Glass in food can pose a serious safety risk to consumers and can lead to costly recalls for manufacturers. One of the main sources of this type of physical contaminant often comes from the glass packaging itself. Glass containers are widely used across industries such as food and beverage production, cosmetics and personal care, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. While glass packaging offers many benefits, it also increases the risk of contaminants like glass fragments during production.
Glass containers are a popular choice for packaging food and beverages due to several key benefits:
Despite the many benefits of glass packaging for food, the fragile nature of glass means it can easily chip or break during the filling, sealing, or capping processes. Small fragments of glass can enter the food during production without being detected, increasing the safety risk to consumers. Recalls due to glass contamination in food can be expensive, harmful to brand reputation, and can cause lasting damage to consumer trust.
Glass in food is a preventable risk. With the right inspection technology, manufacturers can detect and remove contaminated products before they reach store shelves. Investing in a reliable x-ray inspection system allows manufacturers to significantly enhance their product quality, maintain safety standards, and protect their brand.
To address the challenge of preventing glass contamination in food, METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection offers a range of advanced x-ray inspection systems. X-ray systems can detect glass fragments and other physical contaminants in various packaging types, including glass containers, metal cans, plastic bottles, cardboard cartons, and even unpackaged bulk products. Beyond contamination detection, x-ray systems can also perform other product quality inspections such as integrity checks and verification of product completeness.
Glass most often enters packaged food during manufacturing. Glass packaging can break or chip during the production process, often during the filling or capping stages. Even small glass fragments can pose serious health risks to consumers if they are not detected. X-ray inspection systems screen for glass and other contaminants in foods and beverages before they reach consumers. X-ray systems are capable of detecting contamination in a variety of containers, including glass bottles, metal cans, plastic bags, and cardboard boxes. Using x-ray technology to check food and beverages for contaminants is vital for protecting customer safety and brand reputation.
X-ray inspection can detect glass contamination in glass containers. However, this process is challenging because the contaminant has similar material properties and density to the container. Differences in glass thickness, raised bases in jars, and imperfections such as small glass beads or strands make detection harder. Complex container shapes, including oval or embossed designs, and features like metal lids or screw threads, can create blind spots where contaminants may not be visible to x-rays.
To address these challenges, specialized x-ray inspection systems are used for glass-in-glass detection. Horizontal beam systems scan containers from the side and apply dynamic filtering to manage dense container edges. Multi-angle imaging with split or combination beams improves detection accuracy. Advanced angled beam systems increase sensitivity and provide full coverage, including difficult areas such as the base and shoulder of jars. Manufacturers should test using realistic glass contaminants and adjust x-ray settings to balance sensitivity with reduction of false rejects. When correctly configured and maintained, x-ray inspection systems can effectively detect glass fragments in glass containers like jars, helping to improve product safety and quality.
