13 minute read
B-HIVE INNOVATIONS
Re-envisioning whole field sensing with B-Hive’s Tuberscan
LEADING agri-tech business B-Hive Innovations continues to deliver innovative solutions for the fresh produce industry via an open and collaborative approach to addressing supply chain issues. Through developing TuberScan - an above and below ground crop sensing technology - it has taken a major leap towards eliminating potato food waste.
The research and development project for TuberScan is funded by Innovate UK’s Research and Innovation scheme - collaborating with Branston Ltd, The University of Manchester and Harper Adams University to create demonstration units.
Effie Warwick-John, project manager on TuberScan at B-Hive Innovations, says: “Potato growing is not precision agriculture so it can be challenging for growers to understand the performance of the whole crop underground. With TuberScan we are trying to address this lack of clarity.
“The current practice of random sampling followed by data extrapolation to cover the field does not always account for variance within the crop and can lead to inaccuracies in forecasting. At B-Hive Innovations, we asked: why use labour-intensive sample data when cutting-edge technology will achieve more accurate data across the whole field.
“We want to empower growers with meaningful data-led insights to make better-informed management decisions based on potato size, count and variation. When developed, TuberScan will help growers to more confidently identify areas of poor performance, when to make allimportant burndown decisions, and where growers should target inputs of fertilizer or irrigation. All these choices can ultimately make or break a crop’s marketable yield.”
In its current iteration, the TuberScan system comprises of radar, GPS units and an in-field camera that surveys the field throughout the growing season. The project has utilised and adapted field-based technologies that were originally developed for the military - reapplying the knowledge and tools to the arable farming environment.
Vidyanath Gururajan, managing director at B-Hive Innovations, says: “At B-Hive our core purpose is fourfold: reduce food and energy waste, increase marketable yield, enhance produce quality and add value to farming fresh produce businesses.
“Placing actionable insights at the hands of growers to minimise wastage supports packers and retailers further along the supply chain and provides additional assurances on the quality of their potatoes, prior to hitting the shelves.
“By both understanding more closely what they will be harvesting and the opportunity to enhance marketable yield, farmers are better placed to market their produce, strengthen supply chain relationships and attain the best value based on their supply of potatoes and relative demand.” B-Hive is working closely with growers to tailor the product to overcome the issues they face on an individual and everyday basis. As the TuberScan technology evolves, B-Hive hopes it will be a catalyst towards further innovations of precisionbased equipment such as intelligent sprayers.
Vidyanath adds: “B-Hive Innovations is constantly refining and developing new technologies - through groundbreaking collaborations - to increase the accessibility for intelligence-led planning to potato farmers of varying scope and scale. By improving marketable yield and reducing crop variation, this technology aims to ultimately reduce the carbon footprint in the potato supply chain.”
www.b-hiveinnovations.co.uk
EcoCooling Evaporative Cooling
The simple, safe and efficient way to cool your facility
With the rapid increase of energy costs, businesses are looking at reducing their electricity usage while maintaining comfortable and compliant conditions for products and staff. EcoCooling offers a cost-effective cooling solution for food storage and processing facilities. With blanket or spot cooling options available, evaporative cooling offers a flexible approach to process or people cooling that can be easily retrofitted to the majority of buildings.
Key Benefits:
Evaporative cooling adds humidity to the air, which can be beneficial to some food storage environments such as bakeries, wine and chocolate producers, cereal manufacturers and more, with some of the leading UK brands utilising our equipment for the processing or packing facilities, including Subway, Hotel Chocolate, Premier Foods, Greggs.
Refrigerant free cooling and ventilation
As part of a balanced ventilation system, evaporative cooling is achieved through the natural process of direct evaporation of water into supply air, which is extremely effective in temperate climates like the UK. Air supply temperatures off the coolers do not exceed 25C, without the need to utilise any refrigerant technology.
The most energy efficient cooling system for large spaces
Even on the hottest days, a standard unit covering a 250m2 area or spot cooling a 15m diameter zone can operate at a cost less than 13p in electricity and 1p in water per hour, based on service costs of £0.12/ kWhr and £1.20/cum respectively (2021 figures). This gives an energy saving of 90% on an equivalent refrigeration-based system with a 35kW cooling load. cooling-based solution is the cost of installation, which is a fraction of that of the equivalent refrigeration system.
