“In the past, we had to wait several hours for our fat analyses and, consequently, had to work with safety margins. Today, with the M2000, we measure directly during production. This has elevated our process control to an entirely new level—faster, more precise, and significantly more efficient. We save raw materials, reduce waste, and consistently deliver exactly the quality our customers expect.” > Production Manager, OFI Turkey
Precision Meets Process Efficiency
Located on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, OFI (Olam Food Ingredients) produces high-quality hazelnut paste for international customers. The product’s fat content is a critical quality parameter that must be precisely adjusted according to specific customer specifications. After grinding the raw hazelnuts, a hazelnut paste is formed; hazelnut oil is then deliberately added to achieve the desired consistency and the specified fat percentage. Even the slightest deviations can impact product quality, costs, and customer satisfaction.
Challenge | Slow and Resource-Intensive Analytics
Prior to the introduction of the Altum Solutions M2000, OFI relied on traditional Soxhlet fat extraction for quality control:
- Analysis time: 2 to 8 hours per sample
- Sample size: 500 g to 1 kg
- Use of solvents (e.g., petroleum ether)
- Chemical waste and associated disposal requirements
- Low measurement frequency within the production process
This delay meant that process adjustments could only be implemented with a significant time lag. To compensate for potential deviations, safety margins had to be factored into the oil addition—resulting in increased raw material consumption.
Solution | Near-Infrared Spectroscopy with the Altum Solutions M2000
With the Altum Solutions M2000 NIR spectrometer, OFI was able to integrate fat content analysis directly into its production workflow. Technical Advantages at a Glance:
- Measurement duration: < 1 minute
- Sample size: a few grams (Petri dish)
- No chemicals or extraction required
- Near-inline process control possible
- Measurement accuracy: approx. ±2%
NIR measurement delivers immediate results, allowing the fat content of hazelnut paste to be adjusted to target values in real time. The measurable added value for OFI includes:
- 🚀 95% Time Savings per Analysis: Quality decisions are now made within minutes rather than hours.
- 🎯 Precise Batch Optimization: Fat content is adjusted to customer specifications without the need for safety margins—resulting in lower oil consumption and reduced costs.
- 🔁 Significantly Higher Measurement Frequency: Continuous, close-knit process control replaces sporadic laboratory analyses.
- 🌍 More Sustainable Production
- No solvent waste
- Minimal sample consumption
- Reduced raw material losses
- 📈 Enhanced Quality Assurance: Comprehensive documentation and reproducible measurement results for audits and customer reports.
Results
With the Altum Solutions M2000, OFI has transformed its fat content control from a time-consuming laboratory analysis into a fast, sustainable, and highly precise process measurement. Key benefits include:
- Faster production decisions
- Lower costs per batch
- More stable product quality
- Higher customer satisfaction
- More environmentally friendly analytics