< Previouscontaminants is detected. The amount of light is transformed in the luminometer to relative light units, where this value is displayed on the instrument. If it exceeds a defined threshold value, the surface would be considered dirty and may indicate that a cleaning programme has not been performed properly, allowing improvements to be made to sanitation practices, or alternatively the method could verify that a facility’s equipment and surfaces are clean and sanitary for food production. As food firms strive to improve their food safety and hygiene programmes and product demand grows, testing is expanding. Routine risk assessments and audits are also useful in maintaining standards, controlling foreign materials, and demonstrating how safe products are. As testing continues to evolve, so do other forms of food safety technology. Various smart technologies that can solve food safety problems and predict food safety challenges are coming to the fore. DNA sequencing technology is maturing, facilitating traceability and rapid testing for food safety, and allowing producers to become more proactive. Furthermore, food safety, hygiene and cleaning in facilities is set to be boosted by incoming robot cleaners. Fraunhofer researchers have developed the Wi-Fi controlled, battery powered, autonomous Mobile Cleaning Device 4.0 to travel on a conveyor belt down the production line, cleaning equipment from the inside, while another variant cleans walls, floors, ceilings, and outer surfaces of machinery. An extendable robot arm carrying a rotary jet cleaner can stretch to reach high spots on the production line. Using ‘fluorosensing’ the modular cleaning robot, which holds a multi sensor system and is equipped with self-learning systems, detects and adapts to contamination on the production line. With advanced sensors and AI, adaptive cleaning is achieved, and the appropriate cleaning procedure chosen, with cleaning parameters including pressure and the amount of foam cleaning agent adjusted to suit 40 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY AND HYGIENE and verifying safety of food and hygiene in facilities, as well as in uncovering allergen presence, such as by swabbing critical control points. New methods of testing and rapid- method technologies continue to be developed and recommended for testing for microbial and foreign material contamination. Food scientists at Cornell University recently emphasised in a study the usefulness of swiping surfaces in commercial food processing plants with specially designed rapid-testing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) swabs – which produce a light in the presence of microorganisms – which could reduce spoilage and foodborne illness. In this method an ATP swab test is employed to check critical points in a plant and placed in a luminometer instrument, where the bioluminescence of © Shutterstock /SeventyFour Astell’s Compact Top-loading Autoclave now features in the Astell BioSink range The release of the Astell BioSink & Autoclave Combo sees the new BioSink – a washbasin that thermally sterilises wastewater – combined with a food and drink sector firm favourite, the Astell Compact Top Loading autoclave. The Compact Toploaders are a range of capable, convenient, and cost-effective steam sterilisers, available in two models – AMA240 Ecofill and AMA440 Classic. Both the AMA240 and AMA440 are easy to install and operate; simply wheel into location, plug into the electrics, fill with water, and they are ready to go. The AMA240 Ecofill makes laboratory life simpler still, only requiring refilling with water once every 15 cycles – this helps the autoclave to save water too. A customisable design makes them versatile too, capable of sterilising a wide range of materials. “Food & Beverage QC labs are rushing to buy these compact top loaders as fast as we can build them – especially in the current climate,” said Astell’s Sales and Marketing Director, Paul Birchmore. To find out more, visit www.astell.com. 38-41.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2021 10:55 Page 3Food & Drink International 41 www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY AND HYGIENE © Shutterstock /Alexander Raths Spiroflow promotes safe handling and containment solutions in advance of TiO2 regulations Leading bulk materials handling specialist, Spiroflow, is taking steps to advise its customers on its range of conveying solutions that are ideally suited to the safe handling and containment of titanium dioxide (TiO2) powder. The move comes as a result of legislation changes made by the European Commission in February 2020, in classifying titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a suspected carcinogen (cat 2) by inhalation. The regulation becomes official on 1 October 2021, meaning that businesses handling TiO2 will need to upgrade the containment of their processes, so that their operators are protected. Even products containing as little as 1% TiO2 will need to be included. Spiroflow regularly provides solutions for the safe and efficient handling of TiO2 through either their flexible screw or aero-mechanical conveyors. A flexible screw conveyor, having only one moving part - the spiral - makes it ideal for conveying TiO2. To learn more, visit spiroflow.com. the situation. A detector uses UV light to identify fluorescent particles like fats, oils and proteins, and doses the foam and water according to the determined parameters, such as the layer thickness and dryness of the residue. The system also monitors the cleaning process to make sure it is being done properly and sends the results of its check to a virtual twin with the self-learning capability. This way, the system improves itself with each pass to achieve best results and spare resources. Meanwhile regulation surrounding health, safety and hygiene continues to change, placing more requirements on the industry, for instance the recently passed US bill the Food Allergen Safety Treatment Education and Research (FASTER) Act of 2021, identifying sesame as a major food allergen, requiring clear labelling, and promoting better regulation of major allergens. Also in the US, the move is being made into the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, in which cutting-edge digital solutions, technology, scientific tools, and more effective approaches and processes look set to bolster food safety and traceability in the future. With Food Safety Week taking place this month (June), further attention is set to be brought to the risks of foodborne illnesses, measures needed to prevent risk, the future of food security, and governments and lawmakers will be called on to ensure consumers have access to safe food. With food safety in the spotlight, it is crucial that food and drink businesses assess their operations. 