From Farm to Table: The Role of Moisture Analysis in Potato Chip Production

Maximizing Shelf Life and Flavor with Moisture Analysis

Zweifel Pomy-Chips AG has satisfied the savory cravings of Swiss consumers for more than sixty years. Each year they turn 22,000 tons of potatoes into tasty snacks. With a long-standing commitment to quality, Zweifel relies on halogen moisture analyzers from METTLER TOLEDO as an integral step in their quality process.

Moisture Analysis in Potato Chip Production

Zweifel is one of the most recognizable brands in Switzerland. A fleet of trucks painted in their iconic bright orange color means customers won't miss it when their local supermarket is getting a restock. Relationships and trust with customers make up the foundation of everything Zweifel does.

Whenever possible, Zweifel sources their raw ingredients locally from farms in Switzerland. They value the strong relationships they've built with their suppliers. They print the name of the farmer who supplied the potatoes on the front of each bag of chips they produce. In keeping with the Swiss tradition of high quality, Zweifel's key focus is to provide customers with a quality product. An essential parameter of quality management is the raw material and final moisture content of their ingredients and final product. If a result falls outside specifications, operators must stop the production line, causing costly delays and the possibility of product rejection.

Customer feedback is essential to the family-run business. Customers expect their snacks to be crispy for their entire shelf life. Zweifel uses halogen moisture analyzers from METTLER TOLEDO to check their potato chips' moisture content before and after adding their flavoring mix. They use the reading to calibrate an inline moisture content sensor. Tanja Dickenmann, the Head of Analytics, explains, "We test the moisture content of the chips right off the production line. We need fast and accurate results to determine if we need to make any adjustments to the production line parameters".

Over a decade of reliability

Zweifel's partnership with METTLER TOLEDO began over a decade ago when they first introduced a moisture analyzer to replace an old infrared dryer. At the time, Zweifel employees were impressed by how user-friendly their METTLER TOLEDO halogen moisture analyzers were. This reduced training time, which increased productivity and gave greater operational flexibility.

They have since updated their model to the HS153 from METTLER TOLEDO's Excellence line. The HS153 is perfect for the production environment, with a stainless-steel weighing pan that is easy to clean. At Zweifel, they simply brush down the pan, and it's ready for the next sample .The QuickPredict™ feature can be added to the HS153 moisture analyzer functionality with an extra software license code. This innovation predicts results in a fraction of the usual time, enabling quicker decision-making and speeding up further process steps.

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