (DGPS) and a low cost GPS receiver) in a previously mechanically transplanted vineyard. The results showed that these systems can substitute efficiently the laser systems. However a study about their economical convenience is needed.
Hydroseeding is a technique increasingly used to establish vegetation on degraded areas in order ... more Hydroseeding is a technique increasingly used to establish vegetation on degraded areas in order to perform environmental protection.
During the mechanical extraction process of Virgin Olive Oil (VOO) some important physical phenom... more During the mechanical extraction process of Virgin Olive Oil (VOO) some important physical phenomena and enzymatic transformations occur influencing the final product quality. The control of process parameters is crucial to ensure the quality of VOO, therefore process monitoring and control is a fundamental requirement in the modern VOO processing industry.
Computers and Electronics in Agriculture
Vibrations are a well known potential cause of health diseases and therefore constitute a main co... more Vibrations are a well known potential cause of health diseases and therefore constitute a main concern for the safety of workers in a large number of activities. In order to prevent health hazards, national and international institutions have issued laws and directives which establish recommended limits to the workers’ exposure to vibrations during operations. Consequently, if the amount of adsorbed vibration exceeds the allowable daily limits the worker has to stop his job. Recent wireless sensing and communicating technologies can effectively be employed for such purpose, allowing to develop monitoring customized devices at affordable cost which could be easily employed during the workers’ activity. In such context, the present research proposes an innovative system aimed at estimating the hand–arm exposure to vibration according to the Standard EN ISO 5349-1:2004. In particular the proposed system is based on Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology and involves the des...
Biosystems Engineering
In recent years, oxygen content regulation during malaxation has been noted as a process paramete... more In recent years, oxygen content regulation during malaxation has been noted as a process parameter. The aim of this study was to identify the optimal time during the malaxation process of the olives of the Sicilian cultivar Nocellara del Belice when the presence of oxygen in the machine headspace activates the enzyme complex in favour of the volatile compounds, without compromising the phenolic composition. During the malaxation process, the atmosphere inside the malaxation machine was modified by blowing pure oxygen from cylinders at specific stages of the process (i.e., 5, 15, 25, and 35 min after the start of malaxation), using a system that allows the automatic and continuous maintenance of a known amount of oxygen in the headspace at a given moment during the entire process of malaxation. The results showed that under the experimental boundary conditions, malaxation carried out in an oxygen free atmosphere for the first 25 min followed by the presence of oxygen until the end of...
The mechanization of olive harvesting is very important both to reduce the costs of production an... more The mechanization of olive harvesting is very important both to reduce the costs of production and to assure the oil quality because the manual harvest does not allow to operate at the right time and also need a long period to be completed. The use of portable shakers, that are spreading more than others typologies, can give a solution to the problem. However, the use of such equipment may involve risk of exposure to hand-transmitted vibration. The aim of this study was to assess the level of exposure to hand-arm vibration of the operators using portable shakers (reference standards UNI EN ISO 5349-1:2004, Italian Low Decree 81/2008). An effective approach would rather involve to equip the worker with suitable instruments to monitor and analyze the vibration exposure, thus providing a valuable information to prevent health hazards. Recent wireless sensing and communicating technologies can effectively be employed for such purpose. In such context, the present research proposes an innovative system aimed at estimating the hand-arm exposure to vibration according to the Standard EN ISO 5349-1:2004. In particular the proposed system is based on Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology and involves the design of a compact wearable unit to be attached to the waist of the operator and a fixed station for data storage and analysis. A commonly used model was evaluated performing both field and laboratory tests.