Typical installation options
Increasing productivity by keeping people and processes cool
Having a well ventilated, comfortable work or storage area has been shown to increase productivity, product stability and improve the wellbeing of staff throughout the year. This is especially true in the summer months, where without an effective cooling solution some processes may need to be halted altogether, and excess heat becomes a safety and quality concern for staff and products.
A well-balanced ventilation system is particularly important for businesses looking to maintain consistent and efficient operation in light of the ongoing COVID risk, while also helping to remove unwanted dust and particulates from the air. A proven and flexible system
With over 500 installations for some of the largest manufacturers and distributers in the UK, EcoCooling evaporative cooling systems are a proven, flexible solution which can be deployed quickly to address overheating and ventilation issues. From compact workshops to large warehouses, there are many reasons why evaporative cooling is becoming a first-choice option for many businesses.
Why EcoCooling systems
EcoCooling are UK based, with stock of coolers and spares available from their Suffolk warehouses. They can provide specific ROI figures and offer options on temperature and humidity control as part of their standard installer quotation package, the operational data is based on 4 years of legacy weather data across the UK.
PhoenixTM solution to HACCP Cook & Chill CCP Validation
As part of any Food processors HACCP program, validation of cook and chill processes is a critical and significant task, taking time, effort, and resources.
PhoenixTM have developed a thruprocess temperature monitoring technology specifically for this task, designed to meet the challenges of the food processing market. Ideal for the validation process for any new cook regime, new product, or annual process certification. Whether performing an oven survey “oven mapping to identify cold spots” or validating the cook under production conditions, the thru-process profiling solution gives you the accuracy, efficiency, and reliability you need to satisfy your HACCP demands.
As its name suggests, thru-process profiling is the method by which product and or process temperature is monitored throughout the complete cook / chill process. The data logger making the physical temperature measurement, with multiple thermocouples, travels safely with the product through the process. Protection from process conditions such as heat, steam, water, and oil is provided by a suitably designed thermal barrier. The thermal barrier provides robust protection to the data logger to prevent damage but also ensure that it maintains a safe operating temperature to give accurate temperature readings. Monitoring of continuous conveyorised linear and spiral ovens and semi-continuous or rotational batch cooks is feasible where the use of external recorders with trailing thermocouples is tedious, completely impractical, and possibly unsafe . Employing the thru-process principal, process monitoring can be performed under true production conditions without compromising line productivity . At the heart of the thru-process monitoring system is the PhoenixTM data logger. The PhoenixTM NT data logger range has been designed specifically for the challenges of monitoring food processing applications with an IP67 case design protecting from moisture. Type K or Type T data logger options allow accurate measurement of both cook and chill processes (Type T measurement range -200 °C to 400 °C). Data logger and thermocouple correction factors can be applied to the recorded data logger data to maximise measurement accuracy. PhoenixTM offer a range of thermal barriers to suit the process type, duration, and temperatures. Even if a standard thermal barrier cannot meet the process requirements, PhoenixTM can often custom design a unique solution to suit.
Monitoring core temperatures of food products can be a challenge and getting it right or wrong can have a significant influence on the data collected and therefore any decisions or conclusions made. PhoenixTM offer a range of different designs of thermocouple to suit different product types and sizes. The needle thermocouples ensure you can measure the true core/cold spot of the product accurately and repeatably. Fitted with standard miniature thermocouple sockets, the data logger is also compatible with other generic commercially available thermocouple designs.
Employing the thru-process temperature monitoring principle provides the food technologist with a complete temperature profile of the cook process from start to finish. This information is like the Cook DNA giving full details of the product and or process temperature which is invaluable to allowing validation of the Cook CCP. From a temperature profile it is possible to accurately quantify product safety (pasteurisation) knowing both the temperature, and time at temperature, of the product. Employing the thruprocess temperature monitoring principle provides the food technologist with a complete temperature profile of the cook process from start to finish.
From the profile graph you can see instantaneously the variation in product temperature at any point in the process either at different locations on the product (whole chicken) or different product positions within the cooker, cooking rack or across a mesh belt. The PhoenixTM Thermal View Food Software provides a comprehensive suite of analysis tools to convert the raw profile temperature data into useful process information. The analysis tools include the ability to calculate Fo/Pu values for the process against target micro-organisms. For a typical chicken cook process the lethality parameters for Listeria Monocytogenes (Tref 70 °C, Dt 16.2 s and Z value 7.5 °C) can be input to automatically and accurately calculate for each monitoring point the number of decimal reductions of the pathogen achieved during cook to meet CCP limits.
