Test Equipment and Measurement Instrument Blog

Despite being one of the most consumed foods on the planet, rice is a difficult crop to store, requiring carefully managed conditions and vigilant moisture testing.

Manufacturers need to use every advantage they have to stay profitable in today’s competitive environment, especially in low margin industries such as food manufacturing, pulp and paper, chemicals or packaging.

With the second quarter of 2013 well under way, the year is quickly shaping up to be one of Kett’s busiest in recent memory. Following last month’s successful trip to Pittcon, one of our industry’s most important events, and the launch of the PQ520, our newest single grain moisture tester, I’m proud to share our latest innovation: the C130 powder whiteness tester.

The effects of too much or too little moisture content in a product’s shelf life are self-evident, especially from the consumer's standpoint. For instance, molds and other harmful bacteria ruin bread quickly when it is packaged with too much moisture. In the case of mixed goods such as salads, a bleeding of colors can occur inside the product, which is a major cosmetic issue. On the other hand, freezer burn on frozen meat lowers the quality and price. The wrong moisture measurement, whether  too high or too low, negatively affects the product , and consequently, it’s value, marketability, and usefulness.

Let’s start by looking at where shelf life begins

Have you ever been frustrated at the end of the food production process to discover that the final product does not meet specifications?  Or what about the time involved in the analysis to get consistent and accurate measurements to ensure a quality product?

Today marks the end of a terrific Pittcon exhibition. Once again, we had the opportunity to meet with some of our clients, many of who have supported us for several years, while also meeting and getting to know several of our newer customers. In the meantime, each of us in attendance was able to see some of the latest technological advancements coming forward. This year, Kett announced it's latest innovation: the new single grain moisture tester, the PQ520.

The new Kett PQ520 analyzer provides rapid moisture measurement of rice, barley and wheat. Like our other market-leading instruments, the PQ520 is designed for use in laboratory, near-line process and remote QA/QC applications where quick, accurate determination of moisture content is required. We believe it’s innovation at its finest.

The reason we chose to announce the release of the PQ520 at Pittcon was simple: This is where innovation lives. Pittcon is one of the most important events of its kind, featuring more than 1,000 exhibitors displaying products used by the scientific community in industrial, academic and government labs.

We’re proud to stand alongside some of the best partners our market has to offer and meet other likeminded, forward-thinking individuals and leaders, and the very folks that make working in this industry so worthwhile.

At the same time, we’re proud to call Pittcon our partner and to have been serving the market for more than 65 years. This year was Kett’s 21st straight year attending the annual event. Added all up, in the last two decades, we’ve spent nearly half a calendar year in Pittcon, we’re honored to be part of the celebration this event brings.

Because of the importance of Pittcon to the community in which we serve, there is almost no better place to gather and meet with customers, to catch up on the latest industry trends and to showcase the best products we have to offer. The exposition always offers the latest innovations in areas such as analytical chemistry, drug discovery, nanotechnology and a whole host of important industries in which Kett is a part of.

In addition to it being a great show, we at Kett were able to feature more than 20 of our market-leading products including several new offerings (the PQ520, for example) that provide moisture and organic composition analysis and coating thickness measurement.

Kett is and remains the world’s leading manufacturer of portable handheld moisture analyzers and coating thickness analysis instrumentation. And we’ll continue to show our commitment to this market and to those we serve with ground-breaking innovations that improve product quality, production processes and profitability.

Quality control (QC), quality assurance (QA), and R&D managers have the responsibility of ensuring that their products meet certain quality standards. Part of this criteria is often moisture content specifications, with management needing to identify accurate moisture content along the manufacturing or the supply chain process.

Let's have a look at standard moisture meters