Detecting the smallest particles for increased food safety
How metal detectable conveyor belts in FDA quality make the automated production and packaging of food even safer
When it comes to cleanliness and hygiene, there is hardly a more sensitive production area than the food industry. Conveyor belts in production and packaging systems that come into contact with food must meet the highest standards. At the same time, the production conditions also place extreme demands on the materials used. The newly developed metal-detectable conveyor belt from Alphabelt is not only hygiene-optimized and extremely abrasion-resistant, but also offers even more protection against food contamination thanks to a special additive.
The special challenges in the food industry
In order to keep food as cool as possible during production, it is usually processed at low room temperatures. In addition to the cold, the conveyor belts are often exposed to salt, fats or moisture. Frequent cleaning with special cleaning agents also affects the surfaces. Thermoplastics such as PU and PVC, of which the belts are usually made, are more susceptible to embrittlement, cracks, abrasion or chemical interactions when exposed to such influences. However, if broken particles or abrasion were to get into the food, this would have serious consequences.
To avoid contamination of the food, it is therefore important to design conveyor belts to be as resistant and abrasion-proof as possible on the one hand, and to detect and remove any detached particles immediately despite all measures.
FoodGuard conveyor belts with hygiene-optimized design
The FoodGuard series developed by Alphabelt especially for the food industry can be used in a wide range of applications in the food industry and of course has the corresponding FDA and EU 10/2011 approvals. FoodGuard belts are primarily characterized by a homogeneous, closed surface that is easy to clean, prevents dirt from accumulating and doesn't offer any points of attack for moisture or cleaning agents to penetrate the inside of the belt body.
One special variant is the FoodGuard Plus belt, which is manufactured entirely by injection molding and has no seams, winding grooves or tension cords and therefore no potential weak points that could lead to chipping, cracking or abrasion.
Metal-detectable additive for greater product safety
Despite all the precautions mentioned above, even when using extremely abrasion-resistant materials, it cannot be completely ruled out that the conveyor belt will be damaged by extreme stress during operation and that particles will become detached. In order to avoid contamination of the food, these often very small foreign bodies must be detected and removed immediately.
This is now possible by using a metallic additive that can be blended into the belt material. In collaboration with the food industry, a newly developed metal-detectable conveyor belt in FDA quality has been created. If a particle should become detached from such a metal-detectable belt, it can be identified and removed immediately using a metal detector. It goes without saying that the additive, like the entire belt material, is safe for use with food and has the corresponding FDA and EU approval.
FoodGuard belts from Alphabelt were developed for the food industry, are ideal for sensitive areas in automated production and packaging and support an efficient, safe production chain.
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