Part 1
Aljosa Trmcic
Last November (Nov. 2nd-5th, 2021), Chicago was the host of Process Expo 2021, a trade show that brought together food and beverage processors, equipment manufacturers, and other companies that offer useful solutions to the Food Industry. The Milk Quality Improvement Program was there as part of their constant mission to identify new dairy technologies and assist dairy processors in evaluating the efficacy and value of these innovations. Although at the first glance this trade show seemed dominated by solutions for the meat and poultry industry, there were number of different innovations featured that show overall progress in food processing and support technologies including the ones that might be of interest to the Dary Industry.
We start with three technologies that organizers themself identified as the top innovations within individual food and beverage segments. (i) The first is a clamp-on temperature sensor, a showcase winner within the Dairy segment as well as the winner of the People’s Choice Award. By clamping-on to any section of the product piping system this relatively simple innovation offers both a noninvasive way of measuring temperature of the product as well as flexibility in where in the piping system these measurements can be taken. Although this sensor shows a lot of potential, any potential users are advised to pay strict attention to proper calibration of the device and validation of the measurements obtained by the device. (ii) The second innovation, that was honored by the Pet Foods and Treats segment, was an in-line imaging system that uses multiple spectrums of light to identify physical contaminants, like plastic, metal, wood, rubber, as well as provide some information related to the chemical composition of the product, like water and fat content. This innovation that offers a possible alternative to classical metal and X-ray detectors might see wider use by the Food Industry in the future including some large cheese processors. (iii) The Confectionery, Candy, and Sweets segment gave the award for the top innovation to battery-less sensors that are currently still limited to monitoring only small specific niches of process parameters; for example, monitoring decrease in machine performance by measuring increase in machine vibration or monitoring decrease in steam trap performance by measuring increase in temperature of surrounding air due to steam escaping from the steam trap. Even though the use of these innovative sensors might be limited now, they are the start of what will probably very soon define how process parameters are measured and used in the future. These sensors do not need external power and are able to continuously sense, process and wirelessly transmit data which makes them one of the key components that are enabling the development of technology called Internet of Things (IoT), a technology that could one day be able to control the process of food making with no or minimal human involvement.
Another advanced piece of technology that will no doubt shape the future of the food industry is Augmented Realty (AR). The AR technology merges digital elements and real physical world elements into modified reality; for example, overlaying live video with digital imaging or animation. One innovative trade show exhibitor shared their success story with offering AR solutions to the food industry. They showed that through the use of digital glasses or headset a view of the specific piece of equipment and environment can be supplemented with interactive and step-by-step visual display of how this equipment functions, how it is assembled, and how to maintain it. The same technology can also be used to enhance effectiveness of remote instructions given by a person by providing an option of adding visual cues that are accurately placed in space for the person that is receiving the instructions; for example, the person giving the instructions can draw an arrow to point to a specific nut that needs to be removed and the arrow will remain pointing to the same nut for the person receiving the instructions regardless of the movement. This technology seems very promising since it can offer more effective employee training, more accurate execution of SOPs, reduced demand for live trainer/supervisor or demand for physical presence of the same.
Join us in the next issue of our Dairy Extension Newsletter for more exciting innovations from Process Expo 2021.
New technologies are an important component in satisfying the demand for dairy products and dairy ingredients, but these technologies need to be safe, effective, and promising for companies to invest in the implementation of these new solutions. The Milk Quality Improvement Program is continuously searching for new technologies that might be of interest to the dairy industry and evaluating them to be able to give better insight into how realistic, effective, and worthwhile these specific technologies are.
Is your business being approached by companies selling tempting new technologies, but your team isn’t sure if the investment is worth it? Our Milk Quality Improvement Program is assisting dairy processors with this question. We are seeking input on which emerging processing technologies are of interest to dairy processors to help evaluate the efficacy and value of these advancements. You can share your thoughts with us by emailing Aljosa Trmcic at at543@cornell.edu or Rob Ralyea at rdr10@cornell.edu.
