Home > Use of X-Ray machine for inspection in Food Processing Industry

Most food manufacturers focus on the quality of their final packaged product to ensure consumer satisfaction. At the core of food production, safety is of utmost importance and detecting foreign objects is a critical step to ensure food quality. However, waiting until the end of the production line to implement safety measures can be risky and result in significant delays and wasted resources.

That’s where x-ray food inspection systems come into play. X-ray machines can be installed at any point during the production process to increase operational efficiencies and overall food safety. From the initial reception of raw ingredients to the final packaging stage, there are countless opportunities for contaminants to be introduced to the processing stream.

By strategically placing x-ray food inspection systems at critical insertion points, manufacturers can improve operational efficiencies and reduce waste. Additionally, x-ray machines help ease many of the challenges faced by food manufacturers, such as ongoing labor shortages, tighter margins, and increased regulatory pressures.

Role of X-ray Inspection Systems:

X-ray systems offer many benefits for food processors and manufacturers. Compared to other forms of inspection, such as metal detection or manual inspection, x-ray machines detect a wide range of foreign bodies, including stone, metal, glass, bone and high-density plastic and rubber. By removing such contaminants, manufacturers protect their products and help prevent costly, reputation-damaging recalls. Doing so earlier in the process, before packaging, can prevent costly downtime.

How Does an X-Ray System Improve Food Safety and Quality?

When a product passes through the x-ray machine, a greyscale image of the product is created. The software within the x-ray system analyzes the greyscale image and compares it to a predetermined acceptance standard. On the basis of the comparison, it accepts or rejects the image based on food safety and quality standards. In the case of a rejection, the software sends a signal to an automatic reject system which removes the product from the production line. Over the last few years, improvements in inspection technologies have led to higher levels of detail. For example, enhance traditional x-ray inspection for the detection of materials previously unseen by x-ray or other conventional methods.

What are the Limits of Foreign Body Detection?

The detectability of foreign bodies in products using x-ray inspection is dependent on various factors such as product density and product thickness. Product density determines the depth of grey in the greyscale x-ray image. The denser the product, the darker the grey. To be detectable to x-ray inspection, a foreign body has to be denser than the product in which it’s embedded. That means it will absorb more x-rays than the surrounding product and show up on a greyscale x-ray image as an area that’s darker than its surroundings.

In other words – any foreign body with a density similar to, or less than that of the product in which it’s hiding is incapable of being detected by x-ray inspection. As the product thickness in the path of the x-ray beam increases, so does its overall level of absorption. This makes detection more difficult. A foreign body in a shallow layer of product on a bulk-flow production line, e.g. cereals or frozen berries, is easier to detect than a foreign body hidden inside a finished, sealed pack. In general, the smaller the product thickness the better the sensitivity of x-ray inspection.

Many other factors can affect the sensitivity of an x-ray system. The point to bear in mind is that sensitivity is not the same at every stage of a production line. Some locations are better than others for the detection of certain foreign bodies.

Conducting a Hazard Analysis:

HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is an international standard in the food industry that helps manufacturers and processors identify, evaluate and control hazards significant for food safety. It’s a complete approach to safety, directed as much towards keeping contaminants out of the production process as it is to catching them before products leave the factory.

Aligning with the first principle of HACCP, every manufacturer should perform a hazard analysis for every product it produces to assess the risk of foreign bodies. A food or pharmaceutical safety hazard is anything that could be a threat to human health. Since x-ray inspection catches only physical foreign bodies, this paper deals with physical threats to human health – the fragments of stone, glass, metal, bone, or high-density plastic or rubber that could get into your product.

Selecting Control Points (CPs):

Control points are generally related to product quality or regulatory compliance. By integrating control points with HACCP, food processors can establish critical control limits and procedures to detect and control potential hazards.

Even with stringent HACCP controls and plans, risks remain. No matter how rigorous you are, some foreign bodies will creep through and some processes may introduce new contaminants. Also, depending on the quality of your suppliers, your raw ingredients could already be contaminated when the products arrive at your production site. A control point is any step in the process where a physical hazard can be introduced and controlled.

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