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In today's health-conscious world, the popularity of nutraceuticals – those magical molecules promising a healthier you – is exploding. From vitamin gummies to herbal concoctions, these nutritional powerhouses line our shelves, offering a convenient path to wellness. But what about the very container that holds these life-changing potions? Nutraceutical packaging comes with unique challenges and navigating them requires innovative solutions and cutting-edge testing methods.

While nutraceuticals offer a plethora of health benefits, their packaging comes with inherent risks that can compromise product quality and safety. The nutraceutical industry faces unique challenges related to packaging, including ingredient stability, contamination, and regulatory compliance. Exposure to light, moisture, and oxygen can degrade the potency of bioactive compounds, rendering the product less effective. Contamination during the manufacturing and packaging process poses a risk to consumer safety. Additionally, regulatory bodies impose stringent standards to ensure the quality and authenticity of nutraceutical products.

Methods to Ensure Integrity of Nutraceutical Packaging

To address these challenges, manufacturers are turning to advanced testing methods for package integrity. Package integrity testing involves assessing the strength and robustness of the packaging to prevent leaks, breakages, or other vulnerabilities.

1. VeriPac Series

The VeriPac series by PTI offers cutting-edge inspection systems designed for leak detection and package integrity testing. These systems employ a non-destructive and non-invasive approach, contributing to waste reduction while delivering real-time and quantitative results. The technology is based on the ASTM-approved Vacuum Decay leak test method F2338, a methodology recognized by the FDA for its reliability and accuracy.

The VeriPac testers seamlessly connect to specially designed test chambers, creating a controlled environment for the inspection process. During testing, a vacuum is applied to the package, and absolute transducer technology is employed to monitor changes in vacuum levels over a predefined test duration. This meticulous monitoring allows the system to swiftly identify leaks and defects within the package.

One of the key advantages of the VeriPac series lies in its efficiency and objectivity. The entire process is quick, eliminating the need for subjective assessments and ensuring a non-destructive testing approach. This makes the VeriPac series suitable for various testing scenarios, ranging from laboratory offline testing to the rigorous demands of 100% inline testing in production environments.

Given the adherence to the ASTM-approved Vacuum Decay leak test method F2338, these inspection systems not only meet industry standards but also comply with FDA regulations. This recognition further underscores the reliability and precision of the VeriPac series in ensuring the integrity of packages.

2.Seal-Sensor PQX Technology

The Seal-Sensor PQX is an advanced automated pouch seal quality inspection system designed for seamless integration into production lines. Leveraging Seal-SensorTM Airborne Ultrasonic technology, this cutting-edge system conducts swift online scans of final pouch seals, aligning with ASTM Test Method F3004 and FDA consensus standards. Its deterministic and quantitative approach enables the rapid identification of defects, including incomplete seals, weak areas, and concealed issues that could compromise product quality.

The system operates with remarkable efficiency, delivering pass/fail results and generating traceable data in less than a second, even at speeds of up to 350 mm/sec. This ensures a quick and reliable assessment of seal quality, contributing to enhanced overall production efficiency.

The Seal-Sensor PQX is characterized by its user-friendly design and plug-and-play functionality, making it easy to integrate into existing manufacturing setups. Its modest footprint ensures that it can be seamlessly incorporated into various production environments without occupying excessive space. In the event of a defective pouch seal, the system features a built-in reject chute that promptly removes defective pouches from the production line. This not only prevents substandard products from progressing further in the manufacturing process but also helps maintain the integrity of the overall production flow.

As the nutraceutical boom continues, innovative packaging and rigorous testing methods like VeriPac and Seal-Sensor PQX are crucial to ensure the safety, efficacy, and trust in these life-changing supplements. By prioritizing package integrity, we unlock the true potential of these wellness wonders.

