DAIRY
AUSSIE MILK RECALL
– NZ COULD BE NEXT
Last year, Australian fresh milk
manufacturer Pauls Dairy faced
every companies’ worst nightmare
as eight popular milk brands sold
in supermarkets across Victoria
& NSW were recalled over fears
cleaning solution made its way into
the batch.
In June 2019, the ABC reported
Dairy company Lactalis Australia
announced the recall of onelitre
Coles, Pauls, REV and
PhysiCAL milks, sold at Coles,
Woolworths, IGA and independent
supermarkets. Because they could
have been contaminated by a
food grade dairy cleaning solution
(CIP). Food Standards Australia
NZ said it was a food safety issue,
and anyone concerned about their
health should seek medical advice.
Dairy companies’ measure the
conductivity levels of fresh milk in
pipelines cleaned by CIP solution.
Before resuming product bottling,
it’s critical to see the product is
100% pure, suitable for human
consumption. Contaminates, or CIP
residue, changes the conductivity
reading of milk. However, in this
case, the factories all relied on
conventional 4…20mA analogue
signals from their instrumentation.
These sensors failed to detect
“minor traces” of contaminant…
Hence the recall, and search for a
better sensor!
Factory engineers discovered
this problem was solved by using
Digital (IO-Link) conductivity
sensors made by ifm. The sensor
was capable of reading finer
resolution readings. Subsequently
verified during performance tests in
a NZ Dairy plant.
The key is new digital technology.
IO-Link sensors read and transmit
real values and unlike conventional
sensors where the signal
conversions within the control loop,
Sensors
ifm offer the most comprehensive range of
industrial digital sensors & fieldbus interface
modules available today - ex-stock NZ!
IP69k, IO-Link (Digital) technology is now
used in the most advanced F&B plants, globally.
German quality - supported by local engineers.
WARRANTY
years
on ifm products
Register at www.ifm.com/nz for your
“My ifm“ account & shop online 24/7
or call us on 0800 289 436
OPTICAL SENSORS PROXIMITY SENSORS
SAFETY SYSTEMS
VALVE POSITION FEEDBACK
CONDUCTIVITY
IO-LINK SYSTEMS
PRESSURE FLOW / TEMPERATURE LEVEL
ifm_F&B_Jan 2020.indd 1 28/01/20 10:40 PM
FT715
must be compensated for with
calculations in the PLC. In other
words, the PLC gets readings that
are not exactly the same as what
the sensor is reading!
Enter ifm. Its LDL200 IO-Link
technology conductivity sensor
(pictured), solved this issue as
it is able to read finer traces
of contaminant than analogue
instruments. The problem was
solved. In addition, IO-Link
instruments also generate
advanced instrument performance
diagnostics for monitoring critical
processes.
“Sound interesting? Our ifm trained
automation engineers are located
around the country. Ready to listen
to your needs & offer the latest
technology and practical, cost
effective solutions.”
For more information contact ifm
0800 289 436 or visit www.ifm.
com/nz.
12 APRIL / MAY 2020
/nz
/nz
