Dairy Processing - June 2021 - 50

FOOD SAFETY
ADVANCES
IN METAL DETECTION
New detection technologies are enabling dairy processors to identify
even the smallest foreign material, helping to keep products safe.
by Kristen Putch | kputch@sosland.com
M
etal detectors and other inspection and detection
systems play a critical role in helping dairy
processors prevent recalls tied to foreign materials.
The contamination of milk and dairy products can affect
quality and food safety for human consumption. Given that
metal is everywhere in the food supply chain, automated
equipment is now often deployed in dairy processing plants
to improve efficiencies and product costs. Within factories
are a wide array of mixers, dicers, slicers and pumps, most of
which are made from stainless steel.
Most dairy products are challenging for metal detection
inspection since they exhibit a phenomenon known as
'product effect'. This is where the type of product being
inspected can itself hinder the inspection technologies
capability to identify a particular contaminant.
Many dairy products naturally exhibit high 'product
effect' due to high moisture content, generally referred to as
wet'products. The high moisture content in dairy products
makes them relatively good conductors and thus more likely
to produce a signal in the metal detector in the same way as
small metal contaminants would. This product effect makes
it more difficult for the detector to distinguish between the
product and the metal contaminant.
It is important to have a metal detector at each stage on
the line, said Camilo Sanchez, metal detection product line
manager at Columbus, Ohio-based Mettler Toledo. Having a
pipeline detector for pumped products prior to packaging can
remove any metal before further value is added to the product,
reducing waste and keeping profits as high as possible.
" Pipeline applications are wide and varied, choosing
the right metal detection solution will ensure maximum
performance and brand protection, " Sanchez said. " A variety
of integrated reject devices are available to efficiently remove
metal contaminated product from the production flow, while
minimizing waste of good product. "
50 JUN 2021 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Having multiple metal detectors on various lines is important
in allowing dairy processors to check for metal contaminants
throughout processing, a setup that also makes it easier for dairy
processors to pinpoint the source of contamination. When it
comes to pumped products such as milk and yogurt, shards from
stainless-steel equipment upstream are a potential issue because
the metal is so widely used in dairy processing operations. Piped
metal detectors and X-ray inspection systems can identify and
reject such contaminants before further processing. But small
stainless-steel and other metal contaminants still can present a
challenge for metal detectors.
For Advanced Detection Systems, Milwaukee,
simultaneous, multiple frequency metal detector technology is
available and being further developed to reduce the effects of
conductive products that are difficult to accommodate while
achieving best possible detection levels.
" Magnetic separators are best used upstream of the metal
detection system, " said David Smith, sales manager for ADS.
" Magnets quietly remove ferrous contamination without
Mettler Toledo's Profile Advantage metal detector.
Photo by Mettler Toledo
http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - June 2021

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