Metal contamination can occur at any point during the baking process. Contaminated raw materials, production machinery, and wear iron fragments introduced by moving parts in processing can lead to end-product contamination if preventative measures aren’t taken seriously.
Metal Contamination in the Baking Industry
There are two main sources that lead to metal contamination in the baking industry: foreign materials in incoming ingredients and wear from processing machinery.
Foreign materials in incoming ingredients can come from farming machinery, transportation, the milling process, and more. Contamination can include materials such as nails, screws, and fine magnetic particles, including magnetic stone. If larger contaminants make their way into your ingredients and are not removed, they can damage your processing equipment, resulting in downtime, highly expensive repairs or replacements, product quarantine issues, and potential recalls and consumer safety issues if they end up in your finished product. Machine-related issues and machinery wear can happen during the production process. Metal contamination associated with baking equipment includes broken parts from machinery and fine metal fragments from gradual wear of equipment, such as mixers, rotary valves, and pumps.
How Are Food Processing Magnets Used in Baking?
In the world of baking, there are five key areas where magnetic separators play a vital role in ensuring top-notch food safety:
- Incoming flour blowlines
- Minor dry ingredients and mixing
- Minor liquid ingredients and mixing
- Finished liquid/batter ingredients
- Sprinkling and topping
With the right magnetic separation technology, metal fragments can be collected and retained to reduce potential safety hazards and the risk of food contamination. Magnetic separation is a must if you want to improve the quality of your ingredients and your final product, and comply with food safety standards.
Ensuring food safety isn’t simply a legal requirement—it’s a moral obligation. Check out our comprehensive list of magnetic separators revolutionizing the pet food industry, and a few reasons why you can’t afford to miss them.
How Does Magnetic Separation Help With HACCP Compliance?
Producers of baked goods have a responsibility to ensure that their products are safe. One of the most effective ways to guarantee food safety is by using Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems.
HACCP is an internationally recognized plan designed for the prevention and control of potential hazards in the food industry, such as microbiological, chemical, and physical contaminants. It is widely recognized by food safety professionals that effective and engineered magnetic separation equipment that is compliant with the HACCP International 0909 MAGSEP 1-2010 Standard is one of the most effective ways of reducing metal contamination risks. By using appropriate magnetic separation equipment on your production line, you can adhere to HACCP regulations that guarantee consumer food safety.
Types of Bakery Magnets Used to Prevent Metal Contamination
You can choose from a wide range of magnetic separation equipment to remove unwanted contaminants and foreign objects from your baking ingredients and baked goods, including:
Magnetic Separators for Incoming Flour Blowlines in Bakeries
The Magnattack® Spherical Pneumatic Transfer Magnet collects and retains contaminants without experiencing bulk density changes or pressure loss. Designed for high velocity and large volume vertical installations in blow, vacuum, gravity, and pneumatic transfer lines, the Spherical Magnet is the ultimate upgrade from outdated Bullet Magnet-type designs. Its sleek aerodynamic shape prevents blockage and minimizes product particle breakdown, ensuring an efficient and sanitary process. Not only does this magnetic separator guarantee superior performance, but it’s also versatile. Suitable for a wide range of products including sugar, flour, salt, and semolina, it can revolutionize your production line.
The Powder Transfer Magnet also provides highly efficient separation of metal fragment contamination in pneumatic transfer lines, without experiencing bulk density or blockage problems.
This magnetic separator features high-intensity, +11,000 gauss Acutex® Probe Magnets, configured to remove weakly magnetic contamination and work-hardened stainless steel fragments and stone from horizontal pneumatic transfer lines, thus greatly increasing food safety control and product purity.
Magnetic Separators for Minor Dry Ingredients and Mixing
The Rapidclean® Drawer Magnet is an innovative magnetic separator designed to extract foreign metal fragments before they enter the mixing process, ensuring the purity of your baking products. Unlike conventional grate magnets, the Rapidclean® stands out with its dust-tight housing and a cleaning operation that is performed outside of the product stream. With the Rapidclean® Cleaning Tool, you can effectively clean each individual magnetic bar, maintaining optimal performance and efficiency. Minor dry ingredients include yeast, bread improvers, starch, gluten additives, and seeds.
Magnetic Separators for Minor Liquid Ingredients and Mixing
Minor liquid ingredients are frequently used in the baking industry and are often a source of metal fragment contamination. The Pressure Pipeline Separator is the ideal solution for extracting metal contamination from this application.
This magnetic separator provides effective indication and retention of metal fragments from liquids as they exit/discharge from tote bins, large containers, and pallecons.
As metal fragments are often present in a wide variety of liquids such as oils, chocolate, egg whites, and syrups, these magnets enable thorough inspection and control of incoming/outgoing materials and early detection.
Magnetic Separators for Finished Liquid/Batter Ingredients in Bakeries
Designed specifically for thick and viscous slurry products, the Emulsion and Slurry Pipeline Separator is powered by cutting-edge Magnattack® Acutex® Probes. What sets this separator apart is its unique tear-shaped probes which allow for a smooth flow of viscous products around the magnet. Plus, the probes are strategically positioned to wash collected magnetic fragments to the back of the probe, reducing the risk of recontamination caused by the impact of the product flow dislodging the collected fragments and reintroducing them back into the product stream. This separator is also designed to maintain a smooth flow without any interruptions. With the probe’s V-section facing the oncoming product stream, magnetic fragments are efficiently collected and safely retained until cleaning operations begin.
Another magnetic separator which is designed for liquid applications in the baking industry is the Magnattack® Pressure Pipeline Separator. This magnetic separator is engineered to efficiently extract magnetic fragments (including work-hardened stainless-steel) from liquid food lines.
The system features a single or double set of powerful +11,000 Gauss magnet elements which intercept the flow of product and securely retain foreign metal contaminants. This magnetic separator achieves efficient separation without leaks, blockage, or distortion, with minimal resistance to product flow.
Magnetic Separators for Sprinkling and Topping Baking Industry Applications
There are two types of magnetic separators we recommend for the sprinkling & topping applications in the baking industry.
The Magnattack® Powder Transfer Magnet is a great choice for toppings that are vacuum transferred, or scooped into a hopper to sprinkle.
For applications where toppings are simply sprinkled, we recommend installing an RE80® Separation Shaft. This magnetic separator is designed to split the flow of the product and maximize product-to-magnet contact. It effectively extracts splinters of stainless steel, magnetic stone fragments, and >98% of tramp iron and ferrous fines from dry products.
These magnets are perfect for installing at the point of discharge at the end of conveyors, and have optional complete bracketry systems for easy handling. This allows operators to lift out and away from the process flow for cleaning, reducing risk of recontamination.
Prevent Metal Contamination With Magnattack®
Magnattack® has over 50 years of experience helping companies like yours identify, collect, and remove foreign metals from food products to improve consumer safety, avoid recalls, and increase product purity. Our wide range of magnetic separators are designed for both wet and dry applications and can be customized for your processing line. With our magnetic separation equipment, you can make sure your products are safe for consumption. Get in touch with us today to find out more about our food processing magnets engineered for the baking industry.
