Miller Magazine Issue: 139 July 2021

84 ARTICLE MILLER / july 2021 protein, but the NIR Analyzer evens it all out, resulting in reduced gluten usage.” ALARM AND SPECKS COUNT Ian Nickson, Assistant Chief Engineer at Nelstrops, states: “The main benefit of the NIR Analyzer is great- er control of our final product quality. With it operating in real-time, we can watch the flour as it’s being made. We can gauge trends. It provides peace of mind be- cause it practically looks after itself; it runs over night while we’re sleeping, all the maintenance it needs is the occasional brush down. “The NIR Analyzer keeps our flour in spec, if there’s a problem it makes a decision to either adjust settings or shut down. It’s an integrated part of the control sys- tem that works very well for us. It gives us a real idea of our wheat and flour protein loss. Plus, we’re able to keep a constant eye on the bran speck count, even with varying types of wheats.” Indeed, the bran speck count is conducted by Buhler’s Online Colour and Specks Measurement Unit (MYHB) - a sensor add-on to the MYRG system - which continuously monitors end product colour and specks classification during flour production. In real time, it can detect subtle colour deviations and contamination and releases an alarm to alert the miller of any issues. PRECISE MEASUREMENT When asked how the NIR Analyzer’s measurement precision compliments laboratory analysis, Kate Syers replies: “The NIR Analyzer is reliable and it’s live in the production flow, so much faster than lab analysis techniques.” Having real-time measurement of protein content allows the mill operators to run the production at its optimum. The NIR Analyzer has been designed to withstand the rigors of the milling process. Its sensors have a sturdy casing that can deal with the dust and vibration that occurs during the milling process. The NIR Ana- lyzer system is flexible and can be retrofitted into ex- isting flour mills. It can consist of up to six sensors con- nected to one control unit, with only the sensor head needing to be installed within the production line. As well as the new online NIR Analyzer and the On- Online particle-size measurement system MYTA delivers accurate data in real time. NIR Analyzer MYRG and bran speck count MYHB allow highly accurate analysis of wheat flour in the mill.