In this week's blog, our partner Limab UK shares a recent application story about a delighted snack foods customer that has realized the value of at-line moisture and oil measurements to enhance product quality.
Kolak Snack Foods
Established in 1984, and with two factories based in the UK, Kolak Snack Foods is a leading private label manufacturer of crisps and snacks for both independent and major retailers.
Now part of the multinational group Europe Snacks, which also has subsidiaries in France and Spain, Kolak Snack Foods’ extensive production capabilities enable them to manufacture a huge variety of crisps and snacks including:
- Stacked chips
- Standard and crinkle-cut crisps
- Hand cooked crisps
- Crackers
- Tortilla chips
- Extruded snacks
- Pellet based snacks
- Popcorn
A snack product, whether private label or branded, is associated with key quality attributes by the consumer and differentiates itself by delivering consistent quality and best value. Controlling moisture and monitoring oil content are both fundamental.
Moisture control is critical because it affects the consistency of both taste and texture, and end-product quality e.g., too much moisture can result in reduced shelf-life and insufficient oil uptake.
Monitoring oil content is essential for maintaining consistent flavor and meeting labeling requirements. It can also give early indication of process changes e.g., potato chip oil content will increase when the slicer knives need changing.
Shahid Iqbal, QC Manager at Kolak Snack Foods said:
"As a manufacturer of various snacks and crisps, it is very important for us that we have the ability to measure and control the moisture and oil content as both can dramatically affect product quality, shelf-life and ultimately our reputation. Traditionally, we have always relied on established moisture balance and Carver press methods, but these methods can prove to be very time-consuming. We now favor the NDC Technologies’ InfraLab food analyzer, which has revolutionized our quality checks by making them faster and more frequent. We have found the InfraLab very easy to use and we have found the ability to keep data for quality audits invaluable. We have always been very impressed with Kevin Goodison at LIMAB UK’s level of service and we have appreciated him taking the time to visit us and assist us with new technologies and training etc."
The InfraLab food analyzer is designed to give production and quality management personnel rapid access to reliable, repeatable and accurate data from samples collected from the process. InfraLab is a cost-effective viable alternative to the time-consuming gravimetric or loss-on-drying methods used for moisture analysis, as well as the chemical methods used for parameters such as fat or protein.
InfraLab food analyzer has a 5-second measurement speed – even for multi-component analysis and every measurement is stored in the substantial on-board memory, recording the measurement value and standard deviation for each parameter as well as who made the measurement and the time and date.
Each bench-top, near-infrared (NIR) analyzer is optimized for the required measurement parameters in the products to be measured and is delivered with linear factory calibrations over the desired measurement range. The InfraLab food analyzer can be used as a stand-alone device, networked to your factory network or incorporated into a LIMS network.
If you would like to find out how the implementation of an InfraLab food analyzer could improve your manufacturing processes, please contact a local NDC product specialist near you.
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