For Baked Goods, Quality Starts with the Balance

Quality assurance begins in the goods receiving area, where deliveries of ingredients are sampled for analysis. The samples must pass a variety of lab tests before a shipment is approved for use in production.

For example, ground flour and whole grain ingredients like sunflower seeds will be measured for bulk density; whole grains are also subjected to sieve analysis to verify that they are within size tolerances. A one-liter container is first weighed empty, then filled to capacity. The difference represents the weight per liter, in other words the bulk density. Whole grains are then shaken through a stack of sieves with specified mesh sizes, and the ones that make it to the bottom are weighed again. If bulk density and the weight of the sieved grains is within defined tolerances, then the sample can proceed to more complex chemical analyses.

This initial multi-step process happens dozens of times per day and is weighing-intensive, so the right balance can create big efficiency gains. The NewClassic MS4002S balance from METTLER TOLEDO is ideal for this kind of quality control work, capable of weighing up to 4200g with 0.01g readability and fast in operation. Built-in applications reduce arithmetical tasks to the press of a button, thus eliminating transcription and calculation errors. The balance also makes it easy to print out results and create a traceable record, so suppliers can see for themselves how a delivery fared.

Where acceptance of a whole shipment is at stake, weighing dependability is a key asset to quality control and assurance. The MS4002S is first class in this regard too, with a durable aluminum housing to safeguard the sensitive inside of the balance and a MonoBloc weighing cell that is robust and protected against overload – all in all, this balance is capable of tireless service for years. Subtler effects of an industrial environment, like air currents that easily influence weighing performance and increase settling time, are screened out by a draft shield specifically designed to fit precision balances.

Quality ingredients make for quality baked goods. So it really makes sense to run tests using a quality balance.