38-41.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2021 10:55 Page 442 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION For years the model of the warehouse has remained much the same. Of course, there have been advancements, especially where forklifts, loading bays and palletising are concerned, but there’s been little in the way of a major overhaul. In recent years, however, the so-called smart warehouse has come along in leaps and bounds. The idea of a smart warehouse is part of the same forward-thinking rhetoric as the Internet of Things which, simply put, is an interconnected network of objects linked via mobile networks and/or broadband. The other half of the smart warehouse equation belongs to the burgeoning notion of Industry 4.0. For those in the dark, this industry Safe and secured Though the manufacture of food and drink products typically occurs in fixed locations, the supply chain is one of constant motion. Linking these chains together is warehousing and distribution which, one could argue, acts as the industry’s lifeblood. © Shutterstock /Roman Zaiets 42-45.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2021 10:57 Page 1Food & Drink International 43 www.fdiforum.net WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION D Davies Turner Celebrating 150 years of pioneering service Your worldwide freight and logistics partner T: 01709 529709 www.daviesturner.com YEARS buzzword refers to the next industrial epoch we’re entering where artificial intelligence and smart solutions are as commonplace as coal, smoke and hardship was during the industrial revolution almost two centuries before. Already we’re seeing this evolution in action with the widespread adoption of automation and robotic solutions. The rise of e-commerce – both for commodities and with the home delivery of food products – has radically transformed the built environment. Warehousing and distribution space is now dominating towns, cities and out- of-town facilities where once they’d been offices and retail parks. With the advent of new warehousing space, older existing facilities have had to evolve and adapt in order to remain competitive in a rapidly changing supply chain. Some of the smart technologies that have already profoundly changed the face of warehouses as we know them are intelligent warehouse management software and logistics track, trace and management software and telematics. 44 Á © Shutterstock /Iakov Filimonov 42-45.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2021 10:58 Page 244 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION Ultimately, optimisation is the end result of any new technology and these solutions are boosting efficiency and reducing downtime. Other solutions have been slower to catch on at large, be that for budgetary reasons, regulatory or simply a lack of proof of concept. Among them is driverless technology. While there have been several successes with testing fleets of driverless trucks, there have also been controversies, with people killed during tests of driverless technologies. The efficiency gains from a completely automated distribution process would be nothing short of profound and so research and development continues. One area of the logistics chain that is having commercial success is electric vehicles. With the industry’s effect on the environment at the top of the agenda, companies are having to revaluate their processes and supply chains and adapt accordingly. One of the ways in which this can be accomplished is by switching one’s owned fleets – or changing their logistics provider – to electric. The electric truck, for example, could very well be a game-changer. A few years ago, for example, PepsiCo placed an order for 100 of Tesla’s electric semi- trucks. Elsewhere, Anheuser-Busch is having successes with electric trucks and others are jumping on the electric band wagon too. Inside the warehouse themselves, automated forklifts are becoming a more common sight. As are robots, which can carrying massive loads – certainly more than their human counterparts – and move around the massive floor space without ever tiring or needing a break. It’s no coincident that’s Amazon’s fulfilment centre employ thousands of robots in order to transport and shift heavy loads. Drone technology is likewise becoming more commonplace across Food Safety Consultancy, Support and Training Food Care Solutions aims to help our clients achieve their aims. We have helped food businesses throughout the UK since 2003 with our services, including: • Food Safety and Food Quality • BRC and FSSC 22000 certification • Supplier Auditing • Training • Hygiene Inspections & Internal Audits • Complaints & Incident Make your life easier - use an app to keep records. Android or iOS. “Off the shelf” and bespoke forms. Save Costs: Less paper, less filing, faster working all mean greater efficiency. Improve Accuracy: No illegible handwriting, no need for corrections. Add Traceability: Automatic date time stamping – can’t be altered. Gain Control: Only one version of each form available; critical entries must be completed. FOOD CARE SOLUTIONS FOOD CARE SOLUTIONS Tel: 01933 276 400 Mob: 07811 192545 Email: fcs@food-care.co.uk Web: www.food-care.co.uk 42-45.