Product inspection of coffee and tea: efficient, reliable, accurate
Coffee is the undisputed favourite drink in central and northern Europe: the Finns are the front-runners with 1,310 cups per person per year, followed by the Swedes, Norwegians, Austrians and the Swiss. In contrast, the picture for tea is particularly interesting if we look beyond Europe. The favourite hot drink worldwide is not coffee but tea. Here, the highest per person consumption is not found in China, from where it originates, but in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Kuwait. Each year some 1,200 cups of tea per person are consumed in Kuwait.
What we can see is that the sales market for both hot drinks is incredibly strong. It’s one that is growing steadily. Worldwide sales amount to around 80 billion euros for coffee alone. Forecasts assume that the market volume will increase to 97 billion euros by 2023.
On this page you will find more information about:
- Standards and guidelines for high food quality
- Challenges in the product inspection of coffee and tea – using coffee as an example
- Optimal product inspection solutions for different packaging formats
- The advantages of our checkweighers and X-rays for the product inspection of coffee and tea
- Correct labeling of coffee and tea
Standards and guidelines for high food quality
Consumer confidence is critical for coffee and tea. For this reason, there are strict standards for food safety that must be adhered to. For example, the EU Packaging Directive, the HACCP concept (risk analysis and critical control points), the IFS (International Food Standard), the BRC (Global Standard for Food Safety of the British Retail Consortium), the FDA, the GFSI certification (Global Food Safety Initiative) and others.
As a member of the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG), we are particularly committed and experienced when it comes to the production and packaging of food. We are happy to advise you on all matters regarding standards in the food industry and product inspection for the quality assurance of coffee and tea.
Checkweighing, foreign body detection in coffee and tea, completeness and fill level checking and more: with us you get all the solutions from a single source and safeguard yourself in matters of consumer protection, packaging directives, checking standards, environmental protection, increased efficiency and prevention of damage to your image.
Challenges in the product inspection of coffee and tea
- As a manufacturer, with an expensive product like coffee you have to be sure that the quantity filled is exactly right. Our checkweighers will make sure for you. They weigh all types of packaging accurately and reliably, whether capsules, pods, sticks or pouches.This allows you to prevent overfilling and increases efficiency.
- While overfilling may result in economic loss, underfilling leads to loss of image which is an equally important challenge. The German Pre-packaging Regulation permits only a very small tolerance between the weight printed on the packaging and the actual contents of the product. As a result, our checkweighers not only weigh accurately, they also communicate with the filler. In the event of a fluctuation, the filler receives the information and adjusts the quantity filled accordingly.
- Coffee capsules can be counted using a X-ray scanner from our modular SC or SC-E scanner, even if they might variate in their weight.
- Foreign body detection is particularly important in coffee. If stones get into the coffee mill of automatic coffee machines, they can damage what is often an expensive unit. This is very annoying for the consumer. But downstream producers also don’t want any foreign bodies in the coffee. You can ensure this with our innovative and reliable SC-B X-ray scanners which examine the beans for foreign bodies before packaging.
- The X-ray scanners of the SC series reliably check packaged products, whether horizontal or vertical, for foreign bodies and other quality features.
- A complete product inspection of coffee and tea also includes the checking of barcodes, texts such as sell by date and contents as well as labels. Our compact solution for this: the SC-V X-ray scanner with integrated vision inspection.
Optimal product inspection solutions for different packaging formats
- For the inspection of bags and pouches, our SC-E has a proven record and impact in the coffee industry worldwide. The SC-E family ensures top inspection performance for a entry level price.
- When producing boxes, the SC-E is the best solution in most cases as well.
- In case of leight weight packages, a bespoke solution from our modular SC range gives you the best value without any compromises on safety.
- When packaging is a Can or a Glass-Jars the optimal solutions are the scanners from the SC-S range. With their modular design and the different options for the beam orientation, the scanners ensure optimal inspection of the whole jar/can. This is especially important, if the packaging itself can be a source of contamination like glass jars. Our SC-S 5020 is the ultimate solution for Glass-in-Glass inspection!
- Coffee bricks can be either scanned upright standing, using our SC-S 4000, or flat on the conveyor, using our SC-E scanner.
