< PreviousFUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTSwww.fdiforum.net19ingredients that there may wellbe a shortage of. Thanks torecent droughts and floods acrossthe world, different crops havefailed in different sectors. Insteadof paying a premium for productsthey usually use, more and morecompanies are investing infunctional ingredients thatperform the same task. Meanwhile the rising price anddwindling availability of guargum, a binding agent manybakery firms use in their breadand baked products, hasnecessitated an alternative beingdeveloped. What has actuallyoccurred is that the replacementhas been found to perform betterthan guar gum ever did. Amixture of vegetable fibres,hydrocolloids and enzymes hasachieved better stability andmeans bakers can provide moreclean-label products thanks to alack of E-numbers needing to beused. Volumes have also beenincreased by around 4% thanksto this replacement so it meansthat in this case, at least, it is costeffective too.One problem functionalingredient producers have isproving their health benefits orgetting recognised as a validproduct. Manufacturers willsimply not consider usingingredients not scientificallyproven or accredited and rightlyso. Recent passes include arosemary extract that decreasesoxidisation of food. It can beused in moist foods like saladdressings, oils or sauces as anantioxidant. It replaces traditionaltocopherols, an expensiveelement which means the newrosemary-based solution offersmanufacturers and retailers morecost-effective on-shelf products. As an acknowledgement to itsefficiency, refined rosemaryextracts standardised to carnosicacid and carnosol have justreceived the EU’s officialrecognition as food antioxidants.Additionally, the rosemaryextracts also comply withguidelines issued by the FoodStandards Authority for the useof the term ‘natural’ in foodlabelling, this means productsremain fresher and moreappealing to consumers forlonger.It speaks volumes aboutfunctional ingredients that largercompanies, Nestle and Tate &Lyle included, are investingalmost as much as they are infunctional ingredients as theytraditionally have in new productdevelopment. There have alsobeen calls in recent year for thepharmaceutical and nutraceuticalindustries to splice more withthe food and drink industry. Asthe highly-scientific ideasbrought forth by functionalingredients take hold across theindustry, perhaps it is time thisconvergence happened soonerrather than later.Previously unhealthy foods arebeing changed thanks toreplacement ingredients thatdon’t compromise tastes in theways they may used to18-19:Layout 1 16/8/12 15:04 Page 220www.fdiforum.netPPEProtecting your assetsDespite laws necessitating the use of personal protective equipment for all staff, many foodand drink manufacturing firms are still failing to provide it According to a recent study undertakenby the Equality and Human RightsCommission, food and drinkmanufacturing is the single most notoriousindustry for failing to give properprotective equipment to employees. Thesingle largest concern expressed by bothanonymous employees and some linemanagers was that PPE was either notprovided to employees, or was of poorquality. This was most common amongsttemporary staff, especially agency ones,who were often forced to work longerhours with faulty equipment.What’s more it was found that 59% offood companies don’t perform a healthand safety assessment of agency staffbefore hiring them. A cursory inspectionof their protocols would show whether thestaff would arrive with their ownprotective equipment, or whether a hiringcompany would have to provide it.The dangers of failing to provide PPE toall staff should be obvious, and one wouldassume that all companies would adhere tothem out of fear of the consequences. Anyinjury can lead to a claim and however aninjury was caused, lack of appropriate PPEwill have the blame firmly laid on theemployer. In fact the employer is legallyresponsible for the protective equipmentprovided to an employee, which alsoapplies if they are temporary staff hiredthrough an agency. Correct equipment should always beprovided in line with the regulations setforth by the Health and Safety Executive,but they also need to be provided in thecorrect sizes and in good condition. Asimilar report by the HSE highlighted thedanger of PPE that is too large for theindividual, citing protective boots as agood example. Boots that are too largecause a tripping hazard, and in a factorywhere almost every piece of equipment cancause injury or death, this becomes aserious issue. On the other hand, PPE can be thecorrect size but not handled properly.When dealing with refrigerated or chilledgoods, workers are often expected to weartwo sets of gloves, one for protection andthe second for warmth. In one meatcompany protective gloves that hadrecently been washed were handed toagency employees. Despite being thecorrect size and