Food & Agriculture

The Food and Agriculture industries strive to supply food to new markets quickly and inexpensively, convert to more efficient packaging techniques (e.g., single serve packets), demonstrate to consumers that their products are superior to those of their competitors, find new ways to transform ordinary foods into value-added (e.g., organic), or convenience products.

Taste, smell, appearance, and other sensory triggers are all critical aspects affecting the success of a food product.  Additional key factors a producer considers include shelf-life, stability, marketability, and obviously, costs.

During handling of raw ingredients (flour, sugar, salt), additives (baking soda, citric acid, phosphates), or finished products (cereal, dry powder beverage), food manufacturers frequently encounter poor flow .  These problems can lead to process upsets, down time, and require frequent operator intervention.  Product quality problems can be triggered by spoilage (i.e., microbial growth) or powder caking, both of which are often the result of material stagnation in food storage bins.  Other problems may include attrition (breakage) of cereals, candies, or pastas, uneven distribution of seasonings, and drink mix segregation.  Poor material flow has been a root cause for some of the recent recalls of food products.