Food transportation temperature monitoring U12-015-02

At its specialized processing facility in California Fowler, the National Raisin Process processes nearly 50,000 tons of raisins and dried fruit each year, making it the second largest processor of raisins in the United States. Quantity, however, does not mean low quality and Country Raisin is an example of this. The company has earned a reputation for producing the cleanest quality raisins in the world and writes about the company's mission: "To achieve the highest possible quality standards of any processor in the California raisin industry."

As part of its overall quality control strategy, National Raisin relies on battery-powered data loggers for temperature verification at different process steps. Data loggers, which have long been used in food processing plants for ambient temperature monitoring and climate control system troubleshooting, are now becoming a more integral part of the process itself. “We primarily use the temperature conditions of our equipment to better understand our product validation, and to confirm that our process equipment is functioning properly,” explained Stacey Crease, Technical Director at National Raisin. "In this respect, the data logger essentially becomes a research tool that helps us optimize our processes."

Data loggers U12-015, U12-015-02 are miniature electronic recording devices that combine built-in micromachining, high precision temperature sensing and batteries in one housing. Simple to use, the data loggers U12-015, U12-015-02 are usually configured by connecting the device to a computer and using the included logger software with a number of choices, including how long the logger should start taking temperature measurements and logging. Once these are selected, it's basically a click of "start" with the Recorder software and the device is ready to start monitoring. Record data at user-defined intervals (e.g., hourly, weekly, monthly), store in digital logger memory, and later transfer to computer for graphing and analysis.

HOBO U12 Stainless Steel Logger U12-015, U12-015-02 from Onset Fowler Factory Validated App for various process temperatures. The logger features precision sensors that can measure temperatures from -40ºF to 257°F and is housed in a food-grade, stainless steel housing that can withstand a range of process conditions, from pasteurization to flash freezes and effective washdowns.

In the factory's dried plum processing operation, the temperature logger U12-015, U12-015-02 is fed through the steam-cooking machine, the fruit is on the continuous paper system, it monitors the peak temperature for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the raw plum features. Data logger U12-015, U12-015-02 is a control panel with LED thermometer readout for the kill machine.

"Our steam tunnel operates at 210°F, and we wanted to better understand whether these temperature conditions have improved pitting and a deep correlation to plum size," explained Crease. “This helps us ensure that the plungers and rollers allow the equipment to easily remove stones inside. The data could also indicate insufficient steam, which could cause problems.”

Once temperature data has been collected for the specified duration, the Crease retrieves the logger and offloads the data to the computer. He then runs the accompanying graphing and analysis software to instantly convert the data into an easy-to-read graph that clearly shows time-stamped peaks and dips.

HOBO loggers are also used to verify the temperature of raisin leaching tanks, which contain water at temperatures between -180°F and 200°F. Here, Madness and other process engineers learn about the thermologger's tendency to concentrate raisins. “In the dipping of raisins,” he explained, “log data gives us an understanding of how temperature stratification may affect the efficiency of concentrated extraction. At the same time, we can track the actual steam sterilization temperature of the indoor tank, which helps us Sanitation tasks with Kosherization equipment and verification.”

Since the logger was purchased in 2003, it has been collecting data reliably despite the harsh conditions of Raisin Country. The crease describes the logger as "thermoelastic", better suited to handle a range of temperatures than most conventional logger devices.

He concludes, "The fact that HOBO is reusable in various parts of the process is a particular advantage, as there are many places where temperature validation data can help us. We may at some point consider using a HACCP-validated logger BA Sterilization tunnel or rebuttal process."