Do savings justify the cost of an NIR Sensor?
Is it worth investing in NIR sensor technology for food testing?
How much can food producers expect to save, and will they offset the cost of the equipment?
The benefits of an NIR sensor
NIR sensors provide rapid analysis over a range of parameters including:
Fat
Salt
Moisture
Protein
Amino acids
They are user-friendly, and flexible for field work too, whether deployed in an agricultural or commercial food-processing setting.
A high level of usability and functionality means production staff can perform tests rapidly and accurately in real time.
There is a low risk of human error because samples can be prepared easily.
Modern NIR sensors are also robust enough to use in a range of demanding environments without compromising on accuracy.
They can make measurements every few seconds, giving them a distinct advantage over other periodic methods of food-testing.
Users can pick up on trends within the food production process as it happens, looking at parameters for fat, moisture, salt and other content.
They can then react swiftly to those readings when immediate adjustments are necessary.
The low-cost alternative
Where older methods of testing for certain types of content may be, at least on the surface, cheaper, they are more time-consuming and vulnerable to human error.
Take titration, for example.
Manual titration is well-established, but it only measures a single parameter.
Automated titration is more accurate, but considerably more expensive too when it comes to investing in specialist equipment.
NIR, on the other hand, is cheaper, quicker and highly adaptable.
Because it works in real-time, food producers can pinpoint fluctuations in processes.
Those fluctuations can be critical in determining the overall quality of their products and, in turn, their profitability too.
Meeting the cost of regulation
As well as keeping an eye on their bottom line, producers must also comply with food standards regulations.
When they are required to recall or withdraw products, it can be expensive.
Along with lost revenue, the producer also needs to take various other steps including notifying consumers about potential safety issues.
There can be serious reputational implications when producers release products that fail to comply with regulatory standards.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), in research it commissioned from KPMG, has indicated how high product recall costs can be with one food business operator reporting more than £71,000 in lost revenue.
Limiting waste
Waste in food production is costly.
Where it is found to contain the wrong amount of an ingredient, such as moisture or fat, it can mean having to then dispose of a whole batch or a series of them.
In snack food, manufacturers must endeavour to produce the best finished product.
The balance of fundamental ingredients will affect taste, as well as the appearance, consistency, stability and shelf life of a product.
It is vital to test that balance during production.
It is also important to minimise the risk of having to dispose of entire batches or putting them in quarantine.
NIR sensors can give rapid real-time readings, allowing food manufacturers to intervene when necessary to adjust production-line ingredients.
That helps reduce the number of wasted or quarantined batches.
With animal feed products, a producer must monitor moisture content in raw materials and ensure the mixing or blending process creating the feed guarantees a consistent product that meets required standards.
Using an NIR system can be highly beneficial in circumstances where the production of feed material involves a wide variation in nutrients. This is especially true if the feed material is expensive, such as protein-rich animal food.
Return on investment for NIR
One example of NIR sensors being used is by a potato crisp manufacturer.
The company produces 5,000 bags of crisps per hour and 120,000 bags every day.
It has more than 15 flavour product types, making changeovers in production crucial and challenging - creating a lot of waste.
On-line testing using NIR sensors significantly reduces waste, cutting down on laboratory testing costs that use other methods.
NIR testing also helps set correct ingredient levels at the outset, saving on time and increasing production by between 10 and 12 minutes.
That has resulted in an additional 1,000 tubes per product change.
With around five product changes every week, the extra annual yield to the company will be 250,000 - the equivalent of €125,000.
Discover more about investing in NIR
We have a range of cutting-edge NIR sensors to help you save money.
For more information, call us on +44 (0) 1925 860 401, send an email to info@calibrecontrol.com or fill in our online contact form.