An Ishida IX-GN-2444-S X-ray inspection system is providing Polish ripened cheese specialist Mleczarnia ‘Turek’ Dairy with the peace of mind that all the company’s blue cheese products are leaving its factory safe and free from potential contaminants. In this way, the IX-GN is playing a vital role in helping to maintain Turek’s premium quality image.

Mleczarnia ‘Turek’ Dairy is the leader in the production of branded mould cheeses in Poland, including camembert, brie and blue cheeses, in sizes from 100g to 1.6kg. The intricate process of injecting strains of mould into blue cheeses needs to be carefully monitored to avoid even the smallest risk of tiny metal contaminants in the cheese. As the cheeses are packed in aluminium foil, a metal detector is unsuitable for checking for metal foreign bodies. Instead, Turek opted for the Ishida X-ray solution.

“Product quality is of paramount importance to us,” said Ireneusz Przygonski, the company’s Packhouse Manager. “We chose the Ishida IX-GN-2444-S because of its ease of use and the guarantee that any sub-standard products will be identified and discarded before they reach the end-consumer.”

Key to the detection accuracy of the Ishida X-ray inspection system is its patented Genetic Algorithm (GA) technology. This enables the machine to be optimised for greater sensitivity to specific foreign bodies to maximise the reliability of the detection process.

Due to space restrictions at the Turek factory, the Ishida IX-GN-2444-S is operating off-line as a standalone system. The machine inspects bulk cartons of the packed cheeses; if a contaminant is identified, the machine is stopped, and the faulty pack removed. The system is in operation for around eight to 10 hours, five days a week, inspecting approximately 40 cartons per minute, which is well within its capabilities.

In addition, the machine provides a back-up in the event of a failure of the X-ray systems on the other, non-blue, cheese lines, enabling inspections to continue to be carried out as specified as part of Turek’s quality assurance systems.

Mr Przygonski says that the Ishida is very intuitive, and the introduction of new products to be inspected is a simple operation which can be carried out by line personnel. The machine’s stainless steel construction makes it easy to keep clean with the process taking no longer than 15 minutes. The reliability of the Ishida X-ray is another major benefit.

“Since its installation, the IX-GN-2444-S has worked faultlessly and we have had no problems with it,” confirmed Mr Przygonski. The Ishida IX-GN-2444-S was supplied by Ishida’s Polish agent Fenix Systems, who have provided pre- and post-sales advice, installation, initial training for operators, and ongoing service support and training.

“Thanks to Ishida and Fenix Systems we have a solution that ensures the safety of our customers and gives us the confidence that we are delivering to them a compliant, healthy and high-quality product. All of this is maintaining and enhancing the prestige and reputation of our company” concluded Mr Przygonski.