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2009
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2013
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2007
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2011
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2013
Tests for evaluating the agronomical response of Origanum to four plant densities were carried ou... more Tests for evaluating the agronomical response of Origanum to four plant densities were carried out from 1998 to 2001, on a local biotype of Origanum collected at Monreale (Palermo), in an area having the typical soil and climatic conditions of the Sicilian environment. Data about plant biometric characteristics (height at different growth phases, number of branches per plant, fresh weight yield) and the proportions among inflorescences, leaves and stems were monitored. Moreover, essential oil analyses were carried out for each plant density. The results showed that the plant density influenced the yield but not the plant height. The best results were obtained in the second year, when the highest values of biometric characteristics were measured. In 2000/2001 tests of mechanical harvest were carried out for each plant density, using a reaper-binder made by BCS. In the second year the machine was modified, in order to improve its working productivity and quality.
Tests for evaluating the agronomical response of Rosmarinus to four plant densities were carried ... more Tests for evaluating the agronomical response of Rosmarinus to four plant densities were carried out from 1998 to 2001, on a local ecotype of Rosmarinus, in an area having the typical soil and climatic conditions of the Sicilian inland hilly environment. Data about biometric characteristics (plant height, number of stems per plant, fresh and dry yield), the ratio between leaf weight and dry weight and the ratio between stem weight and dry weight, both expressed as percent, were monitored. Moreover, essential oil analyses were carried out for each plant density. The results showed that the plant density positively influenced the fresh and dry yield, while it negatively affects the number of stems. For each plant density comparisons between manual and mechanical transplanting were carried out. The mechanical transplanting with a one row transplanter showed values of working capacity and productivity seven to ten times higher than those obtained with the manual transplanting. The highe...
In Italy Origanum vulgare L. is cultivated only in few areas and its production does not even sat... more In Italy Origanum vulgare L. is cultivated only in few areas and its production does not even satisfy the national market demand. Until now the interest on this crop has been very low because of the high cost of manual harvest and bunch binding. The aim of this work is to evaluate the use of a reaper-binder (made for harvesting cereal crops) for harvesting and bunch binding Origanum vulgare L. The tests were carried out in Sicily, in the summer of 2001. The mechanical harvest was carried out using the reaper-binder unmodified, but the results were not satisfactory. The machine was then modified reducing its forward speed and cutting height, in order to improve its working productivity and harvesting quality. The tests of mechanical harvest were compared to parallel manual harvest tests. The results show that the modified reaper-binder has a working productivity much higher than that obtained with the manual harvest. Moreover, its harvesting quality (bunch size and binding height) is...
Harvest is one of the most important agronomical techniques of oregano cultivation. Traditionally... more Harvest is one of the most important agronomical techniques of oregano cultivation. Traditionally, oregano is manually harvested but the times of this operation are very long. On the contrary, the mechanical harvest could decrease the harvest times and, therefore, the production costs. Tests of mechanical harvest were carried out between 2003 and 2004 in an experimental field of Dipartimento di Agronomia Ambientale e Territoriale of Palermo University, using a reaper-binder made by BCS for cereal and forage crops but specifically modified for harvesting oregano. The working capacity, productivity and efficiency of this machine were evaluated according to the variation of minimum forward speed, minimum cutting height, number of stems per bunch and the lowering of the bunch binding height; the results were also compared to those obtained during the manual harvest. An Origanum biotype harvested in Monreale (Palermo) and classified as Origanum vulgare L. ssp hirtum (Link) Ietswaart (or ...
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2010
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2013
Grasas y Aceites, 2014
ABSTRACT The influence of pasteurization temperature and time of treatment on the flesh firmness ... more ABSTRACT The influence of pasteurization temperature and time of treatment on the flesh firmness and the evolution of microbial communities was studied for table olives Cv. Nocellara del Be lice, packed in glass jars and processed with a tunnel pasteurizer. The experiment was first carried out on the laboratory level in order to select the optimal combination of pasteurization time/temperature so as to obtain the proper balance between the consistency of the pulp and the microbiological quality of the final product. Pasteurization at industrial scale was then carried out in a tunnel pasteurizer applying the treatment at 75 degrees C for 8 min in the thermal center of the jars. Besides flesh firmness and microbial evolutions, the pH, total titratable acidity (TTA) and color were evaluated for the table olives during storage at 6, 12 and 15 months from packing. The table olives showed a high stability and acceptable flesh firmness for the entire period under observation. Specifically, olive pulp texture decreased during the storage period, but the softening was most evident in the deeper layers of the pulp. The results indicated that the storage period should not exceed 6 months. Although the hygiene is preserved, after this period the firmness might not be acceptable to consumers.
