Gravity inspection systems are widely used in confectionery facilities to inspect products being packed into VFFS bags.
down the line, a conveyor metal detector in the packing section.”
Confectioners also often need to inspect sugar-based products when in ‘rope’ format, using small, high- performance lab-style metal detectors. However, if there are multiple processes and ingredients, or if metal foil is being used in packaging, the addition of an X-ray system is advisable. “Confectionery is sold in so many different formats. This means that even similar products have high variations in density. Because of this, the aperture size of the metal detector is vitally important, as the smaller the aperture the more sensitive the metal detector is,” argues Phil.
Confectionery products can also be quite complex when it comes to physical contaminant inspection and there has been a rise in demand for X-ray systems, with many retailers now mandating them as an additional safeguard. By providing a detailed image of the internal structure of packaged food products, X-ray inspection systems can detect physical contaminants such as glass, stone and some types of
KennedysConfection.com When
assessing risks,
examining all of the processing steps is critical as metal could be introduced in any number of these processes.”
plastic and metal. If implemented during end-of-line packing, they can offer an additional layer of quality assurance, inspecting for missing product, mis- shaped, or abnormal product patterns, as well a damaged packaging. Additionally, confectionery producers often use foils or other metallised packaging materials to improve the shelf- life and enhance product preservation. X-rays can penetrate through these
materials to detect a wider range of contaminants. However, metal detectors can compensate for the limitations of X-ray when looking for flat metal flakes. For other lightweight contaminants, vision systems can also be considered, and they can provide a good final quality assurance check. “By utilising a range of complementary food safety and quality control equipment, confectioners can maximise their production efficiency and guarantee high-quality products safe for human consumption,” concludes Phil.
Testing, testing, testing
CEIA pointed out that one of the challenges of using metal detectors in a snack or confectionery manufacturing environment is the need for manual testing of the equipment, which is often positioned between a multihead weigher and a bagging machine making it difficult to access. Each test of the metal detector requires the production line to be stopped, which slows down operations. Further, if metal is detected, the bagging machine receives a signal
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