October 14, 2010

Lucta and Mettler Toleda collaborate on efficient flavour formula

Lucta SA, a Spanish manufacturer of flavours and feed additives, partnered with Mettler Toledo to ensure fail-safe and efficient formulation of powdered flavours for meat and dairy products among others.

The company's Barcelona manufacturing site utilises an industrial PC ID30 Weighing Terminal and FormWeigh.Net Software. This system provides important information about raw material handling and procedures throughout the weighing process and helps operators prepare the right ingredients for every batch.

Lucta synthesizes 1,200 tonnes of chemical essences per year, through more than 200 different chemical reactions. These reactions result in thousands of different aromas, which are formulated and mixed to obtain the final flavour product.

Flavours contain many ingredients, including powder and liquid aromas, oils, preservatives, pH modifiers, solvents and many other additives, all of which must be dosed securely and efficiently.

For the daily production of flavours, recipes are first downloaded directly to a Mettler Toledo industrial PC ID30 terminal. The proprietary software recognizes each material by reading its barcode with a barcode reader; it then verifies its quality status and confirms the expiry date.

The operator can then begin weighing in one of the two connected platforms, a high precision KCC with 300 kg capacity and a PBA430 with 30 kg capacity.

The required weighing tolerances are clearly displayed on the screen and a colour change system helps the operator hit the target weight. Safety precautions and handling procedures are also highlighted on the screen.

Mettler Toledo ensures efficient system validation with proven best practice validation manuals and consulting support for FormWeigh.Net in compliance with GAMP 4 guidelines.

Further, all relevant batch information and the operator's "signature" are electronically documented.