Snacks QC

1. NDC Technologies Inc., 5314 North Irwindale Avenue, Irwindale, CA 91706
T: +1 626 960 3300 F: +1 626 939 3870 info@ndcinfrared.com
www.ndc.com Measured by Commitment
Quality Matters: Snack Foods Industry
Quality Control Methods in Snacks Industry: Online Vs Laboratory
Prashant Chauhan, NDC Technologies
As snack manufacturers look to tailor offerings to deliver snack that appeal to both the palate and the
psyche, knowing what drives a consumer to pick one snack rather than another is vital to stay
competitive in the $374 billion worldwide snacking industry. Consumers here are always on the
lookout for wide range of choice in any market segment. They are also getting increasingly quality
conscious by the day.
Taste, texture, consistency, freshness (shelf-life) and look are all key quality attributes that determine
the success of a snack food in a given market place. Quality of the product during various stages of
the manufacturing process is therefore important to ensure final product consistency and “freshness”.
Basic parameters tested for include moisture, oil, protein, flavouring and colour and are carried out
using a combination of on-line and at-line analytical technologies.
Conventional analytical technologies, in QC labs for example, provide accurate measurements at
“snap shot” intervals in time and usually take many minutes or hours to perform. They therefore can
often lead to very poor verification of ongoing process control and potentially inefficient operation.
These techniques can be costly to maintain and require use of chemicals which require disposal.
On-line (continuous measurements), on the other hand, are capable of providing a deeper process
understanding and enable a process to be controlled more accurately. However, they must be
trustworthy in terms of accuracy, repeatability and robustness for process control adjustment and
ultimately provide a ROI for the snack food manufacturer.
Understanding the customer’s brand focus, manufacturing processes and QC lab operations are
essential in order to identify the most compelling reasons for a customer to consider on-line
measurement and control, or process automation in their plant.
An established 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. A
new snack product must attract consumers through innovation in taste, nutrition, value and the
consumer’s perception and experience.
If we consider the example of a potato chips manufacturing line, then there are multiple points in the
process where online measurement of moisture, oil, acrylamide and degree of brownness can play an
important role. There are many valid reasons behind these online measurements.

2. NDC Technologies Inc., 5314 North Irwindale Avenue, Irwindale, CA 91706
T: +1 626 960 3300 F: +1 626 939 3870 info@ndcinfrared.com
www.ndc.com Measured by Commitment
Quality Matters: Snack Foods Industry
Why Measure and Control Moisture?
If the moisture is too low then the snacks are over-cooked which affects taste and texture.
Furthermore, acrylamide content may reach unacceptable levels. There will also be additional energy
costs associated with over-frying. Alternatively, if the moisture is too high then the product will be
undercooked which affects shelf-life because they will become stale faster and have poor taste/flavor.
Also, if the moisture is too high at the exit of the fryer then the oil uptake may not be correct.
Then there’s fryer energy optimization; this can also include costs associated with refreshing and
heating the wash water to remove starch and sugars from the potato slices prior to frying.
Why Measure and Control Oil?
Measuring the product on-line provides the information necessary to control the conveyor speed and
temperature control through the frying operations to ensure correct cooking and oil uptake.
The sharpness of the knives that is used to slice the potatoes has a direct impact on oil uptake.
These knives wear rapidly-in a matter of 30 minutes or so and need replacement. As the slicers
become worn, they begin to tear the potato’s cell structure, picking up more oil as they pass through
the fryer. Monitoring and trending the mean oil content indicates when the slicer blades require
replacing. Rapid corrective action minimises oil consumption and improves product quality and
conformance. Direct moisture and oil measurement is essential for the application of seasoning and
hence consistency of the final product. Then there is compliance with labelling regulations and the
need to satisfy the fast emerging low-fat markets.
Acrylamide
Reducing acrylamide content in potato-based products is the number one target for many snack
producers because consuming food products with high acrylamide content can lead to health
problems. Acrylamide can be reduced by not over-cooking the product and there are moves to
impose regulations governing the presence of acrylamides in snack foods. While there is no direct
measurement of acrylamide, it has been proven that there is a relationship between moisture content
and acrylamide levels. Increasing moisture content of the snack food reduces the presence of
acrylamide formation. Therefore precise moisture measurement and control is critical to retain
product quality whilst minimising acrylamide formation.
By implementing a moisture control program at the frying stage, it helps manage the cooking process.
A carefully controlled cooking process enables the processor to manufacture a desired product by
maximizing the final moisture content, which in turn minimises acrylamide formation. By reducing
cooking time, the moisture content is increased, while reducing cooking costs energy, improving
quality, product safety and productivity.