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, 2014
ABSTRACT In the wine industry, bottling is a phase of the production cycle characterized by high ... more ABSTRACT In the wine industry, bottling is a phase of the production cycle characterized by high levels of noise, mostly owing to repeated collisions between the bottles. In Italy, the Law Decree 81/2008 defined the requirements for assessing and managing noise risk, identifying a number of procedures to be adopted at different noise levels to limit worker exposure. This study was aimed at evaluating the equivalent and peak noise level inside the bottling plant area of a modern Italian winery. In particular, the influence of the working capacity (number of bottles produced per hour) on noise levels was evaluated. Three test conditions were considered: T1 with a working capacity of 4000 bottles/h; T2 with working capacity of 5000 bottles/h; and T3 with working capacity of 6000 bottles/h. Fifteen measurement points were identified inside the bottling area. The instrument used for the measurements was a precision integrating portable sound level meter, class 1, model HD2110L by Delta OHM, Italy. The results indicated that, as the bottling plant working capacity increased, noise levels increased. The measured sound levels exceeded the limits allowed by the regulations in all of the test conditions. Values exceeding the threshold limit of 80 dB(A) were recorded, increasing to a maximum value of 95 dB(A) in test T3. In this case, the operator working along the bottling line was obliged to wear the appropriate personal protective equipment. Copyright © 2014 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling
The transplanters of grafted vines at present on the market are equipped with laser transmitters ... more The transplanters of grafted vines at present on the market are equipped with laser transmitters and receivers, which ensure the parallelism among the vineyard rows. These high cost instruments cause some operational problems: not operational return way of the machine, the need for more than one surveyed point when the soil shape is irregular, the need of two operators, besides the machine driver, etc. The aim of this work is to assess the accuracy of GPS systems in order to use them in place of the laser systems. The distances among the grafted vines and the distances among the vineyard rows were measured using two positioning systems (a differentially corrected GPS system (DGPS) and a low cost GPS receiver) in a previously mechanically transplanted vineyard. The results showed that these systems can substitute efficiently the laser systems. However a study about their economical convenience is needed.
Hydroseeding is a technique increasingly used to establish vegetation on degraded areas in order ... more Hydroseeding is a technique increasingly used to establish vegetation on degraded areas in order to perform environmental protection.
During the mechanical extraction process of Virgin Olive Oil (VOO) some important physical phenom... more During the mechanical extraction process of Virgin Olive Oil (VOO) some important physical phenomena and enzymatic transformations occur influencing the final product quality. The control of process parameters is crucial to ensure the quality of VOO, therefore process monitoring and control is a fundamental requirement in the modern VOO processing industry.
Computers and Electronics in Agriculture
Vibrations are a well known potential cause of health diseases and therefore constitute a main co... more Vibrations are a well known potential cause of health diseases and therefore constitute a main concern for the safety of workers in a large number of activities. In order to prevent health hazards, national and international institutions have issued laws and directives which establish recommended limits to the workers’ exposure to vibrations during operations. Consequently, if the amount of adsorbed vibration exceeds the allowable daily limits the worker has to stop his job. Recent wireless sensing and communicating technologies can effectively be employed for such purpose, allowing to develop monitoring customized devices at affordable cost which could be easily employed during the workers’ activity. In such context, the present research proposes an innovative system aimed at estimating the hand–arm exposure to vibration according to the Standard EN ISO 5349-1:2004. In particular the proposed system is based on Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology and involves the des...