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2021 10:58 Page 3Food & Drink International 45 www.fdiforum.net WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION the food industry. Though much of the attention has been on the effect that drones are having on agribusiness, they have a great many benefits when it comes to warehousing. Drones provide visualisation like never before, able to hover, fly and perform quick aerial manoeuvres. With their hi-definition cameras and lightweight frames, they mean warehouse managers can have eyes everywhere. While this is a boon for inspections, it can also provide other cost- and time-saving solutions. Other technologies are entering the conversation that can provide a great many benefits. Take, for example, windows that can provide auto-shading. As well as the obvious benefits to human workers – sun in the eyes of a forklift operator is hardly conducive to a safe workplace – this also helps to protect food and drink products themselves. The purpose of the smart warehousing and distribution is to augment and strengthen the supply chain; doing so can lead to massive efficiency and cost-savings, whilst also helping to lessen the stress, fatigue and threat of injury on human workers. Warehouses could very well look different to us than what we’re familiar with now, but that’s no bad thing. It’s in the nature of the industry to evolve and embrace new technologies. © Shutterstock /Dmitry Kalinovsky © Shutterstock /Dmitry Kalinovsky 42-45.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2021 10:58 Page 432 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net FLOW MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL Where the flow goes © Shutterstock /279photo Studio Where the flow goes 46-48.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2021 11:00 Page 1Food & Drink International 47 www.fdiforum.net FLOW MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL Though flow measurement technology is prevalent across several industrial sectors – including wastewater, laboratories and natural gas – the food industry, perhaps more than any other, is the most prevalent user. This is likely down the sheer number of applications that require flow measurement and control of one kind or another, from aeration of food and measuring ingredient quantities, to carbonating and packaging. As with any other equipment that comes into contact with food and drink products, it’s important to consider how flow meters can affect taste quality. An issue which should be of particular concern to products with a mild flavour or those with none at all – such as bottled water. It’s therefore advantageous to use non-metallic wetted components which won’t affect the taste of a food or beverage product. There’s more than flavour at stake, with subpar meters potentially rendering a product unfit for human consumption. Avoiding such outcomes can be significantly diminished by selecting flow meters made with anti-corrosion and anti-rust materials. Typically, meters are made from a shell of stainless steel with movement parts incorporating special materials with optimised design. The importance of health and safety can’t be overstated, and so in order to avoid contamination, inline devices must be hermetically sealed. Moving parts, meanwhile, must be structurally sound and clean of lubricants. Moreover, meters should be easy to clean when pipes are flushed between batches. Of course, clamp-on meters preclude many of these issues by attaching to the outside of the pipe, but often this comes with a decrease in accuracy. Ensuring products aren’t tainted remains as crucial during manufacturing as later down the supply chain, with flow meters indispensable during bottling, cartoning, canning and the jarring of food and drink products, delivering the exact amount of product every time. A product that is even marginally under or over the weight specified on its label is enough to prompt a recall which can be costly even under the best of circumstances. Never mind the penitential reputational damage. There are so many different flow meters on the market designed to meet specific industry needs, so finding the right one is critical if not always easy. Therefore, it’s important to understand the advantages and drawbacks of each type so it can meet a manufacturer’s specific requirements. One of the most commonly found flow meters are electromagnetic. These volumetric meters contain no moving parts and are ideally suited where low pressure drop and low maintenance are required. They work by using Faraday’s Law which, simply defined, states that voltage induced across any conductor as it moves at right angles through a magnetic field is proportional to the velocity of that conductor. It’s worth pointing out that these meters only work for liquids and slurries that conduct electricity. Electromagnetic meters have been used in industries for more than sixty years and it’s easy to see why they remain a mainstay, especially in the processing of wastewater and in the food industry. The measuring principle is virtually independent of pressure, density, temperature and viscosity, providing a simple and efficient solution. Part of its popularity is, undoubtedly, down to its versatility, as it can meter liquids as well as those with entrained solids such as slurry and pulp. Ranging from basic applications to high demand, there’s an electromagnetic flow meter suited from small batch producers to major manufacturers with multiple production lines. And with no moving parts, they’re also maintenance free, reducing downtime. It will still need to be cleaned to reduce the risk of contaminating through product, however. Ultrasonic flow meters offer a non-invasive solution which come in two types – transit Food and Drink International explores the importance of flow measurement, explores the various types of flow meters available, and explores some of the other challenges facing manufacturers. 