The information gathered, further to process validation, can be used to allow informed process problem solving and optimisation to maximise product quality, yield, process productivity and efficiency.
Contact PhoenixTM to help Find, Fix and Forget your Food Cook Problems!
Encore REF30cn is a carbon neutral BOPP film that also provides the required technical performance for this application.
Reduce the carbon footprint of your packaging with Bopp Films
Innovia Films is focused on producing new BOPP flexible films that aid the reduction of the carbon footprint of packaging, while providing technical performance, simplifying structures, and maintaining full recyclability.
At Packaging Innovations, Innovia will be presenting examples of their solutions to:
• Reduce the use of fossil resources
• Enable on pack recycling label • Extend shelf-life – less food waste
• Simplify pack structures • Facilitate material substitution The misconception that flexible packaging cannot be recycled is leading some to poor environmental choices, fortunately, things are changing.
Stephen Langstaff, Business Development Manager, Packaging at Innovia Films highlights “Last year’s COP26 summit reminded us of the importance of reducing our carbon footprint. Food production is a major contributor to global warming and resource efficient packaging plays a vital role in reducing the carbon impact by reducing waste and extending shelf life. The carbon footprint of packaging is usually comparatively small when compared to the product it is wrapping. This is one of the big advantages of flexible packaging. Due to its light weight, it is far more resource efficient than cans, bottles, tubs, or trays”.
The misconception that flexible packaging cannot be recycled is leading some to poor environmental choices, fortunately, things are changing.
Come to Stand F82 in Hall 1 to discuss your current packaging challenges.
Unifiller’s Servo Multi Depositor is the Solution to the Food Industry’s COVID-19 Workforce Shortage
Unifiller Systems, a global leader in portioning equipment and a subsidiary of the Linxis Group of Companies, designs and manufactures over 30 different depositors and pumps. The Servo Multi Depositor is the perfect solution for food and bakery plants looking into automated solutions for staffing or sanitation problems stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As with all of Unifiller’s machines, the Servo Multi is designed for a host of benefits, bringing convenience and efficiency to any food manufacturer looking to maintain high speed production rates. Its innovation was developed through decades of experience with pneumatic multi piston depositors and provides ease of use beyond any traditional piston depositor.
Unlike pneumatic depositors, the Servo Multi features programmable touch screen controls, capacity to store 100 recipes, and six depositing modes to choose from. It also possesses a built-in ability to control a pan conveyor or act as a slave to an automated conveyor-based production system to add further efficiency to the overall production process. Gentle portioning ensures product integrity with little to no breakdown.
The Servo Multi is also compatible with the full range of Unifiller nozzles. It can be integrated into a nozzle bridge with computer controlled 1.75” diving action over a conveyor to deposit flow-able products into shells, pans, and other applications. Available in 6, 8, 10, and 12 nozzle configurations with a large deposit range from 0.3 to 10 oz. (10 to 299 ml) per nozzle, the Servo Multi is able to achieve smaller minimum portions than most other pneumatic depositors.
Sonia Bal, Director of Marketing at Unifiller Systems, weighs in on the benefits of turning to automated equipment. “There are growing factors impacting the way food producers work. Over the years, changes in minimum wage, fewer people entering the trades, and boomers transitioning to retirement, have all led to the need for more automation. More recently, COVID-19 has demonstrated that businesses are heavily impacted when staff are difficult to retain due to health and safety concerns. The current pandemic has been eye-opening. Automating what was previously done by hand – for example, using the Servo Multi for large-scale product depositing – can simplify a business’ daily operations.”
www.unifiller.com
Mechanical Two Position Sensor
Cyntech are happy to announce the new Microprecision mechanical position detection sensor. This series of mechanical sensors is designed to detect two positions within one single product. The distance between the two positions can be customized to the user’s application between 0.3mm and 1.5mm. The fixed NC and NO contacts activate with no measurable hysteresis. Repeatability is better than 5 µm and depending on cable selection, the operational temperature can go from -40°C up to 130°C. The cable termination can be supplied with a M12 connector.
This unique patented switching mechanism is designed for low voltage applications up to 30 VDC. It is self-contained and can easily be inserted in multiple forms and shapes of housings. The IP67 rated standard housing sizes are M8 and M12 with a pin or ball plunger.
Website: www.cyntech.co.uk Email: sales@cyntech.co.uk Tel: +44 1908 373927