In today's fast-paced world, where technology is advancing at an unprecedented rate, automation has become a crucial tool for various industries seeking to streamline processes and enhance efficiency. One sector that stands to significantly benefit from automated inspection is seafood packaging. With its stringent quality control requirements and the necessity to maintain consumer trust, seafood companies are increasingly turning to automated systems to revolutionize their packaging processes. This transformative shift in the industry is enabling higher quality, improved safety, and increased customer satisfaction.

Automated pouch seal inspection systems are being implemented throughout the food packaging. This blog will focus on one particular market segment, seafood processing, from the initial sorting and grading of the seafood to the final packaging stages. These systems employ a range of technologies, such as computer vision, machine learning, and robotics, to carry out tasks that were previously done manually.

To protect shelf life and require product quality freshness, seafood packaging in pouches and flexible package formats requires adequate and thorough testing of the seals to detect any defects or breaches in the seal that would affect the product. Introducing the Seal-Sensor PQX , an advanced and fully automated handling system combined with a cutting-edge pouch seal inspection solution. This innovative technology incorporates PTI's Seal-Sensor Airborne ultrasound, enabling seamless online scanning of the final pouch seal at remarkable speeds. The Seal-Sensor PQX complies with ASTM Test Method F3004 and is recognized by the FDA as a consensus standard for inspecting seal quality.

With its integrated conveyor, the Seal-Sensor PQX effortlessly integrates into your production line, streamlining the inspection process. The system conducts a rapid linear scan of the pouch seal, providing immediate inline verification of seal quality even at high production outputs. In a matter of seconds, the test result data is generated, allowing for swift decision-making.

Despite its powerful capabilities, the system boasts a compact footprint, ensuring minimal space requirements. The user-friendly full-screen HMI (Human-Machine Interface) conveniently displays the test result data as each pouch is scanned. The inspection rates can reach impressive speeds of up to 350 mm/sec.

To maintain a seamless production flow, the Seal-Sensor PQX features a built-in reject chute that swiftly removes any defective pouches from the line. Additionally, the system incorporates a stack light, which provides clear visual cues to easily identify pass or fail results.

Automated inspection is revolutionizing seafood packaging by improving accuracy, efficiency, and safety while ensuring compliance with regulations. By harnessing the power of machine vision and AI, seafood companies can enhance quality control, maintain consumer trust, and reduce operational costs. As the industry continues to embrace automation, the future of seafood packaging looks promising, with increased efficiency, sustainable practices, and safer products. By investing in automated inspection systems, seafood companies can thrive in a competitive market, secure customer loyalty, and contribute to a more sustainable and technologically advanced future.

Airborne ultrasound technology is revolutionizing various industries and applications, thanks to its remarkable versatility and benefits. This groundbreaking innovation utilizes sound waves to detect, measure, and analyze different elements present in the air. Its potential spans across industrial sectors, healthcare, and various other areas, making it an invaluable tool with boundless opportunities.

The ability to identify concealed defects, achieve precise medical diagnoses, and enhance our daily lives through non-invasive means becomes a reality with airborne ultrasound technology. By tapping into sound waves beyond the limits of human hearing, it unveils a realm of possibilities that were once confined to our imaginations.

In this blog, we will delve into the fundamentals of airborne ultrasound technology and shed light on the advantages it brings to various sectors.

PTI’s Airborne Ultrasound technology is a seal quality inspection test method, capable of non-destructively examining seal quality for defects. It is an ASTM Test Method F3004 and FDA Recognized Standard for seal quality testing. Such tests are mainly conducted to provide enhanced seal quality inspection of pouches, flexible packages and tray seals. Airborne Ultrasound technology ensures in-depth seal quality analyses and is applicable for multiple packaging materials Tyvek, paper, foil, film, aluminium, plastic and poly. According to Oliver Stauffer, CEO of PTI-Packaging Technologies & Inspection, “Ultrasound is one of the only technologies that can tell us what the quality of that physical bonded nature of the seal materials are.

Under this technology, ultrasound waves are passed through the package seal which causes reflections of sound waves. The signal strength is reduced or eliminated in the presence of a leak/defect. Such variations are closely observed to identify the leak. Inability to detect non-leak defects is a common challenge faced by most leak test methods. However, with Airborne Ultrasound technology, users are able to identify various types of seal defects; visible and invisible, leaking and non-leaking, process-related and random.

