Food Industry Subpage: Content
Remove Harmful Metals in Food Processing Applications
The preparation, packaging, and processing of food is a complex art and science, especially for commercial operations that process and package large quantities around the clock. The responsibility for product purity is shared by every plant and their suppliers; every participant throughout the process must ensure foreign contaminants are not present in the end products that are delivered and consumed by customers.
With more than 80 years of experience in the food industry, Eriez is a global leader in separation technologies, committed to providing the industry with effective technologies that protect product purity, customer safety, and the reputation of food processors both large and small.
Eriez products effectively detect and remove dangerous metal fragments that may become introduced throughout food processing facilities. A combination of magnetic separators and metal detectors is the most effective method to protect expensive machinery, product purity, efficiency, and perhaps most importantly, avoiding recalls that jeopardize consumer safety.
Read on to learn more about how our technologies can improve the safety and efficiency of your food processing plant.
Common Sources of Metal Contamination in Food Processing Applications
Of all the potential sources of contamination in food processing, metal fragments are one of the most common and dangerous contamination sources. Below are some common sources of metal contamination in food processing applications:
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Equipment Wear and Tear
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Many food processing applications rely on complex machines that can break down over time. Knife blade fragments, screen materials, and other small metallic particles can separate and find their way into food materials.
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Due to the stringent sanitation requirements in the food industry, most equipment is made of metal. With time, metal can corrode or rust from poor maintenance or simply become worn out. Microscopic rust scale can easily contaminate food materials.
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Maintenance Tools & Spare Parts
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During routine maintenance, tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers, hammers, and nuts and bolts can be left behind after repairs and find their way into the food product.
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Abrasion and Metal-to-Metal Contact
Metal Contamination Removal Solutions from Eriez
Eriez offers an extensive line of solutions to protect food processing companies and their customers from metal contamination.
Magnetic Separators Offer Optimum Protection from Contamination
Magnetic separators are very effective in applications where the goal is to extract ferrous and certain stainless steel before the food product is passed through a metal detector. Depending on the size of metal contaminants that need to be extracted, Eriez offers a wide range of magnetic circuit technologies to remove metal as large as hand tools and nuts and bolts, down to microscopic particles.
Metal Detectors Offer Second Line of Defense Against Ferrous Metal Contaminants and Remove Nonferrous Metal
Metal detectors from Eriez combine a precision mechanical design with state-of-the-art electronics, multi-frequency range, vibration immunity and complex algorithms to detect the smallest metals in difficult products. Each Eriez X8 Metal Detector ships from the factory with presets for various products based on actual product testing and application data. With the industry’s largest and easiest-to-use touchscreen interface, the X8 metal offers class-leading sensitivities in a robust high-pressure washdown design.
Vibratory Feeders in Food Processing
Electromagnetic Vibratory Feeders are designed to transport, dose, and control the flow of bulk materials throughout a processing application. Feeders are often used to handle granular or powdered food products like sugar, grains, spices, nuts, and other similar materials.