IDM | QC/Hygiene Detectability of metal detectable plastic bristles Vikan Author: Debra Smith, Global Hygiene Specialist, Vikan, Vikan A/S, Raevevej 1, DK-7800 Skive Foreign body contamination of foods can be a safety or quality issue, or both. Regardless, if a food is contaminated by a foreign body, the repercussions for the food business can be expensive and damaging. Metal detection is well established as a method for reducing the risk of metal fragments in commercial food products but 30 · 9 2016 | international-dairy.com hey are now also used to control the presence of metal detectable plastics. The most recent addition to the metal detectable plastic product range offered to the food industry by some cleaning equipment manufacturers is the metal detectable plastic brush, incorporating metal detectable plastic bristles. The detectability of the metal detectable plastic bristles will depend on a number of factors, including the; • metal content of the bristle, both quantity and type of metal • diameter/thickness of the bristle • size of the bristle fragment • orientation and position of the bristle in the food product • conveyor speed • food product • detector used • detector calibration • vibrations The influence of these factors is variable and accumulative and they will affect the detection threshold. Consequently the ability of a metal detector to detect very small metallic objects is limited. Investigations by Vikan sought to determine the metal detectability of metal detectable plastic bristles, as well as their durability and functionality, in terms of how well they clean. In collaboration with Mettler Toledo, a multinational manufacturer of food industry metal detection systems, food industry standard metal detectable bristles were investigated with regard to their detectability using a Profile Advantage Transport Speed: 18 m/m, Aperture Size: 350 x 175 mm. Figure 1. A Profile Advantage multi-frequency Metal Detector (Mettler Toledo, Denmark). multi-frequency Metal Detector, with and
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