PTI has redefined seal integrity testing with its latest improvements in the form of Seal Scan (Offline) and Seal-Sensor (100% online testing). Both these technologies utilize non-contact airborne ultrasonic testing technology. With the advancements in form of Seal Scan and Seal-Sensor, Airborne Ultrasound technology has been proven to be the most effective method for non-destructive seal integrity testing, in both offline laboratory testing for in-depth seal quality analysis and 100% inline testing on the production line.

• Deterministic seal quality inspection technique that assures quantitative and reliable results
• Applicable for multiple material types and combinations regardless of color, transparency, print, surface finish or porosity.
• Eliminates subjective manual inspection methods.
• Non-destructive, non-subjective, no sample preparation
• Technology can be integrated for 100% online defect detection of the final pouch seal.

Seal quality inspection is a critical step in the packaging process, as it ensures that the package is properly sealed and will protect its contents from contamination or damage during shipping and storage. This is especially important for packages that are used in industries such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and food packaging.

Two common types of packaging materials used in these industries are Tyvek® and porous packaging. Tyvek® is a synthetic material made of high-density polyethylene fibers that are spun together to form a tough, lightweight material that is resistant to tears, punctures, and moisture. Porous packaging, on the other hand, is typically made of materials like paper, cardboard, or fabric that allow air and moisture to pass through. Both Tyvek® and porous packaging require careful attention to seal quality inspection to ensure that the package is properly sealed and that its contents are protected. This may involve using specialized testing equipment to measure the strength of the seal for any signs of defects.

In industries where the contents of the package are particularly sensitive, such as pharmaceuticals, seal quality inspection is often regulated by government agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that products meet strict quality standards.

Seal-Scan® is an Airborne Ultrasonic Technology (ABUS) for offline non-destructive and seal integrity testing analysis of pouch seals. It is a deterministic, quantitative, high-resolution method for inspecting pouch seal defects and seal integrity for consistency. The test is non-destructive, non-invasive and requires no sample preparation. Seal-Scan® offers advanced process control digital imaging software tools that enable detailed analysis of seal quality. The Seal-Scan system uses ASTM test method F3004-13. This test procedure approval was developed using PTI's ABUS technology.

Unlike Seal-Scan® technology, Seal-Sensor™ technology offers 100% online inspection of final pouch seals. It is a deterministic, quantitative, rapid and reliable method of inspecting pouch seals for defects. The Seal-Sensor identifies a number of imperfect seals, partial or weak areas of seals, and seals that appear visually acceptable but have defects that affect product quality, value, and durability.

• Deterministic seal quality inspection method that produces quantitative results
• This method works for any material type and combinations regardless of color, transparency, print, surface finish or porosity.
• Non-destructive and non-subjective test method that requires no sample preparation.
• Technology can be integrated for 100% online defect detection of the final pouch seal.
• Repeatable, reproducible and reliable results for seal quality inspection.
• Cost-effective solution for seal integrity testing and seal analysis that characterizes overall quality and uniformity of the seal.

Seafood packaging plays a crucial role in preserving the freshness and quality of seafood products from the time of catch or processing to the point of sale. It ensures that seafood reaches consumers in a safe and desirable condition, maintaining its taste, freshness and nutritional value. When it comes to the seafood industry, quality control and food safety are paramount. A critical aspect of preserving the freshness and integrity of seafood products lies in the effectiveness of the package closure or seal. In a flexible package format such a pouch, a faulty seal can lead to spoilage and contamination. Among the various aspects of seafood packaging, the inspection of seals is necessary to verify that the seal is intact and reliable to protect the package from physical damage and contamination, providing consumers with an assurance of quality.

In the past, manual inspection processes were employed to detect potential seal defects, but they often proved time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to human error. With the advent of new technologies and automation platforms, seafood producers can now ensure the quality of their package seals with greater speed, precision, and reliability.