Biosystems Engineering
In recent years, oxygen content regulation during malaxation has been noted as a process paramete... more In recent years, oxygen content regulation during malaxation has been noted as a process parameter. The aim of this study was to identify the optimal time during the malaxation process of the olives of the Sicilian cultivar Nocellara del Belice when the presence of oxygen in the machine headspace activates the enzyme complex in favour of the volatile compounds, without compromising the phenolic composition. During the malaxation process, the atmosphere inside the malaxation machine was modified by blowing pure oxygen from cylinders at specific stages of the process (i.e., 5, 15, 25, and 35 min after the start of malaxation), using a system that allows the automatic and continuous maintenance of a known amount of oxygen in the headspace at a given moment during the entire process of malaxation. The results showed that under the experimental boundary conditions, malaxation carried out in an oxygen free atmosphere for the first 25 min followed by the presence of oxygen until the end of...
The mechanization of olive harvesting is very important both to reduce the costs of production an... more The mechanization of olive harvesting is very important both to reduce the costs of production and to assure the oil quality because the manual harvest does not allow to operate at the right time and also need a long period to be completed. The use of portable shakers, that are spreading more than others typologies, can give a solution to the problem. However, the use of such equipment may involve risk of exposure to hand-transmitted vibration. The aim of this study was to assess the level of exposure to hand-arm vibration of the operators using portable shakers (reference standards UNI EN ISO 5349-1:2004, Italian Low Decree 81/2008). An effective approach would rather involve to equip the worker with suitable instruments to monitor and analyze the vibration exposure, thus providing a valuable information to prevent health hazards. Recent wireless sensing and communicating technologies can effectively be employed for such purpose. In such context, the present research proposes an innovative system aimed at estimating the hand-arm exposure to vibration according to the Standard EN ISO 5349-1:2004. In particular the proposed system is based on Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology and involves the design of a compact wearable unit to be attached to the waist of the operator and a fixed station for data storage and analysis. A commonly used model was evaluated performing both field and laboratory tests.
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2009
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2013
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2007
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2011
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2013
Tests for evaluating the agronomical response of Origanum to four plant densities were carried ou... more Tests for evaluating the agronomical response of Origanum to four plant densities were carried out from 1998 to 2001, on a local biotype of Origanum collected at Monreale (Palermo), in an area having the typical soil and climatic conditions of the Sicilian environment. Data about plant biometric characteristics (height at different growth phases, number of branches per plant, fresh weight yield) and the proportions among inflorescences, leaves and stems were monitored. Moreover, essential oil analyses were carried out for each plant density. The results showed that the plant density influenced the yield but not the plant height. The best results were obtained in the second year, when the highest values of biometric characteristics were measured. In 2000/2001 tests of mechanical harvest were carried out for each plant density, using a reaper-binder made by BCS. In the second year the machine was modified, in order to improve its working productivity and quality.
Tests for evaluating the agronomical response of Rosmarinus to four plant densities were carried ... more Tests for evaluating the agronomical response of Rosmarinus to four plant densities were carried out from 1998 to 2001, on a local ecotype of Rosmarinus, in an area having the typical soil and climatic conditions of the Sicilian inland hilly environment. Data about biometric characteristics (plant height, number of stems per plant, fresh and dry yield), the ratio between leaf weight and dry weight and the ratio between stem weight and dry weight, both expressed as percent, were monitored. Moreover, essential oil analyses were carried out for each plant density. The results showed that the plant density positively influenced the fresh and dry yield, while it negatively affects the number of stems. For each plant density comparisons between manual and mechanical transplanting were carried out. The mechanical transplanting with a one row transplanter showed values of working capacity and productivity seven to ten times higher than those obtained with the manual transplanting. The highe...
