Physical contamination detection is an important part of the production process – particularly in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Contamination caused by a foreign object can do serious harm if the contaminated product reaches a consumer. It can also result in costly recalls, retailer fines, and damage to your brand reputation.
You can prevent these worst-case scenarios with the help of product inspection equipment – metal detection, x-ray inspection, or both can be used to identify and remove physically-contaminated products at various points along the production line.
To achieve the desired results, it is also important that the chosen equipment is installed and set up correctly, and properly maintained over the course of its lifetime. To make compliance easier, consider investing in an integrated solution which combines both hardware and software.
METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection offers a broad portfolio of physical contamination detection technologies tailored to meet your specific needs.
Physical contamination - sometimes called foreign material contamination - can happen at numerous points along the production process. This may be caused by:
Metal detection can identify a variety of ferrous, non-ferrous, and non-magnetic stainless steel metal contaminants. X-ray inspection goes even further by detecting other contaminant types in addition to metal.
Sometimes, installing both types of systems on the production line can be the most effective way to protect products from foreign material contamination. When deciding on the type of contamination detection system to install, consideration should be given to:
Bulk or loose-flow products can be inspected either as they move along the line on a conveyor, or as they drop into processing or packaging equipment.
Quality inspection equipment for physical contamination detection installed at this stage in processing reduces waste and protects downstream production equipment from damage.
Raw materials which arrive in a liquid or paste format are pumped through pipes before they are mixed and blended into the final product. X-ray inspection and metal detection pipeline systems can be used to detect physical contamination in liquid or slurry product within the pipes during the production stage, so any product with contamination caused by a foreign object is removed from the line prior to final packaging.
Serving as a final line of defense, an inspection system at the end of the production line checks packaged products for physical contaminants before they leave the factory and are shipped off to retailers. Whether a metal detection system or an x-ray inspection system is used would depend on the potential type of foreign material contamination as well as the packaging type.
Specialized contamination detection systems designed specifically for different types of applications and industries are also available from METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection.
For example, pharmaceutical inspection solutions can be tailored to product size and packaging process, and are designed with the strict regulatory requirements of the pharma industry in mind.
For manufacturing facilities that process animal proteins, inspection systems for the food industry - including inspection solutions for pet food - are available with IP69 ingress protection and a robust stainless-steel construction to withstand frequent heavy washdown and sanitation procedures.
Because every industry can have its own set of quality control and safety requirements, it makes sense to use a quality inspection equipment provider that can tailor systems to individual needs.
Choosing the right solution for foreign material detection involves more than just the physical equipment. Partnering with a product inspection equipment provider who also offers local service support is vital to achieving the optimal performance from your equipment.
Equipment manufacturers who offer integrated solutions - including software for automated collection of inspection data - can make it even easier to comply with industry standards and regulations.
METTLER TOLEDO has decades of experience in manufacturing customized in-line quality inspection solutions.
Our foreign body detection solutions are designed to make it easier to detect smaller physical contaminants with less product waste and fewer false rejects, while at the same time maximizing production uptime and meeting compliance requirements.
Physical contamination, also known as 'foreign material contamination', 'foreign body contamination', or 'foreign object contamination', can come from any number of sources at the beginning of, during, and after production. For example:
Because there is a risk of foreign material contamination at any stage in production, it's important for manufacturers to have a risk assessment done to pinpoint the area or areas that would most benefit from an x-ray inspection or metal detection system (or both!).
One common example of physical contamination of products is when small plastic or metal pieces break off of production equipment and fall into the product. As equipment parts wear down, the risk of metal or plastic debris finding its way into the product increases dramatically. If it's not caught, the contaminated product may enter the marketplace and can trigger a recall.
To avoid this scenario occurring and damaging their brand reputation, manufacturers should perform regular equipment maintenance and invest in metal detection or x-ray inspection equipment for foreign body contamination detection.
Physical contamination can also come from other objects, organic and inorganic, such as:
When it comes to detection of foreign object contaminants other than metal, x-ray inspection is used - but it must be noted that lower density contaminants such as hair are not always possible for even x-ray inspection to detect.
Metal detection systems and x-ray inspection systems have a variety of automatic rejection mechanisms that reliably remove physically contaminated products from the production line. The rejected products are sorted in a variety of ways, which will depend on the product being inspected. For unpackaged bulk, liquid or slurry product, the flow may be diverted to a separate bag or disposal unit to keep it out of the final product line. Products being inspected on a conveyor may have the rejected products sorted into a secure and locked bin that is only accessible by trained personnel – to be re-worked, re-inspected, or disposed of.
METTLER TOLEDO Safeline is a manufacturer of metal detectors and x-ray inspection systems with a range of due diligence features to support the safe rejection of physically contaminated or otherwise unsatisfactory products.
The best early defense against foreign material contamination is by having standards in place to keep a clean and well-maintained production environment. All equipment should be receiving regular preventative maintenance to keep it in good condition. There should also be a regular cleaning routine for production equipment to prevent the possibility of cross-contamination or bacterial growth.
Using product inspection equipment such as metal detection or x-ray inspection (or both!) is also key to keeping the risk of foreign body contamination as low as possible – anything can happen to cause a problem with contamination during the production stages, and it’s not always visible when it does. Investing in systems designed to automatically notify and reject physically contaminated products can save manufacturers from a big headache later.
The most effective way to detect food with metal contamination, such as metal splinters, is to run the product through an industrial metal detection system at a point after the location of possible contamination.
Installing a metal detection system to detect metal fragments in food production allows every product to be inspected for the presence of metal contamination. If metal is present, that product can then be removed from the production line. Depending on the composition of the product, the metal detector head will need to be capable of working with different sensitivities in order to effectively and accurately detect metal contamination.
It's never a pleasant experience for customers to find bones in their boneless chicken. X-ray inspection systems can detect bone, cartilage, and other foreign material contaminants in poultry products. Using x-ray for chicken bone detection is one way to help keep your poultry products safe, high quality, and free of contaminants such as high-density bones.
METTLER TOLEDO Safeline is a manufacturer of x-ray inspection systems - including dual energy x-ray inspection - used throughout the meat and poultry industry for physical contamination detection and other product quality checks.
Physical contamination detection technologies, such as metal detection and x-ray inspection, are used by manufacturers to protect the safety and quality of their products, and to help meet global compliance requirements of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards. These product inspection systems are integrated into the food production process to identify and remove any foreign materials, including metal fragments, stones, and glass, that may have inadvertently entered into the product flow.
By incorporating metal detection and x-ray inspection into an overall quality inspection and food safety plan, food manufacturers can reduce the risk of product recalls, protect their brand reputation, and work to comply with the requirements of GFSI-approved food safety standards such as BRCGS, IFS, FSSC 22000, SQF and others. Using metal detection systems, x-ray inspection systems, or both can also make it easier to comply with major retailer codes of practice.
It's important to note that simply installing contamination detection technologies is not enough to comply with GFSI requirements. Manufacturers must also work to implement appropriate safety procedures and training programs to ensure that the systems are being used correctly and effectively. Additionally, companies must maintain records of their contamination detection efforts to demonstrate compliance with GFSI standards. Some manufacturers offer integrated software solutions which can automate the process of recording and storing this data to provide the required evidence to pass food safety audits.