The Seal-Sensor PQX is a fully automated handling system and pouch seal inspection solution. It incorporates a built-in conveyor that can be seamlessly integrated into a production line. Utilizing PTI's Seal-Sensor airborne ultrasound technology, it scans the final pouch seal online at high speed. This technology is compliant with ASTM Test Method F3004 and is recognized as an FDA consensus standard for seal quality inspection.

The Seal-Sensor PQX performs a rapid linear scan of the pouch seal, offering immediate seal check and verification of seal quality at high production outputs. The test results are generated within seconds, allowing for swift data driven decision-making and process control.

This plug and play system is designed for inline pouch seal integrity testing and can be easily installed due to its small footprint. The system features a user-friendly full-screen HMI that displays the test result data as the pouches are scanned. Inspection rates can reach up to 350 mm/sec, ensuring efficient throughput.

In addition, the Seal-Sensor PQX incorporates a built-in reject chute that promptly removes any defective pouches from the production line. Furthermore, a built-in stack light provides easy identification of pass/fail results, enabling quick intervention and minimizing the potential for defective products to enter the market.

• 100% pouch seal inspection
• Easy integration into production lines
• Adjustable for different size pouches
• Manual load or robotic pick & place
• Built-in reject chute

In conclusion, the seal quality inspection in seafood packaging is a critical step in ensuring the freshness, quality and safety of the product. By preserving freshness, preventing contamination, building consumer trust, and complying with regulations, seal inspection plays an indispensable role in the seafood industry. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers must prioritize seal inspection as an integral part of their quality control processes to safeguard the reputation of their brands and the well-being of their customers.

Pouch seal inspection refers to the process of evaluating the quality of the seals on a pouch or bag. This can be done visually or through mechanical testing to ensure the seals are strong enough to maintain the integrity of the contents within the pouch. This is an important step in the packaging process to guarantee the integrity of the contents and to prevent product contamination or spoilage. The purpose of pouch seal inspection is to ensure that the seals will not break or leak, thereby preserving the quality and safety of the product.

Traditional seal integrity testing methods are unreliable because they miss unseen defects and mistakenly qualify pouches that have visual flaws. One of the most efficient techniques for non-destructive testing of flexible pouch packaging seals is Airborne Ultrasound technology. Seal-Sensor PQX is a non-contact Airborne Ultrasound technology technology to test package seals 100% online.

The Seal-Sensor PQX is a fully automated pouch seal inspection and handling technology. It comes with an integrated conveyor that can be readily connected into a production line. PTI's Seal-Sensor Airborne Ultrasonic technology is used to automatically scan the final pouch seal online at high speed. Seal-Sensor technology is an ASTM Test Method F3004 and an FDA consensus standard for inspecting seal quality.

Seal-SensorTM is an Airborne Ultrasonic Technology that inspects the final pouch seal 100% online and non-destructively. Seal-Sensor is a deterministic, quantitative, quick, and dependable approach for inspecting pouch seals for defects. Seal-Sensor detects incomplete seals, partial or weak areas in seals, and a variety of frequent defects in seals that appear visually acceptable but contain problems that impact product quality, value, and shelf-life. In less than one second, a single linear scan (L-Scan) of the pouch seal delivers a pass/fail result as well as quantitative, traceable data. At high outputs, a quick linear scan of the pouch seal allows immediate seal check/verification of seal quality. Data from tests is generated in seconds.

The Seal-Sensor PQX is a plug-and-play system for checking the quality of pouch seals inline. This simple-to-install system has a modest footprint and a full-screen HMI for displaying test result data as pouches are scanned. Inspection speeds can reach 350 mm/sec. A built-in reject chute swiftly removes flaws from the line, and a built-in stack light makes determining pass/rail outcomes simple.

• 100% pouch seal inspection
• Easy integration into production lines
• Adjustable for different size pouches
• Manual load or robotic pick & place
• Built-in reject chute