Written by Melvyn Penna, Senior Product Manager at Bühler SORTEX
Written by Melvyn Penna, Senior Product Manager at Bühler SORTEX
The escalating prevalence of food allergens requires urgent and advanced solutions to protect consumer health. This whitepaper explores the role of emerging optical sorting technologies in reducing allergen risk, with a specific focus on the application of AI-powered deep learning for the precise separation of oats (non-gluten) from barley, wheat and rye (gluten containing grains). By harnessing the power of advanced imaging and artificial intelligence, processors can significantly reduce cross-contamination, ensuring a safer and more reliable food supply.
Food allergens pose a threat to both consumers and organizations. The reputation of a business, risk of recall, and simply not meeting the changing regulation standards around allergens, can create problems beyond consumer wellbeing. This whitepaper will focus on oats as an example of an industry that faces both challenges and exciting developments when it comes to allergens, in this case, gluten.
Packed with nutrition, oats are often preferred to other grains due to their gluten-free nature. However, while oats are gluten-free, they are often mixed at harvest and transport with barley, wheat and rye, which are glutenous. Meeting gluten free standard can be a challenge for traditional cleaning lines and optical sorters.
Gluten-related disorders, including celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, affect a substantial portion of the population. Unfortunately, even trace amounts of gluten can trigger severe reactions in sensitive individuals, making cross-contamination a serious concern.
Traditional optical sorting methods, relying on size, shape, and color analysis, often struggle to distinguish between oats and barley. The subtle visual differences between these grains, especially when damaged or broken, can be difficult to discern.
Achieving near-perfect separation of oats, barley, and other gluten grains is essential to ensure the safety and integrity of gluten-free products.
At Bühler SORTEX, the topic of allergens has been front and center to our R&D (Research & Development) efforts. Recently, breakthroughs in imaging technology have yielded very impressive results in gluten-containing grain separation. This technology centers around ‘convolutional neural networks’ (CNNs), a type of artificial intelligence that excels at image analysis and pattern recognition. By training the AI on vast datasets of what an oat is and is not, the resulting allergen reduction is significant.
The Bühler sorter, SORTEX AI700, integrates state-of-the-art CNN algorithms specifically designed for oat sorting. The technology leverages advanced imaging and machine learning to achieve unparalleled levels of accuracy and efficiency.
This machine has cut no corners. Rigorous testing, the finest components and over 75 years of innovation have demonstrated a superior performance in separating gluten grains from oats. The results reflect the consistency needed for consumer safety, and more profitable businesses.
For processors, the reduced allergen contamination gives peace of mind and enhanced reputation, while minimizing waste and maximizing profits.
The versatility of AI deep learning optical sorting extends beyond oat/gluten separation, with more solutions to come in the future.
We encourage food processors to embrace advanced sorting technologies to protect consumers and build a safer food supply.
Contact Bühler SORTEX today to learn more about our AI-powered optical sorting solutions and schedule a demonstration.