strength, the damp glovescombined with the meat which was at -15 °and caused permanent nerve damage tomany of the workers. PHOTO: MARCO20:Layout 1 16/8/12 15:11 Page 1WEIGHINGwww.fdiforum.net2122 Weighing up the costGetting your production lines to runmore efficiently and achieve better accuracyis vital in the current climate. Product thatcontains more weight than you originallyintended means you could be giving away asignificant proportion and losing importantrevenue. In the food and drink industry, loose orgrained products are common, so beingcareful with how much ends up inpackaging must be managed effectively.Thankfully, hundreds of products exist tocombat overfilling and indeed under-filling.Equally important as wasting productthrough giving it away, not giving enoughcan land firms in hot water. Advertising orprinting a certain weight and failing todeliver on that persistently could land youin a legal minefield.Most weighing machines have beenupdated for the digital age. No longer upfor interpretation with analogue scales,today’s technological advances mean youcan be accurate down to the decimal point.The key to successful yield control is toimplement a system that is easy to use byoperatives, yet provides management withcomprehensive real time data from thefactory floor. The difficulty is that if theassembly process is operator dependent,without effective control, inconsistency isinevitable. Operatives are under pressure tomatch speed with accuracy, but in strivingto ensure packs meet the minimum targetweights excessive ingredient usage veryrapidly occurs, as operators rarely get timeto adhere to targets. This has a major effect on profits andactual data from large manufacturers showsthat just a few grams excessive giveaway ofa key ingredient such as prawns or baconrapidly translates into monthly five figurefinancial giveaway levels. On-site trialsFood and drink manufacturers rely on technology to minimiseunnecessary waste and maximise line productivity. FDI takes a lookat the latest innovations in weighing...Systems thatcombine weighingwith the productionline like the yieldcontrol ready mealsystem picturedsave time andmoneyPHOTO: MARCO21-23:Layout 1 17/8/12 15:07 Page 122www.fdiforum.netWEIGHINGof additive or raw material.With something so sensitive torecipe make-up, the slightestchange could render a wholebatch unusable or not up toweight standards. By managingelements in this way, microingredients, pre-mixes, subbatches and bulk additions canbe managed in real time,ensuring electronic traceability.This means that any mistakescan either be avoided in the firstplace, or pinpointed as to wherethey occurred. For smaller concerns,checkweighers are often inconstant use by operatives whomay not have time to recordevery weight they process.Thankfully, Ethernet or wirelessconnections mean weights arelogged without any extra timebeing spent on inputting data.This means less surface area onmachinery for bacteria to lurkwithin or between buttons orrecesses. These smallercheckweighers are often used inhandling of raw materials,particularly meat and usingstainless steel is perhaps themost hygienic option. Easilycleaned and with a lack ofPHOTO: METTLER TOLEDOhave highlighted that if realtime automatic target weightcompensation can be introducedthat continually monitors andadjusts individual operator’starget weight patterns, giveawaycan be reduced to fractions of agram, while still ensuring packweight compliance.Weighing not only plays apart in overfilling andunderfilling rates, but also playsa part in recipe uniformity.Consumers expect a consistentproduct when they select aproduct, and differing taste ortexture from purchase topurchase will lead to confidencein the brand falling or areputation being besmirched.There exists systems that, aspart of a pillar to post solution,will check and double check allelements entering a processingstream. This means starting witha bill of materials, which can beprogrammed into bespokesoftware, ensuring exactamounts of ingredients are beingadded to the mix before it isfinally weighed at the end tomeet packaging indications andlegal requirements. These centralised systems alsocheck fill levels of availableingredients and warn operatorsif elements are running low. Forexample, in the confectionerysector, a sweetener or colouringmay depend on exact amounts21-23:Layout 1 17/8/12 15:07 Page 2WEIGHINGwww.fdiforum.net23surface friction it meansemployees are not put at risk ofinfection and neither areconsumers. Technology has moved on inrecent years to also offerdisplays that can be viewedquickly and easily from almostany angle too. Gone are thedays of squinting at a flickeringdigital image which might onlyflash up for a few seconds.Thanks to developments likethis, eye strain is a thing of thepast for operatives andcombined with accuracy, itmeans time saved andprofitability maintained formanufacturers. It also helps at the