3. NDC Technologies Inc., 5314 North Irwindale Avenue, Irwindale, CA 91706
T: +1 626 960 3300 F: +1 626 939 3870 info@ndcinfrared.com
www.ndc.com Measured by Commitment
Quality Matters: Snack Foods Industry
Degree of Brownness of Snacks
The colour of a fried potato product such as a potato chip or crisp is a strong indication of whether or
not it has been fried to perfection. Being able to monitor the surface browness while simultaneously
measuring the moisture (and/or oil content) delivers a greater process insight, while minimizing
acrylamide development.
For example, NDC’s MM710e snacks gauge is available for measuring the degree of brownness as
an option on either a moisture gauge or a dual component moisture and oil gauge. Brownness
measurement values are displayed with the other parameters on the HMI or Operator Workstation
screen and provide outputs in either analog or digital format.
Figure 1: Potato Chip Line Showing On-Line Measurement Locations
In a typical potato chip line (Figure 1) the recommended online measurement locations are at the exit
of fryer over the conveyor and after the seasoner.

4. NDC Technologies Inc., 5314 North Irwindale Avenue, Irwindale, CA 91706
T: +1 626 960 3300 F: +1 626 939 3870 info@ndcinfrared.com
www.ndc.com Measured by Commitment
Quality Matters: Snack Foods Industry
Online Measurement Vs Laboratory Measurement:
Figure 2: On-Line versus Off-Line Measurement Response
Figure 2 illustrates the comparison between online and laboratory methods and the associated
process dynamics.
Online measurement gives a real and complete window on the quality of the product and the
performance of the process. Because the measurement is continuous, its adoption improves quality,
reduce production costs, improved process optimisation and customer loyalty. It does so in a
continuous fashion (night and day) and does not rely on manual intervention. Online measurement
also improves product trace-ability by recording valuable production data and machine status
information for process analysis and quality archiving information.
Obtaining a representative sample using laboratory methods is difficult. There are many questions in
mind during performing laboratory methods. For example; does the sample represent the process,
how fresh is the measurement information and most important is how can the information be used to
optimize the process? There is another aspect that concerns conditioning of the sample between the
line and the laboratory measurement. It is not uncommon for dry samples to condition upwards of 1-
2% between these points.
Closing the Loop on Your Quality Strategy
Commercially available infrared instruments such as NDC’s MM710e snacks gauge enable
customers to reliably measure moisture, oil of fat and surface browness and then control product
moisture. Simultaneous measurement of the product oil content is also offered, while an on-line
measurement of the surface brownness or degree of frying or baking is optional. These in-process

5. NDC Technologies Inc., 5314 North Irwindale Avenue, Irwindale, CA 91706
T: +1 626 960 3300 F: +1 626 939 3870 info@ndcinfrared.com
www.ndc.com Measured by Commitment
Quality Matters: Snack Foods Industry
measurements help users to achieve product quality and consistency goals while reducing
manufacturing costs and greatly improving process visibility. The following list summarises some
points to consider when selecting a reliable, accurate and robust measurement gauge:
►Gauges that are specifically designed and optimized for snack
applications
►Linear calibration algorithms engineered for the product,
parameter and operational range
► Robust, state-of-the-art optics and electronics design
► Long-lasting stability: no need for re-calibration
► Dependable operation: high availability, unaffected by ambient
conditions
► Best performance: accuracy, precision, speed and signal-to-
noise
► Fastest ROI and lowest cost of ownership
► Backed by a supplier with adequate resources to support their
products and their customers
Summary
The benefits of effective snack food moisture control ultimately travel to the bottom line, while the “in-
process” advantages may be derived from any or all of the following:
► Consistent product quality
► Prevention of over- or under-cooking
► Optimum oil uptake
► Optimum fryer operation
The Results achieved by NDC’s customers using online snack food measurement include:
► Energy savings
► Reduced risk of potentially damaging the product by over processing
► Prevention of out-of-spec batches
► Reduced waste
► Uninterrupted production
► Customer loyalty
With close to $400 billion of annual worldwide sales, the snack food industry is robust and thriving. To
Fig 3: NDC Technologies On-Line
MM710e Snack Food Gauge

6. NDC Technologies Inc., 5314 North Irwindale Avenue, Irwindale, CA 91706
T: +1 626 960 3300 F: +1 626 939 3870 info@ndcinfrared.com
www.ndc.com Measured by Commitment
Quality Matters: Snack Foods Industry
keep growing their businesses, snack food manufacturers have become more reliant on online quality
control solutions to protect consumers and reduce the risk of brand damaging product recalls.
In today competitive market, snack manufacturers are facing pressure to enhance product quality and
consistency, reduce waste, develop best practice & safety, increase process productivity and
maintain brand competitiveness. The solution to these challenges is on-line process measurement
and close-loop control of critical process parameters.