Ensure quality and food safety with production inspection technology

Microsep offers a comprehensive range of product inspection equipment solutions for all packaging and processing aspects of the F&B industry. Peter Anderson takes us through some of the applications for the weighing and inspection of wet, dry, fresh and frozen food.

The product range includes dynamic checkweighers, sophisticated metal contaminant detectors and innovative X-ray-based inspection technology systems. These units can be integrated into production lines using state-of-the art software to facilitate greater control and traceability in all processes.

X-RAY-BASED INSPECTION SYSTEMS

Mettler Toledo Safeline X-ray systems offer safety and quality assurance throughout the production process for raw, bulk-flow (loose), pumped and packaged products. Neither foil nor metallised film packaging affect the sensitivity of contaminant detection by using X-ray technology. F&B manufacturers rely on Safeline X-ray systems to protect the welfare of consumers, safeguard brand reputations, minimise the risk of expensive product recalls and assist with regulatory compliance.

These systems offer versatility across many applications and are designed to effectively detect and reject dense contaminants within products, irrespective of shape, size or location. X-ray systems deliver superior detection of contaminants such as calcified bone, stone, glass, glass-in-glass and highdensity metal, plastics or rubber within a wide range of retail packaging, glass containers, canned foods, unpackaged food products (includes frozen-formed products), bulk-flow food products prior to packaging, pumped products (typically poultry and meat), The Safeline X3725 X-ray system simultaneously inspects products for contamination and performs product integrity checks to ensure brand protection dairy and bakery products, slurries, semisolids and fluids. The technology ensures complete product safety and integrity, thereby protecting consumers and helping manufacturers avoid product recalls.

It utilises innovative technologies designed to provide complete inspection coverage. Units are capable of simultaneously performing various inspection and in-line product quality control and integrity checks at high production-line speeds, without damaging products. Product quality checks include the automatic detection and rejection of contaminated, missing, trapped or damaged products in packaged and unpackaged items, monitoring of fill levels, cap and container inspection in glass and canned food applications. X-ray systems can be easily integrated with existing production conveyors and take up minimum line space, providing quick, easy and cost-effective inspection.

X-ray systems placed early in the production line ensure contaminants can be removed at the source before further value is added, reducing food waste, saving costs, ensuring a future-proof investment and thus reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO).

METAL DETECTION SOLUTIONS

The versatile range of Safeline Metal Detectors offer maximum detection sensitivity to detect smaller metal contaminants when inspecting products that are wet, hot, chilled, cooling or packed in metallised film in food and beverage product applications. Detection of all metal types including ferrous, non-ferrous and even difficult to detect non-magnetic stainless steel is possible.

Various models and options are available to inspect bulk, free-falling fine powdered and granular products, as well as pumped liquids, pastes, slurries, high-viscosity fluids and vacuum-packed products. Metal detectors can be integrated with conveyors, other equipment and into production processes to reliably detect a contaminated product and reject it from the process flow, providing fullyautomated in-line inspection. The equipment assists with compliance to national and international food safety standards and with retailers’ own codes of practice.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE CHECKWEIGHERS

Garvens’ range of high-performance checkweighers combine reliable weighing accuracy with rugged machine design.

Systems are available with IP69-rating, are fully waterproof, proven resistant to most caustic detergents and highpressure cleaning and ideal for use in harsh production environments. Checkweighers verify the weight of a product on the production line, with the capability to detect and remove any underfilled or overfilled packages from reaching consumers. Load cells that power the checkweighers are able to filter out environmental noise that could influence the weighing result, meaning a reduction in false rejects.

This ensures manufacturers comply with the local weights and measures regulations and industry standards. More importantly, it helps to lower production costs by reducing wasted product through the use of realtime feedback and automatic adjustment to filling equipment. •