48 Á 46-48.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2021 11:00 Page 280GHz technology puts continuous level measurement on SICK’s radar An innovative non-contact radar sensing technology from SICK is opening up the prospect of robust and reliable real-time monitoring of liquid and bulk solid levels in food and beverage storage applications. The SICK LBR SicWave is a bulk solids level sensor with a range up to 120m and the SICK LFR SicWave is a fluid level sensor with a maximum range of 30m. Both represent a breakthrough technology for continuous level measurement used to optimise material storage in food and drink processing, for example in bulk silos such as flour, or sugar, as well as for large fluid stirring and preparation tanks, or thickener and filling tanks. The SICK SicWave uses higher-frequency 80 gigahertz free-space radar to overcome the limitations of lower-frequency radar sensors or mechanical devices in demanding environments to achieve precision continuous level measurement in demanding environments. For more information, visit www.sick.co.uk. 48 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net FLOW MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL time and doppler. Whichever is required, both feature clamp on designs that can detect in-situ flow rates from outside of the pipework without needing to interrupt flow or process. As they can be easily integrated into a product line there’s no downtime or disruption, making them a popular choice among manufacturers. There are, of course, inline ultrasonic meters which are fixed in place and incorporated into the production line. These will need to be installed and require a larger investment, but the bonus is that they offer greater accuracy. These meters work by using soundwaves to determine velocity of a fluid in a pipe offering a high degree of accuracy all round as well as being able to handle extreme temperatures. But they do have several drawbacks, namely cost as they can be quite costly. Because of the way in which these meters function, they are sensitive to stray process vibrations which can result in inaccuracies in the reading. As they use ultrasonic waves, they are limited to what they can meter as materials such as slurries are denser than liquids and so ultrasonic waves cannot easily pass through them or, in some cases, cannot pass through at all. Whereas electromagnetic flow meters are ideally suited to low flow, turbine meters are purposefully designed for higher flow metering. They contain bladed rotors positioned along the centreline of the flow stream. The rotating component produces a pulse when passing either a magnetic or optical sensor, a frequency that is proportional to velocity of fluid. The biggest advantage here is the high degree of accuracy, the millisecond response time and, as already stated, the high pressure capabilities. But moving parts can become worn and clogged requiring maintenance, repairs or even replacements. Flow meters are crucial right across the supply chain so finding the right one is absolutely imperative. Nothing a quality supplier can’t guide you through. © Shutterstock /vectorfusionart 46-48.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2021 11:00 Page 3Food & Drink International 49 www.fdiforum.net SNACK FOODS AND READY MEALS Rather than admitting defeat, brands and manufacturers have embraced the change and sought to put a health halo around snacks foods, both with reformulated, redesigned favourites and bold and exciting new flavours. With the global snack foods market predicted to be worth as much as $620 billion by 2021, it’s clear the industry’s collective efforts are paying off. It’s patently obvious visiting any supermarket or store of the seismic shift that’s taken place in the snack food market. Traditional potato crisps, for example, are now regularly stocked alongside varieties made from peas, lentils and even quinoa. But traditional crisps have also updated their image, with baked varieties and lower calorie options as canny marketing positions visually as a brown or umber colour – think the brownness of toast, or, returning to our example of potato crisps, those brown edges and black bits. Studies in rat and mice models have found acrylamide to be cariogenic and while evidence in human models is inconclusive at best, it’s best for regulators, consumers and, indeed, manufacturers to err on the side of caution. Makers of baked, crispy goods now have a whole host of innovative options at their disposal to reduce the presence of acrylamide in their products. These include all-natural, high-antioxidant solutions and yeast enzymes which can be used in the processing, preparation and cooking of products. Not only can markets © Shutterstock /iuliia_n Changing 50 Á them as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle. This is only the tip of the iceberg, however, with regulators and manufacturers alike looking for ways to make snack foods both attractive and healthier. At this point in time, few could plead ignorance over the dangers posed by high levels of salt and saturated fat. Nevertheless, salty snack foods and those with saturated fat in the red zone are more likely to be bypassed in favour for something more wholesome. Yet this isn’t the only danger potentially lurking in crisp packets. The last few years has seen a rise in consumer awareness over acrylamide, a natural chemical formed when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures for long periods, be that fried, baked, roasted or grilled. It typically manifests Consumers have turned away from traditional snack foods in favour of healthier, more exotic foods that have a strong visual profile intended for sharing on social media. Now more than ever, products have become inseparable from lifestyle – something food and drink producers have adapted to with aplomb. 49-51.qxp_Layout 1 28/05/2021 11:01 Page 1Next >