sourcegathering of ingredients too.Tea pickers in Kenya werebeing short changed when theirefforts were not beingcompensated properly. Thanksto tea leaves falling off trucksdue to the long and shakyjourney across country roads,their work was being weighedafter losing a lot of product onthe way. Checkweighing takingplace at both ends now means afairer deal not only for the teapickers, but for the tea buyersEven gathering of rawmaterials can turn upproblems when it comesto weight issues.in terms of ethics andreputation too. John Machagua, productengineer for Avery Weigh-Tronix in Africa, says, “Teagrowers are keen to improvetheir process efficiency,particularly at a time when thetea harvests are lower thannormal. To achieve this theyneed data on which to basedecisions. One key area of wastehas always been the amount oftea lost during transit. Inaddition, the farmers andpickers were not happy thatthey were not being paid for thetea that they actually picked.This is an issue that has nowbeen resolved.“Using this system all of theweights are recorded andreported in real time directlyonto a central server. It removeshuman error and provides realdata that the factories can useto improve their operations.”This shows that simplemethods can produce impressiveresults. Weighing should neverbe disregarded as a trivialinconvenience as it can havemajor effects on the wholesupply chain.Transforming theweighing processPrima Food Processing Solutions can improvethe weighing of fresh produce with DWSweighing systemsDWS weighing systems havebeen producing weighingequipment for many years. Oneof their most successfulmachines is the mini Siriusmodel, which offers the lateststandards in digital weighingtechnology, including anunrivalled ability to handle stickyproducts, while remaining small,mobile and effortless to clean.The machine can be mounteddirectly over a tray line and doesnot require a fixed gantry orplatform. A version is availablefor direct mounting over avertical form fill and sealmachine.With a footprint of just twosquare metres the machine willconform to any factory layout,and being totally mobile thesystem can be switched from lineto line to suit productionrequirements, for companiesoperating several machines atdifferent times or in multiplelocations.A lift system can beincorporated to supply productto the machine directly fromtrays. Cleaning can be carriedout with complete strip downtaking less than seven minutesby a single operator, cuttingdown substantially on machinedowntime. In addition, productchangeover can be achievedwithin 15 minutes.Prima offer a number ofmachines from DWS, includingtheir machine for the de-calyxingof strawberries and cutting thefruit into pieces. The machine iscompact and capable ofprocessing 40-50kgs per hour,with changeable parts to allow alarge variety.Prima can help you find the perfect solution for yourneeds. Contact them on 01775 841664 or visitwww.primafps.co.uk.21-23:Layout 1 17/8/12 15:07 Page 3Achieve absolute control and‘Product Inspection Systems’consistency with the Vantage In-LineEffortless compliance with customer and legislative demands (including BRC, M&S and Tesco).Combination Checkweighing and Metal Detection SystemContact Stevens Group - Leaders in Weighing & Traceability Solutions- for a specification overview now: Stevens Group LtdGreenbank Technology Park, Challenge Way, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 5QBTel:+44 (0) 1254 685200 Email:info@stevensgroupltd.comFax:+44 (0) 1254 685202 Web:www.stevensgroupltd.com24-25:Layout 1 16/8/12 15:06 Page 1WEIGHINGwww.fdiforum.net25Vantage In-LineInspectionSystemhelps UnitedCoffeeUnited Coffee UK has investedin Stevens checkweighers andmetal detectorsUnited Coffee is the largest UK coffeeroaster, producing and distributing a widerange of coffee, coffee machines andrelated services through retail and out-of-home distribution channels. They havebeen brewing their premium coffee usingcutting edge equipment and employingover three hundred staff across itsheadquarters in Tilbrook, Milton Keynesand coffee roasting manufacturing facilityin Dartford.With the increasing quality demands ofcontract catering, hotels and majorretailers, United Coffee looked to improvetheir end of line inspection systems toensure the highest quality and consistencyof their finished, wrapped product. AttulDesai, Technical/Quality Team Leader atUnited Coffee, says, “We decided toreplace our aging end of line units with theStevens Systems because we found Stevenshad the most flexible and robust systemalong with a first class service and supportfacility.”Stevens installed two In-LineCheckWeigher and Metal DetectionCombination Systems. The Combis, whichhave integral infeed, weighdeck and out-feed conveyors, are used to checkweighpacks of coffee against very high weighttolerances. The units are capable ofoffering weighing speeds in excess of twohundred items per minute with theutmost