In Italy Origanum vulgare L. is cultivated only in few areas and its production does not even sat... more In Italy Origanum vulgare L. is cultivated only in few areas and its production does not even satisfy the national market demand. Until now the interest on this crop has been very low because of the high cost of manual harvest and bunch binding. The aim of this work is to evaluate the use of a reaper-binder (made for harvesting cereal crops) for harvesting and bunch binding Origanum vulgare L. The tests were carried out in Sicily, in the summer of 2001. The mechanical harvest was carried out using the reaper-binder unmodified, but the results were not satisfactory. The machine was then modified reducing its forward speed and cutting height, in order to improve its working productivity and harvesting quality. The tests of mechanical harvest were compared to parallel manual harvest tests. The results show that the modified reaper-binder has a working productivity much higher than that obtained with the manual harvest. Moreover, its harvesting quality (bunch size and binding height) is...
Harvest is one of the most important agronomical techniques of oregano cultivation. Traditionally... more Harvest is one of the most important agronomical techniques of oregano cultivation. Traditionally, oregano is manually harvested but the times of this operation are very long. On the contrary, the mechanical harvest could decrease the harvest times and, therefore, the production costs. Tests of mechanical harvest were carried out between 2003 and 2004 in an experimental field of Dipartimento di Agronomia Ambientale e Territoriale of Palermo University, using a reaper-binder made by BCS for cereal and forage crops but specifically modified for harvesting oregano. The working capacity, productivity and efficiency of this machine were evaluated according to the variation of minimum forward speed, minimum cutting height, number of stems per bunch and the lowering of the bunch binding height; the results were also compared to those obtained during the manual harvest. An Origanum biotype harvested in Monreale (Palermo) and classified as Origanum vulgare L. ssp hirtum (Link) Ietswaart (or ...
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2010
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, 2013
Grasas y Aceites, 2014
ABSTRACT The influence of pasteurization temperature and time of treatment on the flesh firmness ... more ABSTRACT The influence of pasteurization temperature and time of treatment on the flesh firmness and the evolution of microbial communities was studied for table olives Cv. Nocellara del Be lice, packed in glass jars and processed with a tunnel pasteurizer. The experiment was first carried out on the laboratory level in order to select the optimal combination of pasteurization time/temperature so as to obtain the proper balance between the consistency of the pulp and the microbiological quality of the final product. Pasteurization at industrial scale was then carried out in a tunnel pasteurizer applying the treatment at 75 degrees C for 8 min in the thermal center of the jars. Besides flesh firmness and microbial evolutions, the pH, total titratable acidity (TTA) and color were evaluated for the table olives during storage at 6, 12 and 15 months from packing. The table olives showed a high stability and acceptable flesh firmness for the entire period under observation. Specifically, olive pulp texture decreased during the storage period, but the softening was most evident in the deeper layers of the pulp. The results indicated that the storage period should not exceed 6 months. Although the hygiene is preserved, after this period the firmness might not be acceptable to consumers.
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, 2014
ABSTRACT In the wine industry, bottling is a phase of the production cycle characterized by high ... more ABSTRACT In the wine industry, bottling is a phase of the production cycle characterized by high levels of noise, mostly owing to repeated collisions between the bottles. In Italy, the Law Decree 81/2008 defined the requirements for assessing and managing noise risk, identifying a number of procedures to be adopted at different noise levels to limit worker exposure. This study was aimed at evaluating the equivalent and peak noise level inside the bottling plant area of a modern Italian winery. In particular, the influence of the working capacity (number of bottles produced per hour) on noise levels was evaluated. Three test conditions were considered: T1 with a working capacity of 4000 bottles/h; T2 with working capacity of 5000 bottles/h; and T3 with working capacity of 6000 bottles/h. Fifteen measurement points were identified inside the bottling area. The instrument used for the measurements was a precision integrating portable sound level meter, class 1, model HD2110L by Delta OHM, Italy. The results indicated that, as the bottling plant working capacity increased, noise levels increased. The measured sound levels exceeded the limits allowed by the regulations in all of the test conditions. Values exceeding the threshold limit of 80 dB(A) were recorded, increasing to a maximum value of 95 dB(A) in test T3. In this case, the operator working along the bottling line was obliged to wear the appropriate personal protective equipment. Copyright © 2014 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling