The seafood manufacturing and processing industry faces unique challenges in identifying and eliminating contaminants. Seafood products consist of irregular shapes, have high moisture content that can impact the efficacy of metal detectors, and contain a range of natural inclusions that are often mistaken for contaminants.
Still, properly identifying debris and contaminants is essential. Recalls cost businesses millions of dollars and harm their reputations among consumers.
Understanding how seafood products are inspected for contaminants using modern technology helps businesses improve their inspection efforts and enjoy a range of other benefits. Automated systems can reduce labor costs by between 20% and 40%, help businesses meet regulatory requirements under the FDA, HACCP, and related standards, and improve operations overall.
Types of Contaminants Common in Seafood Products
Seafood products are prone to a wide range of contaminants during the production process. These include physical, chemical, and biological contaminants, each of which poses a significant safety concern.
Physical Contaminants
Physical contaminants can include both foreign and natural objects that make their way into a fish product and impact the safety of consumption. Common physical contaminants might include:
- Bone fragments, such as small fish bones that go undetected in processed fillets
- Glass fragments from the manufacturing process
- Stones from the environment
- Processing equipment, such as fish hooks and wire
- Crab shells and mollusk pieces
Even in small amounts, these contaminants can pose significant health hazards to consumers. For example, ingesting glass fragments can injure the throat, stomach, esophagus, and intestines.
Chemical and Biological Contaminants
Chemical contaminants can also make their way into seafood products, such as:
- Heavy metals
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a group of man-made chemicals commonly used in industrial and commercial applications that are harmful to health
- Marine toxins, which require microbial screening to identify
Meanwhile, biological contaminants might include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which are not always visible to the naked eye but can lead to serious health complications when ingested.
X-Ray Inspection Technology for Seafood
If you’re wondering how seafood products are inspected for contaminants, the process involves several types of technology. No single system can detect all types of impurities. However, one system that should be standard for seafood safety testing is an X-ray inspection system.
How X-Ray Systems Work
X-ray systems detect contaminants in seafood by directing low-energy rays into the product. If any part of the object deflects or absorbs the X-ray energy differently than the rest of the product, this could indicate a contaminant.
Several different types of X-ray systems exist in the food inspection industry. Single-energy systems are suitable for metal and glass detection. Meanwhile, dual-energy X-ray inspection systems use multi-spectrum technology to detect the most challenging low-density contaminants, such as bones, shells, and plastic.
You can even find X-ray systems that specifically look for fish bones, using technology that allows them to detect bones as small as 0.2 mm by 2 mm.
Evaluating Safety in X-Ray Systems
Some manufacturers hesitate to implement X-ray detection systems because they fear the potential consequences of radiation exposure, both for their food products and workers. However, these food inspection systems are proven to be safe, with no evidence of adverse health effects.
X-ray systems that are suitable for seafood inspection operate at extremely low radiation levels to avoid damaging the food products or putting workers at risk. Food generally passes through the X-ray beam for less than one second, leading to a low radiation dose that does not pose a safety risk.
The best X-ray systems for seafood are also EU compliant, meeting specific requirements for safety and quality set by the European Union. They provide reliable contaminant detection without risking further safety issues.
Seafood-Specific Capabilities
X-ray systems compatible with seafood inspection processes typically include a few specific features.
- Their detection sensitivity is tailored to the density of fish products.
- They are compatible with fresh, frozen, and packaged seafood.
- They feature fast processing speeds to streamline production.
- They work through high salt and moisture content and are compatible with all packaging types.
Implementing a more generalized X-ray system might impact the reliability of your quality assurance process. Look for systems with the right features for detecting contaminants in seafood products.
Complementary Inspection Technologies for the Seafood Industry
Seafood products are inspected for contaminants using several different types of technology. While the right X-ray systems provide reliable detection, they cannot always detect low-density contaminants and have other limitations. An effective quality assurance process involves the use of a few other types of technology.
Metal Detection Systems
Metal detectors for the food industry are designed to pinpoint and remove metal contaminants. They operate by creating an electromagnetic field that detects disruptions caused by ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
A balanced coil metal detection system uses two receiving coils that create a balanced electromagnetic field. When a metal contaminant passes through, it disrupts the balance and triggers a detection signal.
One of the major downsides of using metal detection systems for heavy metal analysis in seafood is that high salt content affects the sensitivity of these machines. You will need to look for industrial metal detectors designed for the seafood industry. This ensures the efficacy of the inspection system and prevents false positives that slow down your production line.
The best machines can detect particles as small as 2 mm wide for ferrous metals and 3 mm for stainless steel.
Vision Systems and Checkweighers
Vision inspection systems, such as color sorters, use cameras to detect visual inconsistencies in seafood products. These machines can check for package integrity, surface contamination, and fill levels, promoting better consistency and alerting you to potential disparities in your products.
Meanwhile, checkweighers allow you to verify the weight of seafood products before packaging them, aiding portion control and ensuring the accuracy of nutrition information on the package. Significantly underweight products could indicate an issue on the line, while a significantly overweight product could contain a contaminant.
When combined, vision systems and checkweighers provide comprehensive quality control and provide a necessary supplement to X-ray inspection systems.
Implementation Benefits and ROI
Why implement automated inspection systems to inspect seafood products for contaminants? These systems offer several operational advantages for your company, helping you save money and streamline production. They also significantly aid risk mitigation efforts to help your business stay compliant and preserve its reputation.
Operational Advantages
One of the major benefits of inspection systems like X-rays, checkweighers, metal detectors, and visual inspectors is their accuracy and performance compared to manual methods. For example, some manufacturers use random sampling with residue monitoring to check the quality of their food products. Automated inspections enable you to evaluate all products that pass through the assembly line rather than a select few.
These systems are also three to five times faster than manual inspection methods, saving your business time while streamlining production. This benefit, combined with the reduction in manual labor, leads to significant cost savings and an impressive return on investment.
Risk Mitigation Benefits
Along with improving operations, inspection systems can reduce the risk of contaminated food products leaving your manufacturing facility. They can prevent costly recalls, as they catch the bulk of contaminated products before they have the chance to leave the building.
Inspection systems promote better consumer safety, reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses and choking hazards in your foods. This helps protect your brand’s reputation and instills confidence in consumers. It also mitigates the risk of expensive liability lawsuits that eat into your company’s revenue.
Why Choose Inspection Systems From TDI Packsys?
The type of X-ray inspection system you choose makes a significant difference in the reliability and consistency of your quality assurance process. TDI Packsys is a leading provider of X-ray detection systems designed specifically for the seafood industry.
Our X-ray systems offer precise contaminant detection through the use of dual-energy systems. Their multi-layer detectors capture multiple X-ray energy systems, outperforming traditional X-ray technology and allowing for the detection of minute, diverse contaminants.
These systems can identify contaminants that traditional systems miss, including rubber fragments, chicken bones, soft plastics, and more. They are engineered for high-speed food processing lines, maintaining production speed by eliminating false rejections and effectively scanning overlapping products. They work well with vacuum-sealed ready meals, boneless poultry, deli meats, frozen food, and more.
A seafood inspection system helps your business meet quality inspection standards and overcome common processing challenges. TDI Packsys offers several configurations of our dual-energy X-ray systems, including manual and automated infeed/outfeed to fit seamlessly into your production line.
Turn to TDI Packsys for High-Performance Seafood Inspection Systems
X-ray systems are just one of the ways seafood products are inspected for contaminants during manufacturing. This technology, combined with other solutions like metal detectors and visual inspection systems, can help your business stay compliant and maintain a reputation for producing safe and quality products.
TDI Packsys is a trusted source for a wide range of inspection systems compatible with the seafood industry. We would be happy to discuss our technology with you and help you develop the right setup to maximize detection capabilities in your facility.
Contact us today at 877-834-6750 to learn more about our technology.
