Value real-time testing
From the production line to the retail case, food waste in North America exceeds 350 lbs. per capita, per year, according to Linde LLC, Bridgewater, New Jersey. Depending on the number of MAP packages in a lot where a leak has been detected, the value of the product, and the time it took to package and discover a leak, losses due to a single MAP leak can be surprisingly high. “On a single line, the cost ranges between $270,000 and $500,000 per annum,” says Mark DiMaggio, head of food and beverage industry for Linde, Americas.
Detection methods
Popular current methods of leak detection for MAP include water submersion and testing for carbon dioxide (CO2). The water sumbmersion method requires time and labor and is an off-line system. It can also fail if the leak is too small to produce bubbles. One technician might see bubbles and another may not. Or bubbles can form from trapped air on top of the package signaling a leak while the seal of the package is intact. According to David Bell, president at Alpharetta, Georgia-based Witt Gas Controls LP, water submersion also lacks digital documentation for quality assurance.
However, Bell goes on to say water submersion does have certain advantages such as, “intuitive use, low initial costs and localization of any leaks that may be present.”
Producers can use CO2 MAP leak testing off-line or on-line depending on preference and resources. The method uses a sealed chamber with a sensor that will detect any leaked gas alerting operators to a leak in the package. Both approaches have their place and may align with a specific packer’s needs.
“Highly sensitive gas sensors detect even the smallest leaks with measurements taken within a few seconds,” Bell says. “The package will not be damaged, and within modern equipment, the operation is simple. Furthermore, all leak test data – date, time, name, product and tester – is recorded and digitally archived for documentation purposes.”
Real-time process control with MAP leak detection is a technology that Linde believes creates great value and a definitive solution for processors. Earlier this year, Linde introduced its high-speed, inline MAPAX LD leak detection system to North America at the International Processing Production Expo (IPPE). The new non-destructive test system adds a small volume of hydrogen as an indicator in the MAP mixture at the sealing stage. A sensor in the inline leak detection unit then looks for the hydrogen after the sealed packages enter.
DiMaggio says hydrogen is the smallest detectable molecule Linde could use. Other similar technologies use larger molecules such as CO2, but the larger molecules might not get detected if the leak in the package is small, he adds.
Five to 10 years ago, a company working on the technology that would eventually become the MAPAX LD leak detection system approached Linde. Linde took that technology, finalized the R&D and commercialized it.
Mark DiMaggio |
“I got involved about five years ago during negotiations with the patent holders of the technology,” DiMaggio says. “It was really a very exciting R&D process. It is very pleasing to see it come to fruition and be commercialized and now launched in my area of responsibility, which is the Americas.”
Before this launch of the MAPAX LD leak detection system in North America, Linde put it to the test in Europe. The technology of the European and North American systems is identical with slight variations in components and power requirements. The European processes have been validated through multiple trials and Linde has installed the system successfully at three protein plants in Europe, with MAPAX LD production ranging from 45 to 120 packages per minute, DiMaggio says. The difference depends on the belt speed of the MAP production line.
“The value of this technology was well demonstrated in Europe, and our R&D team, technical team, and sales engineering team felt very comfortable launching it at the IPPE this year,” he adds.
Up and running
There are two parts to Linde’s system, the detection apparatus and the gas cylinder bank. The bank contains hydrogen in separate cylinders or in cylinders premixed with the MAP gases and bundled. MAP gases are usually CO2 or nitrogen (N2) and often used in combination depending on what best suits the product for extended shelf life. If a plant is already using CO2 or N2 for cryogenic chilling or freezing, those gases may be piped from outdoor storage tanks.
Following an on-site assessment and engineering audit, Linde installs the leak detection unit in line with the package conveyor. The detection part of the system applies pressure to each package which causes any leaks that may be present to become visible. If the sensors detect hydrogen from any of the pressurized packages moving through the system, a control arm removes the package, and an alarm immediately signals the operator. “It’s one of our most simple systems,” DiMaggio says. “It’s very simple and inexpensive.”
Paying off
Return on investment depends on multiple factors. Bell says WITT’s Leak Master Easy water submersion systems have a lower entry price point than its CO2 systems – Leak Master PRO and Leak Master MAP MAX – leading to a quicker ROI, but limited in level of test documentation.
“Both technologies offer a quick ROI as leaks can either shut down a production line causing loss of thousands of dollars,” Bell says. “Or worse, a recall of the product.”
The return on investment from Linde’s new system comes in three different areas, and it can come in less than a year, according to DiMaggio. “It’s a redeployment of labor, it’s the cost of reworking/repackaging product and then the cost of just wasted product.”
He goes on to explain, “First, you’re finding that there is an adulteration in a lot, and then taking that lot, removing the packaging and reworking it. The second is the cost of returns. If it’s gotten into the marketplace and you’re getting returned product, you’re not going to rework that product, that’s a total loss.”
The third area of cost pertains to the quality control personnel devoting time and labor to overseeing and maintaining the integrity of packaging and whether or not it has leaks.
“This is a technology that creates significant value if you just take the $250,000 worth of net annualized savings per line,” DiMaggio says. That is a conservative estimate according to Linde’s research and market intelligence, based on wasted product from less efficient leak detection methods.
Evolution
The MAPAX LD leak detection system is Linde’s first foray into the smaller hydrogen molecule for MAP leak detection. DiMaggio believes it’s just the beginning for this technology and it will continue to improve over time. With packaging’s importance for the shelf life and food safety aspects that continue to gain ground with consumers, MAP and those in the industry who develop and offer it will continue to evolve.
“We elected, because what we thought would be a greater performance as it relates to accuracy, to utilize hydrogen and base all of our innovation and statutory intellectual property around hydrogen,” DiMaggio says. “I see this as really the foray into continued online, real-time, 100 percent analysis and I think it’s going to save the industry millions of dollars and hopefully translate to consumers as well.”
With no definitive plan for specific projects to improve upon the first version of the technology, DiMaggio says evolution of these products just happens over time in natural and organic ways. Enhancing existing products means just as much to Linde as bringing new products to market. “This is a brand-new product, and I fully expect it to evolve,” DiMaggio says.
Linde is making the new product available to food processors across the industry. Interested parties don’t need to be Linde MAPAX gas customers to install the system. The company believes the value of the leak detection system should be available to anyone in the industry and wants it to benefit consumers as well.
“We believe that with a technology such as this, the value creation is not solely for the processor, but it’s for the consumer, too,” DiMaggio says. “We are a Responsible Care company, and if we can help create safer food for the consumer, we should be doing that. The industry as a whole has been very collaborative since the mid-90s on food safety, and we take part in this effort as well.”
Bell acknowledges the growth of and evolution of the trace gas testing method and notes the advantages and disadvantages of new technology. “Both helium and hydrogen have been explored as other trace gases due to their low density,” he says. “Smaller leaks would be detected quicker, but addition and detection of these gases is much more expensive.
“Alternative technologies to water vacuum testing and trace gas detection may perhaps be the method in the future as many processors are looking at 100 percent testing. Due to the methods used today, 100 percent testing is not possible due to either the techniques used or the speed of tests.”