Visum NIR In-Line™ is a versatile and accurate process NIR analyzer for real-time chemical composition analysis in production lines. It adapts to different geometries and types of installations (conveyor belt, pipeline, tank). It can also be integrated into process machinery (e.g. blenders and dryers).
Visum NIR In-Line™ is a versatile and accurate process NIR analyzer for real-time chemical composition analysis in production lines. It adapts to different geometries and types of installations (conveyor belt, pipeline, tank). It can also be integrated into process machinery (e.g. blenders and dryers).
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Installation of the Visum NIR In-Line™ process analyzer is fast and minimally invasive. Visum NIR In-line can adapt to different needs in terms of operating environment, inspection surface and the device can be calibrated according to the measurement needs.
The Visum NIR In-Line™ analyzer has an embedded computer, network connection, Wi-Fi and necessary software to capture spectral readings, analyze the same, develop the relevant analytical prediction models, train and re-train the models as the need be, with a simple, intuitive and user friendly front-end or user interface.
​Among its most popular applications for the Visum NIR In-Line™ are blending end-point monitoring, drying end-point monitoring, moisture in different bulk products among many other applications to analyze different parameters and products in numerous industries.
Traditional control of the blending process vs. Blending process monitoring (PAT)
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Up to now, periodically stopping the blending process after several cycles in order to take some samples from different points, which are further analysed by chromatography, has been the traditional way to do it. However, such an approach has also certain unwanted drawbacks, namely added lead time (due to the involved cumbersome lab procedures), suboptimal blending time (because of arbitrary extended blending intended for guaranteeing homogeneity) and blending artifacts (such as demixing and lumps as a consequence of keeping the load in static conditions while waiting for the lab results).
On the contrary, a PAT approach, such as a spectroscopy-based real time blending process monitoring, could be deemed the optimal way to check if the endpoint condition has been reached. In fact, both FDA and EMA have described such an approach as a recommended new paradigm.
Conveyor Belt
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When it is necessary to monitor (%w/w) a continuous point of product flow on a conveyor belt. Embedded computer. Without filters. Electrical and mains connection. Incorporates blower, if necessary.
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Pipeline
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Continuous analysis of different parameters (%w/w) in pipelines. Monitoring through a sapphire window. Embedded computer. Without filters. Electrical and network connection. It introduces a spectrum acquisition system to facilitate calibration tasks for the user.
Blender
Visum NIR In-Line™ can be integrated into blenders and allows real-time monitoring of the blending process of pharmaceutical or nutraceutical powders to determine the end point of the process and ensure homogeneity of the blend. No calibration is required.
In the bread and bakery industry, moisture references are obtained at different stages of the manufacturing process in order to ensure compliance with standardized quality criteria, which can be synthetically grouped as follows:
Quality control of raw materials and ingredients. They can be used to verify that raw material arrivals are in compliance and to verify the quality of whole and milled grains, which affects the quality of the final product.
Quality control of bakery mixes and doughs. They can be used during production to measure flour yield, water absorption during the milling process, dough fermentation time and to determine the composition of the baking mix (% moisture, protein and ash).
Quality control of finished products. They can be used to control the quality of the finished product at the end of production or on the packaging line, ensuring compliance with legal compositional requirements, or provide data for nutritional labeling.
In the fruit and vegetable industry, as well as for fruit products (juices, purees, concentrates, among others), a critical value either to determine quality standards, commercialisation, ripeness or to adjust the recipe of certain food preparations, are the Brix degrees. In this article we will talk about this, how this control is currently carried out in certain industries and how Brix degrees can be controlled in real time with NIR technology and its benefits.
The Brix degree (ºBx) is a parameter strongly correlated with the content of soluble solids and, in particular, sugars, therefore, and because it is relatively easy to measure, it is often used as a process and quality control criterion. In many cases, the acceptance criterion for semi-products and products is simply based on a certain threshold value expressed in Brix. In the case of fruits, the quotient of Brix to total acidity is the usual, and even legal, criterion for determining the degree of ripeness.
FOOD AND CONFECTIONARY - FLOUR ANALYSIS