Product inspection of coffee beans
Up to 6,000 kg/h
It is never possible to reliably exclude contamination in the raw material of natural products. That is why a foreign body inspection at the beginning of the production process leads to optimized line efficiency. The high-performance image processing software analyzes the X-ray images to reliably detect contamination such as stones, glass, plastic or metal. Through effective blowing nozzles, over 80% of the good products are saved, which would otherwise be sorted out with the foreign bodies.
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X-ray inspection of coffee stick packs in boxes
Accurate foreign body detection for small packaged products
The X-ray inspection system ensures dependable quality control for small packaged products such as coffee stick packs in cartons. Each box is scanned inline for foreign bodies while maintaining a smooth and continuous product flow. The intuitive HMI provides a clear overview of the entire inspection process and displays detailed X-ray images of every product unit. Even very small contaminants, such as metal washers, are detected with high precision. Flexible parameter settings allow customized image visualization and optimized inspection performance for different product and packaging characteristics.
Side View X-ray inspection for vacuum coffee packs
Reliable foreign body detection in upright packaging
The Side View X-ray inspection system enables reliable foreign body detection in upright vacuum packaging for ground coffee. Products are guided safely through the inspection area and scanned from the side to ensure optimal visibility across the entire pack. Adjustable guide rails support stable product positioning and consistent handling for best detection performance. The HMI consolidates all relevant inspection data and provides clear visualization of every individual X-ray image. This setup ensures dependable inspection results while maintaining efficient product flow for vertical packaging formats.
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Precise X-ray verification for capsule packaging
Reliable completeness control for sleeves and boxes
The X-ray inspection system enables accurate completeness verification of coffee capsules in sleeves and cartons. Each package is inspected inline to ensure the correct number of capsules while maintaining a stable product flow. The high-resolution X-ray images displayed on the HMI clearly visualize every single capsule within the pack. Missing units are identified and reliably rejected. In addition to count verification, the system can also be configured for foreign body detection when required. Flexible inspection parameters allow optimal adaptation to different packaging formats and product layouts.
Curious to find out more?
The advantages of our checkweighers for the product inspection of coffee and tea
- Wipotec EMFR weigh cells permit throughputs of up to 650 pcs/min
- Demand-oriented modularity for tailor-made applications
- Exact filling results for reducing the TCO
- Easy, user-friendly operation
- GMP conformity and hygienic design
If you need a highly compact inspection solution, we can also supply you with combination devices. The SC-W, for example. It combines our high-precision checkweigher with the modular X-ray scanner. The HC-M-MDi checkweigher additionally offers an integrated metal detector on the smallest footprint. For the heavy-duty and secondary packaging sector, the HC-M-SL is an excellent solution. Simply take a look around or let us advise you:
The advantages of our X-ray scanners for the product inspection of coffee and tea
- Modularity permits fast, flexible solution development and integration
- Broad standard portfolio from entry-level scanners to high-performance combined devices
- High-resolution HD-TDI camera detector technology in compact designs
- Optimal application implementation via intelligent software features
- Conformity to standards such as HACCP, BRC or IFS and others
- 16-bit camera technology
- Camera detectors provide multi-resolution above a resolution of 102 µm
- Inspection speeds up to 2 m/s
Correct labeling of coffee and tea
Various international regulations oblige manufacturers of pre-packaged coffee and tea to provide specific information on the packaging. There are two types of information: static content that is pre-printed in the packaging design (net quantity, ingredients, nutritional values, etc.) and dynamic content such as best-before date and batch number. The latter can only be applied during production in the form of a print or label. This is where TQS comes into play, taking on this task with minimum effort and maximum security.
For coffee and tea manufacturers, flexibility plays a major role when it comes to labeling. Today, the majority of products are generally marked with a best-before date and batch number. However, the origin of the product as well as the date and place of production are also important for transparent traceability. In-line coding is the most effective way of placing all this relevant information in a compact space. The code opens up completely new possibilities for producers, retailers and consumers:
Safety and efficiency in marking
Manufacturers of tea and coffee often process premium products in premium packaging, which is why the desire to reduce rejects and recalls to a minimum is particularly important. Product labeling and verification play a central role in this. This is why producers rely on our combined TQS units, in which all modules are fully integrated.
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Benefits of full product serialization
These systems are even able to provide full serialization, i.e. the marking of each individual product with a unique serial number. This creates transparency across the entire supply chain and protects your brand from counterfeiting. For manufacturers in particular, this marking offers many advantages. Read more: