FOSS announces the ProFoss™ 2, an advance in-line near infrared (NIR) analyser that helps food and agri producers make the best possible use of resources in the production of products such as butter, soybean meal, meat, fresh cheese and many more.

ProFoss™ 2 helps producers by providing direct and continuous measurements directly in the process. Key control parameters can be closely monitored allowing tighter production control against targets for example for protein and moisture in soybean meal or fat and moisture in butter.

Building on the success of the original ProFoss™ solution, ProFoss™ 2 captures latest developments in both NIR technology and associated software and digital services to make it simpler than ever to realise the full potential of in-line NIR analysis.

The ProFoss 2 solution consists of specially designed sensors that are mounted in a production process, a sturdy analyser unit and a raft of software, connectivity and support services that make the implementation and running of an in-line solution a straightforward and predictable undertaking.

The frequency of the in-line measurements offers a powerful process control option alongside so-called benchtop NIR analysers where an operator manually takes a sample and presents it to the instrument. Delivering a test result approximately every two seconds, the ProFoss 2 digital capabilities make it simple to perform a regular validation of performance against highly proven benchtop instruments such as the FOSS FoodScan™ 2 Dairy Analyser or NIRS DS2500™ on a regular basis.

The consistency of measurements across all units and production lines is further assured with standardised instruments that all measure the same and transferable calibrations that can be installed across multiple ProFoss™ 2 units. Windows reflectance is used for applications such as soybean meal production where material is measured on the surface. NIR transmittance is used for butter where it is critical to gain data from inside the sample. ProFoss™ 2, the lateral probe is specially designed for applications such standardization of fat and moisture in butter production by measuring lengthwise in the middle of process pipe. Just one of the advantages is the avoidance of moisture droplets that form on the surface of butter for a highly reliable measurement of moisture.

ProFoss™ 2 units can be monitored and managed from anywhere in the world, for example, when providing calibration support or proactively reviewing instrument, calibration and performance maintenance cycles for optimal uptime.

The test data can also be easily integrated into control systems such as PLC, SCADA or statistical programs such as LIMS.

FOSS CEO Kim Vejlby Hansen said: “We describe ProFoss™ 2 as ‘a passport to in-line process control’ because of the way it captures the latest developments in both NIR technology and associated software and digital services. ProFoss™ 2, makes it simpler than ever to realise the full potential of in-line NIR to improve yield while reducing waste and ensuring the best possible use of materials going into the process.”