AirScan uses laser technology to identify leaks of CO2 from holes as small as 0.5mm in sealed modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) packs at speeds of up to 180 packs per minute and can be integrated into existing production lines.
500,000 tonnes of food wasted in production each year
Steve Jones, marketing director, Ishida Europe, told DairyReporter, retailers and suppliers are under pressure to minimise food waste and packaging leaks have been associated with almost 500,000 tonnes of food wasted in production each year, according to ‘Seal Integrity and the impact on food waste’, WRAP, 2009.
“Compromised packaging can lead to bacterial spoilage, reduced shelf-life and a rise in complaints and returns, leading to increased cost of production, loss of brand image and reputation, and retailer fines,” he said.
AirScan is part of Ishida Europe’s quality control range, which includes X-ray inspection systems, checkweighers, weigh-price-labellers, seal testers and vision systems.
According to Jones, suppliers and retailers are giving increasing priority to driving out waste, reducing risk and optimising performance thanks to initiatives such as the Courtauld Commitment, which looks at reducing the environmental impact of the grocery sector.
World’s smallest multihead weigher
Ishida exhibited a number of products at Gulfood Manufacturing in Dubai, last week (October 27-29) including its Lilliput or Micro weigher - the world’s smallest multihead weigher, Cut-Gate weigher for granular products, the QX-300 Flex semi-automatic tray sealer, the RV weighing and filling series for dried fruit, and the IX-GA-4075, X-ray inspection system.
Jeff Say, GM, Ishida MEA, said it was its best show in Dubai since it started exhibiting there in 1997.
“This year we generated 10 confirmed orders and around 250 strong leads, with business from many countries and regions such as UAE, KSA and Egypt, as well as emerging markets such as Iran and Iraq,” he said.
“Visitors found the equipment on display highly relevant to the Middle East market, for applications such as snacks, dates and other dried fruits, poultry, tea and sugar.”
Lilliput targets ultra-low target weight applications, from 0.5 to 40g, for spices and herbs, tea leaves, soup ingredients, nuts, seeds, tablets and capsules, with speeds of up to 120 weighments per minute.
The Cut-Gate weigher is designed for granular products, which can be easily damaged in traditional auger or volumetric cup fillers with servomotor-powered gates for gentle opening and closing.
The Ishida QX-300 Flex semi-automatic tray sealer is ideal for growing businesses that want to introduce top-sealed trays or for research and development work. High-precision tooling is available for inside cut, outside cut, Skinpack and shrink film applications, while MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packs) can also be specified.
The RV series model for dried fruit features anti-stick contact parts for difficult-to-handle products such as dates, prunes and apricots and the IX-GA-4075, X-ray inspection system, can detect tiny amounts of foreign bodies down to 0.3mm in size, such as steel, aluminium, tin, glass, stones, hard rubber, plastic, bones and shells, at high speeds.