‘Whey’ Better
Cheese processing plants are notoriously tough environments, with all the water, food and cleaning materials that the production equipment has to face on a daily basis.
Cheese processing plants are notoriously tough environments, with all the water, food and cleaning materials that the production equipment has to face on a daily basis. Many producers and packers convert cheese into consumer-sized pieces, with the product being cut and sliced on site. This makes it important to detect any metal in the shavings. Loma Systems’ newly launched IQ3+ SureTune (ST) metal detector can be easily installed at the end of the process line to ensure there is no metal found as a result of slicing and chunking and to meet HACCP (Hazard Analytical Critical Control Point) requirements.
Cheese is one of the more difficult products to run through a metal detector as it is wet and highly conductive. Processors need a metal detector that can find a tiny piece of conductive contaminant inside a bigger piece of conductive product. Loma’s IQ3+ ST unit features a white silicon rubber aperture lining to protect the unit from water ingress and severe temperature changes. It compensates for thermal expansion in the metal detector head that occurs with the temperature changes caused by cleaning.
As with all IQ3 models, the Loma IQ3+ ST benefits from standard features, such as IP69K rating, designed specifically to withstand high pressure cleaning. Constructed using top quality 304L stainless steel, corrosion risks are reduced, making them the safest choice for food environments. All systems have the capacity to learn the characteristics and variable frequency settings for up to 100 different products and offers unsurpassed levels of contaminate detection in a temperature range of -10ºC to +40ºC (14ºF to 104ºF) and up to 95% humidity.
This true variable frequency gives operators a dramatic choice in the way they use a metal detector. The system analyses product effect (temperature, moisture, salt content, speed, packaging material, etc), reviews a broad band of frequencies and offers the right one for the specific application within seconds. This feature is ideal for cheese businesses dealing with all different kinds, shapes and sizes of product. They can run an eight-ounce cheddar piece through and the metal detector will calibrate to that product. However, it can also be programmed for a two-pound piece of mozzarella.
The fully compliant IQ3+ ST also offers a series of patented features which have been developed to make it ideal for high speed cheese and dairy processing lines. Even more robust and reliable, this latest generation’ model continues to lead the way in tackling key industry challenges and standards, notably food inspection Codes of Practice and user traceability. It offers a new touch screen display and software upgrades which can be seamlessly retrofitted to existing Loma IQ3 systems on request.
Variations in atmospheric temperature and product moisture remain a common challenge in cheese or dairy processing environments. These fluctuations can cause a metal detector head to drift, affecting its detection performance and generating false product rejects. Slight changes in atmospheric temperatures also affect food composition during the production and packing process. This can incorrectly result in false detector readings, leading to higher product wastage. Loma has solved this by integrating its patented AutoBalance and Enhanced Tracker technology into the IQ3+ ST.
Data integrity in today’s cheese and dairy processing environments is essential and activities of system operators fully traceable. Above all, manufacturers must be able to demonstrate accountability to retailers. The IQ3+ ST is available with an in-built electronic tracking Access Log, providing an accurate audit trail that complies with food traceability standards and supports CFR21.Part 11.
Until now, regular product testing using test pieces was on or off, depending on the product and different retailer’s codes of practice and standards. For manufacturers serving multiple customers, this presents a challenge and can add to operational overheads. Recognising that customers set different test parameters, Loma has introduced the facility to programme test alerts by product, select the frequency and store in the system’s memory.
Source: LOMA Systems
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