Bake it Safe: X-Rays as the Secret Ingredient for Product Integrity

As consumer expectations evolve and regulatory standards become increasingly stringent, bakeries must employ sophisticated monitoring and inspection equipment to uphold their reputation and meet industry requirements.

Among the arsenal of technologies available, x-ray inspection, metal detection, optical inspection, and checkweighing stand out as critical tools in safeguarding both product integrity and consumer well-being.

X-ray inspection systems, for example, not only recognize products that are contaminated with metal, glass, rubber, stones, plastic parts or bone splinters, they also enable inline quality checks such as weight determination, counting of components, detection of missing or defective products, fill level control and checking the integrity of closures. As part of the HACCP concept (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), they help to fulfill the increasing requirements of consumers, authorities and protect manufacturing companies from costly and brand-damaging product recalls. 

“X-ray inspection systems recognize contaminated products by the fact that foreign bodies such as metal absorb X-rays more than the actual food product,” says Liang Mengqi, Global Product Manager at Minebea Intec. “Hence, the success of foreign body detection depends on the density of the foreign bodies. For example, Minebea Intec X-ray machine could detect 2 mm metal wire inside of a yoghurt where the conventional metal detector has no chance. Because the metal detector will be stopped due to the aluminum foil from the yoghurt packaging. 

Minebea Intec offers a large portfolio of X-ray systems for the inspection of packaged products. Typical applications include cartons, boxes, bags, pouches, trays and portion packs, which can contain a wide variety of dry or liquid foods. To select a suitable X-ray system for the production, the product and its orientation need to be considered. 

Systems with top-mounted X-ray generators are the most common in the food industry, where the X-ray beam hits the product directly from above. These inspection systems are usually installed at the end of a production line and inspect the packaged products. For this purpose, the packs are positioned flat on the belt so that the X-ray beam could pass through as less pack thickness as possible, which attributes to the higher detection sensitivity. The Dylight and Dymond models have been specially developed for these applications. They are characterised by a hygienic design and high detection sensitivity with low power consumption. 

Systems with a side-mounted X-ray generator, where the X-ray beam reaches the conveyor belt from the side, are often used for the upright products such as a jar of baby food. In this case too, the product must be aligned so that it passes the detector system with the upright side facing the X-ray beam. For example, the Dymond S as a sideshooter X-ray, combines high detection sensitivity with low power consumption. The unit is optionally available with a so-called chicane belt. Ideal for those situations where only very limited space is available. Dymond D is a dual-beam X-ray inspection system that produces two X-ray images at a 90° angle. Whether it’s tins, Tetra Paks or glass jars, multi-sided inspection provides maximum safety thus opening up a wealth of possibilities for manufacturers in product design. 

Read the rest of the story in the second 2024 issue of European Baker & Biscuit.