precision, and the combis arefitted with high speed flipper reject systemand reject bins – built to meet BRC,McDonalds, Waitrose, Tesco and M&Sstandards.Although the main role of the Combis isto ensure United Coffee supply the correctamount of their coffee per pack, it alsoguarantees compliance with average weightlegislation. The Vantage technology bringsunrivalled levels of data capture, reportingand analysis to their factory floor. Theunits collect critical data on average andminimum weight, together withcomprehensive SPC information includingthroughput by product, batch and date.Reports are sent back to a central PC via aLAN enabled interface, thereby ensuringoptimum data security and locationversatility.In addition to ensuring weightparameters are achieved and ‘out of spec’packs are rejected, the units are each fittedwith precision Metal Detectors, designedto detect ferrous and non- ferrouscontaminants which may have been pickedup through the manufacturing process.The units will soon be linked to theirfilling machines to provide accurate weightdata to each filling head. This means thatany problems caused by filling heads‘drifting’ can be rectified to reduce theproduct reject levels caused by under oroverfilling. This has a direct line on thecompany’s profitability and also ensuresthat the products comply with the AverageWeight Legislation. Hitting product targetweights is critical in any operation,especially when the products are sold insmall packs with a large volume.Toby Hawkins, Stevens’ CommercialManger, says, “We are very pleased withthe progress and the great workingrelationship at United. Stevens arebecoming well known for their ability tolink up to customers’ existing softwarepackages, which reduces the doublehandling of data considerably. Not onlythat, there is always a great cup of coffeeon offer when we visit!”24-25:Layout 1 16/8/12 15:06 Page 226-32:Layout 1 17/8/12 15:09 Page 1MACHINERYwww.fdiforum.net2729 Power meetsprecisionSuch is the importance of automation inthe food and drink sector that manygovernments are now providing fundingschemes to allow companies to invest innew machinery. The intention is to createa more advanced and efficient industrythat can enjoy greater success on aninternational scale – and certainly thosenations and companies that have exhibiteda long-lasting commitment to advancedmachinery seem to have missed out on theworst of the downturn. Thanks to theappropriate application of automation androbotics, they have been able to increaseproductivity, reduce energy consumptionand staff turnover, and land a number ofnew contracts.The huge array of machinery nowavailable for the sector – and the value itcan provide to a company cannot beunderstated. The downfall for somebusinesses is that, in their rush tointroduce new machinery, they purchaseoff-the-shelf solutions that fail to meettheir requirements. Certainly some sectors,such as chilled ready meals, bring abouttheir own unique challenges, but manymachinery suppliers can offer bespokesolutions to meet any company’s needs –and allow them the ability to pilot theprogramme on a small scale beforecommitting to a full automation process.One thing that is for certain is thatwhen businesses purchase machinery froma reputable supplier, they are gettingabsolute peace of mind – and that safetyand reliability can be assured. TheMachinery Directive now requires that allmachinery and production systems for usewithin the EU have documentation inplace of the product design processes toensure adherence with a single set of safetystandards that span the whole of Europe.This means manufacturers of machinerymust have planning, risk assessment anddocument management processes in placeto demonstrate their compliance with thesestandards.From January of this year, manufacturersacross the world have also been obliged tomeet with EN ISO 13849-1:2008, whichemphasises the reliability of machines.That’s not to say, of course, that themachines are guaranteed never tomalfunction as parts will obviouslydeteriorate over time. What is the case,however, is that the machines must have asafety control aspect and, when this finallydeteriorates over the extended operation ofthe machine, it is made clear to all thosewho use it – by giving a clear warning orpreventing the machine from starting up,for example.Protocols such as openSAFETY are alsovaluable in allowing companies to identifyfaults more efficiently than ever before,and companies such as Shire Systems offerCMMS services that allow businesses tomanage the various risks in their set-ups.For example, they offer Food SentinelThe latest machinerymatches speed andefficiency withincreased safety andhygieneThe latest machinery combinesspeed with a commitment toquality.Power meetsprecisionCOURTESY ATLAS CAPCO COMPRESSORS26-32:Layout 1 17/8/12 15:09 Page 228www.fdiforum.netSee us on standE41at thePPMA 2012 26-32:Layout 1 17/8/12 15:09 Page 3Next >