In part one of this two part series, we showed you how smart integrations aid in a smooth intake of raw materials. In this second and last installment, we will delve a little deeper into the aqua feed product development process, in which challenges like moisture control (due to extrusion) play an import role. After all, the overall impact of ‘evaporation’ on the recipe design is not to be underestimated. A precise formulation platform that takes into account production settings is crucial. A few scenarios…
Scenario 1: Recipe design of extruded products
Our first scenario starts with the fact that some raw materials, like cereals, have fluctuating nutritional content. In this case, it is imperative to monitor the quality of those materials over time to ensure precise formulation. Figure 4 shows the interactive wizard from Adifo’s BESTMIX Quality Control software as used by nutritionists to transform sample data into new values for the raw material matrix. The form shows all relevant data from individual samples, including the suggested new values for formulation.
Once the raw material matrix is up to date, the recipe design can start. During this recipe design, the formulator takes into account the specific product development constraints and production process parameters. As the finished product is extruded and then dried to the requested Dry Matter content, the formulator will take this into account upon recipe optimization. Figure 5 shows a recipe with a constraint on evaporation in BESTMIX formulation. The analytical constraints, as shown in Figure 5, are of course defined on the final product. This enables the Aquafeed manufacturer to deliver the exact nutritional quality as claimed on the product declaration: nothing more, nothing less.
Once the total recipe is designed, the formulator will break down the master recipe into sub recipes to reflect the production steps. This is done by the Mix functionality as provided in BESTMIX formulation. Figure 6 shows how the master recipe is split in an extruder recipe and the coating ingredients. By this, the formulator can assign specific parameters, such as an evaporation constraint, to the extruder recipe only. The coating ingredients are consequently not affected. As a result, accurate raw material dosing is ensured leading to a compliant product at the lowest cost.
Finally, an Aquafeed manufacturer also has to deal with variants on the standard recipes, like other levels of pigments, medicated variants… BESTMIX formulation allows in this case an easy management of related recipes so that the formulator only needs to maintain the standard recipe. Whenever the standard recipe is updated, all related recipes are consequently updated in an automated way. This leads again to a very flexible and easy recipe design process.
Scenario 2: Production of extruded products
The second scenario is based on the production of an extruded product. Here again, the production order is generated in the ERP or MES software and is delivered to the QC software.
The production of extruded products requires multiple process steps and equipment. The first step is the mixing process of dry and wet raw materials. As a finished product is required with tight limits of moisture content, the latter is analysed in the mix via a Sartorius instrument. Again, the result is captured in the QC software automatically, without user interaction.
After mixing, different processes are applied, such as preconditioning, extruding, drying, cooling and finally coating. These processes are regulated by multiple variables and set points and are therefore complex, requiring experienced operators. A time-based logging of those settings and variables is relevant to improve the understanding of the process and steer it whenever it is necessary to get towards the correct set points. The logging of the settings in a centralized QC software enables the reuse of this knowledge for future production orders. Therefore, the set points and variables (such as sieve size, number of knives, temperature, pressure, steam, and density) are captured multiple times during the production process in the QC software. The software will also give extra guidance by using warning symbols when a result is not within the expected boundaries, so that the operator can steer the production and adjust some set points / variables where needed to get to the required result.
Finally, the finished product can be tested for nutritional content via a NIR scan, where again the automated interface can be used to upload the results. This testing is important because, before the product goes to packaging, the manufacturer wants to be sure that the nutritional content is exactly what he is claiming on the packaging.
Scenario 3 - Sales order handling
The last scenario handles the sales order process. Once again, the sample in the QC software is created from a transaction in the ERP (or MES) software with information like: product, order number, customer, quantity, date of delivery, etc.
As a company delivering packaged goods, a visual check of the products is done at palletizing to confirm that everything complies with the company’s quality standards. Typical questions in this case are: is the plastic foil wrapped correctly? Is the label content correct? Are labels readable? Are some boxes damaged? Etc. All these checks can be filled in the QC software directly. When an operator notices something is wrong, e.g. with the label, a picture can be taken and automatically attached to the sample. This way all data is stored centrally in the integrated QC software, allowing full traceability.
Conclusion
In this two part article, I focused on integration and smart recipe design. Precise formulation combined with an integrated control of quality is clearly a strategic asset and a differentiator, giving the Aquafeed manufacturer a better chance to win in the market.