The ability to accurately measure the concentration of critical ingredients in a particular product while realizing increased savings has long been of great interest to food manufacturers worldwide. Yet until recently, food manufacturers often faced the common dilemma of how to consistently improve the overall quality of their product while reducing unnecessary costs at the same time.

For example, food manufacturers in the deli meat industry must monitor how consistently their marinade is integrating with the meat. If the marinating process is not stopped at the right time, the quality of the product can suffer and can lead to time consuming and often costly measures to correct the overall process. In the meat industry, manufacturers need to precisely monitor the levels of lean meat versus fat in the meat product. If the levels of lean meat and fat are not at the correct levels, the meat manufacturer is at risk of giving away a high value product at low value prices, or of misbranding its product.

For these reasons and more, it’s clear to see why food manufacturers have long sought out innovative technology to help ensure that their product contains the appropriate levels of ingredients, thereby enabling them to increase levels of product consistency and safety for consumers. Unfortunately, accurate measurement of the levels of key ingredients or compounds was often only possible by testing ‘grab’ samples in a laboratory through the use of wet chemical methods or optical spectrometers. The time required was long, allowing processing of large quantities of out-of-spec product or production interruption, before feed-back from the lab. What’s more, laboratory optical spectrometers proved delicate and required constant calibration by highly qualified resources. Thus, the investment in capital equipment and specialized personnel often provided negligible return.

The introduction of technology developed by Ometric, however, now enables food manufacturers to accurately measure the concentration of moisture, fat, protein or other nutrients, in-line and in real time—thereby eliminating the need for costly and often time consuming ‘grab samples’ while providing the most up-to-date information available to the plant floor and its quality control group and generating a greater return on investment.

Using technology developed by Dr. Michael Myrick, a professor of chemistry at The University of South Carolina and chief scientist at Ometric, the company employs revolutionary application-specific Multivariate Optical Computing™ to provide continuous spectroscopy in real-time, in-line for production. Through its development, Dr. Myrick was able to bring optical spectroscopy, an analytical technology used in labs because of its complexity and susceptibility, directly into the production lines, to provide continuous control of a variety of processes at the speed of light.

“Our experience in the working with plant and quality assurance managers in a variety of food industries has demonstrated the need for manufacturers to precisely monitor the levels of specific ingredients or components within a product. And although ‘grab samples’ can provide valuable information to the food manufacturer, the method doesn’t provide a continuous, in-depth understanding of the entire manufacturing process like real-time, in-line measurement can provide,” said Jason Williamson, senior vice president of marketing at Ometric.

And that’s where the ability to continuously measure critical ingredients on the production line is helping to bridge the gap between laboratory and in-line analysis.

Simply put, Multivariate Optical Computing enables real-time measurement in a way that has never previously been available. The technology makes it possible to eliminate much of the human and statistical error associated with thief sampling of process streams, and makes it possible to obtain a much deeper level of understanding of the overall manufacturing process, thereby leading to greater cost savings and increased product safety. What’s more, the technology provides the opportunity to immediately identify mechanical, electrical or hydraulic conditions on a product line and can provide much-improved statistics for blending, drying, mixing and many other processes so that product composition can be optimized.

Designed to withstand harsh industrial environments, SpectrInline Processware™ is directly mounted on relevant process control points of the production line. The company’s technology provides continuous and immediate feedback through real-time measurement of the concentration of specific ingredients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which is accessible both in the plant and from remote locations around the world.

The SpectrInLine Processware is installed as part of the process line. “This not only eliminates the need for laboratory analysis of ‘grab samples,’ but also increases levels of product consistency and overall quality while improving profit margins and reducing unnecessary costs.” said Williamson.

Ometric’s technology allows users to view production runs by their choice of dates, shifts, product lines and plants. By generating data instantly, the SpectrInLine Processware allows for grinding and blending process settings to be immediately adjusted manually or via PLC-based automation and optimizes the product's adherence to specifications. The wealth of data provided by real-time, in-line measurement also gives the corporate office, plant managers and quality assurance personnel an opportunity to make economic comparisons between different plants, different lines in the same plant, different dryer types, different processing environments, different shifts and even different operators. Results are shown in a graphical format and are designed for easy interpretation. Information may also be shared with others, allowing managers to analyze current and historical data and adjust their processes as needed to assure proper quality and final product formulation.

Databases of runs also provide evidence that products were in-specification at the time of production if a question arises down the line with a future user or regulatory agency. Taken together, the rationale for real-time measurements on manufactured products includes readily calculated returns on the initial investment as well as quality assurance improvements.

Although easy to install and use, the technology doesn’t simply provide a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach to real-time, in-line process control. Recognizing that each food manufacturer is unique and requires technology that can meet the highly differentiated challenges each company faces in its manufacturing processes, the technology has been designed to be application specific in order to meet the precise environmental and measurement needs of an individual manufacturer. Through the company’s Easy Fit® process, manufacturers can quickly and easily learn more about how the company’s technology can benefit their industrial process. It provides a quick evaluation of SpectrInline applicability to the customer's process and requires no commitment of internal resources to lengthy feasibility programs—making it easy and less expensive for manufacturers to adopt the new technology.  

As part of the Easy Fit process, the company designs, produces and integrates the ASMOC™ (Application Specific Multivariate Optical Computer™) based on spectra provided by the customer, which are representative of the compounds of interest, their basic and expected concentrations across the range of expected interferents in the spectral regions of interest. No sensitive data is required and no material samples are needed, the identity of the materials of interest, spectra of the pure compounds, or any other proprietary, confidential or sensitive information about the compounds or their production process.

“Due to limitations in quality assurance and the potential for increased equipment and maintenance costs, modern manufacturers cannot afford to rely on traditional sample testing methods alone, but may not believe that they can afford to integrate real-time, in-line process control into their existing manufacturing process,” said Williamson. “However, through the use of the EasyFit process and Multivariate Optical Computing technology, we are able to demonstrate to food manufacturers that we can meet the everyday process control needs while helping to increase their profitability, protect consumers, reduce waste, conserve energy and ensure final product quality.”

To learn more about Ometric, please visit www.ometric.com or call Jason Williamson at (803) 233-4683.