Breakfast Cereal
Several methods of analysis are used during the breakfast cereal manufacturing process to ensure food quality control of food moisture including near infrared (NIR) analysis, wet chemistry analysis and image analysis. Incoming raw materials, such as wheat, corn, or rice, can be analyzed to insure proper quality and to verify vendor specifications. The tempered raw material can be analyzed for moisture to ensure that it will be flaked or shredded properly. The in-process product can be analyzed for moisture to control the oven temperature and for sugar content to control the amount of sugar or frosting applied to the material. Finished product can also be analyzed for moisture, fat, and sugar to verify that the process is operating optimally. Improper moisture content in the cereal could lead to poor taste and possible bacteria growth. A proper analytical testing procedure can help to insure consistent product quality and to save money by reducing re-work and improving cycle time.
Breakfast cereal manufacturers make up a large segment of the baked good market and produce large amounts of a variety of products. Incoming wheat, corn, or rice is cleaned and cooked in large tanks of boiling water or steam to soften the kernels. The ingredient is then sent to a shredder or flake press where it is manipulated into its final shape. The material is then conveyed through a large flow-through oven for baking. Additional flavorings, such as frosting or sugar, can be added before packaging.
Currently, cereal manufacturing companies are either performing little or no analytical testing or are using time consuming methods that do not provide “real time” analysis on incoming raw materials. Manufacturers tend to rely on the vendor to provide them with the proper ingredients. This is a recipe for disaster as there is no proof that the vendor is sending the proper material at the specified level of quality.
Moisture content is analyzed as the product comes out of the oven using a variety of methods. Primary methods to analyze moisture include a 16 hour vacuum oven method or a moisture balance. Both methods use loss on drying to measure moisture content. The drawback to the vacuum oven method is that the testing time is 16 hours, meaning this test will have no impact on real time process control. The moisture balance can analyze a sample in approximately 15 minutes, but it almost 2-3 times less accurate than a vacuum oven. With a time lag of 15 minutes, the moisture balance is really not able to provide results fast enough for real time process control.
Fat is analyzed in the finished product using Soxhlet extraction methods. This test takes several hours to run and requires dangerous chemicals. Sugar is measured by HPLC. HPLC analysis is expensive, labor intensive, and time consuming.
The Unity SpectraStar 2400 provides a NIR solution for improving the analytical testing methods at the cereal manufacturing plant. NIR is a fast, safe, and reliable technology that will analyze at all critical points throughout the plant. NIR is a secondary technique and is calibrated by analyzing a set of known samples. The SpectraStar 2400 can be used to analyze incoming raw materials, in-process sample to control production, and the finished product. Analysis time is approximately 30 seconds per sample. This speed can provide real time results that can be used to directly impact the process.
The SpectraStar can be used to measure moisture and protein in incoming wheat, corn, and rice. Moisture can be analyzed in the tempered grain to ensure that it will shape properly. Moisture and sugar can be analyzed in the in-process product to control the ovens and control the amount of sugar mix added to the sample. The sugar mix tends to be the most expensive ingredient for the cereal, so anything done to control the application of this material can have big economic benefit to the plant. The SpectraStar 2400 can also analyze the finished product for moisture, fat, and sugar.
Typical performance of the SpectraStar 2400 for moisture, when calibrated against a vacuum oven is approximately 0.10%. Typical performance for sugar, calibrated against an HPLC is 0.5%.
Predicted (NIR) vs. Actual (Vacuum Oven) Plot of Sugar in Cereal
The SpectraStar 2400 can be used to analyze at all of the critical points throughout the cereal plant. Raw ingredients, such as wheat, corn, and rice can be analyzed to verify supplier integrity. In-process sample can be analyzed for moisture and sugar to control the process, and the finished cereal can also be analyzed for moisture, fat, and sugar. With an analysis time of approximately 30 seconds, the SpectraStar 2400 provides real-time results that can be used to control the process. Controlling the process at all of these critical points will improve food quality, reduce re-work, and improve cycle time, providing a huge positive economic benefit for the plant.