Page 46 - Food & Drink Magazine April 2021

PRODUCT NEWS
SPEED, SIMPLICITY, AND ACCURACY FOR SALMONELLA TESTING
THERMO Fisher Scientific’s new Thermo Scientific RapidFinder Salmonella species, Typhimurium and Enteritidis Multiplex Flex Kit workflow is a fast path to actionable answers. It is the only validated, certified system that can identify Salmonella species as well as differentiate between serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium, and it can return next-day results. In short, it streamlines testing workflow and drastically reduces the wait time from testing to intervention or product release.
Compared with running separate PCR tests, the RapidFinder Salmonella Multiplex Kit workflow can reduce the cost of consumable goods by up to 50 per cent, significantly lower labour costs, and increase confidence in food safety.
Thermo Fisher vice president Bernd Hofmann said: “Salmonella outbreaks take a tremendous toll on our food supply channel. The cost to the global economy, in terms of hospitalisations, litigation, loss of work and loss of life are in the billions of dollars. It also has a great impact on organisations, as an outbreak can have major implications for brand integrity. At the same time, the globalisation of the food supply chain means ever evolving, more complex regulations, as governments work to ensure consumer health.”
The RapidFinder solution provides actionable data from a single rapid workflow for the simultaneous real-time PCR detection and differentiation of Salmonella species from poultry and pork meats, eggs, environmental samples, and primary production samples.
LEAD-FREE CABLE GLANDS FOR SUSTAINABILITY REGULATIONS
A new range of lead-free brass cable glands is being introduced by LAPP to help ensure manufacturers, machine builders and production automation engineers and operators achieve compliance with current and forthcoming global sustainability requirements. LAPP Australia general manager Simon Pullinger said the company is the first to offer a lead-free version, pre-empting restrictions on lead use.
Initially, the most popular LAPP cable glands will be available in the new lead-free version, including SKINTOP MS-M and MS-SC-M models, and the counter nut SKINDICHT SM-M SKINTOP MS-M, which is used in a wide range of applications in machine and plant construction, measurement, control and regulation technology, and where there are tough demands in terms of mechanical and chemical stability.
“It offers optimum strain relief, wide clamping ranges, numerous approvals and a high
protection class,” Pullinger said.
Further product groups will be gradually supplemented with lead-free versions.
QA TESTING FOR NOZZLE ACCURACY
ENGINEERS at PNR Italy have developed QA testing robots that can check the quality and operational accuracy of every nozzle the company produces. PNR’s Australian distributor Tecpro Australia director Patrick Cooper said the robotic testing in action is fascinating.
For diameter testing, a robot picks up each nozzle on the conveyor belt, then orientates it so a video camera can check it. Using this robot, PNR Italy can check 720 nozzles per hour, or around 11,500 nozzles a day.
This process is used for both their regular nozzle production line as well as their custom designed nozzles, Cooper said.
The PNR production plant also offers specialised robotic testing for nozzle performance. These water tests can check droplet size, flow rates, spray angle and other important quality assurance attributes at speeds of up to 3000 nozzles per day. The PNR robot can also conduct air testing and check component labelling compliance.
All tests conducted by PNR include detailed reports, which provide a range of statistics such as upper and lower pressure tolerances and flow rates.
POWER OVER
ETHERNET WITH
VORTEK FLOWMETER
VORTEK Instruments’ Pro-V M24 Multivariable Vortex Flowmeter offers accurate and reliable flow metering in a multivariable design. The multivariable design incorporates a high-accuracy velocity sensor, a precision platinum RTD temperature sensor, and a solid-state pressure transducer.
The M24 can deliver volumetric flow, mass flow, temperature, pressure, density, and energy (BTU) measurements from a single installed device. This reduces complexity, equipment costs, and installation costs in comparison to installing multiple stand-alone instruments to arrive at the same process measurements.
The M24 includes a reduced bore option. The meter’s process connections match the line size but using integrated reducing flanges, the meter body is reduced in diameter. This increases the fluid velocity through the meter. Increasing the velocity in this fashion extends the meter’s measuring range to capture lower flow rates that might otherwise be missed in a full line size meter.
This reduced bore option also shares the same face-to-face dimension as a standard M24 meter for pressure classes up to ANSI 600. So if process conditions change, the meter body size can be changed without any costly piping modifications. This is especially useful in project planning, as it allows for flexibility into the future.
The M24 is the only vortex flowmeter on the market to provide Power over Ethernet (PoE) capabilities. The M24 is available from AMS Instrumentation & Calibration.
46 | Food&Drink business | April 2021 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au