4 replies to this topic

[Quality Ben]

Hi all,

 

Anyone able to help me with a rough guide to pricing of foodscans?

Just want to get a general idea before going ahead and getting quotes from Foss.

Just need a basic model that will give Moisture, Fat, Protein. 

 

Thanks :)

 

 

[Myusername]

The best way to find out is to contact foss or their distributer, it never hurts to get it straight from the horses mouth.

Prices are significantly different between countries, currency, food sector, etc..

[Charles.C]

Hi all,

 

Anyone able to help me with a rough guide to pricing of foodscans?

Just want to get a general idea before going ahead and getting quotes from Foss.

Just need a basic model that will give Moisture, Fat, Protein. 

 

Thanks :)

 

I used to charge $25 by traditional chemistry but that was a few years ago.  

[liberator]

Foss Machines are a great idea but you will also need to consider the additional costs for the unit once you have purchased one. There is the initial cost of the machine as well as the calibration 'module'. FOSS may have a standard calibration module (software) for the product you are looking at analysing - what product are you looking at using the Foodscan for?

 

Depending on the variability of the product you are testing you may need to 'bias' the calibration based on analytical data from your product and like it is in the dairy industry, milk supply and composition of the milk is very seasonal and affects the calibration. The calibration needs to be monitored, verified and adjusted according to seasonal variation in the raw ingredient - in our case - milk. The calibration data has to be duplicate analysis so the results you use shouldn't be single point analytical data.

 

This will cost you $$ for the analysis of your materials to collect the calibration data (in house/external). Then you will need someone, You?, or lab technicians or calibration specialists to monitor, verify and adjust the calibrations based on your reference analytical data.

 

We have found that the cost of the machine itself was the cheapest part of using one of these machines - the establishment and ongoing checking and maintaining of the calibration is where it can get costly. The results you get from your food scan are only as good as the reference data obtained to develop and maintain your calibration. If you have a stable product then the maintenance and verification of the calibrations won't be so bad.

 

If it's a single product your looking at then its not too bad - if it's to be used for  multiple products it can get complex.  However - getting ACCURATE fat, moisture and protein results in under 2 minutes from your Foodscan can far outweigh the expense and timeliness  of getting wet chem completed either externally or in house. They key is accurate results as I'd noted the accuracy is only going to be as good as the calibration provided by FOSS or developed in house based on your own (internally obtained or external lab)  analytical results.

[Mulan1010]

Liberator hit it right on the head.  We have used the Foss machine for over 10 years and it is a very reliable piece of equipment, but it does have to be set up properly and maintained.  You also have to be able to provide a good sample for the unit to read so you may need to purchase additional equipment to be able to do so.  We had to purchase a core sampler and a meat grinder to make acceptable samples.

 

Be sure to read over the warranty and what is covered.  Look at negotiating help with the calibration and set-up in your contract.  Ensure you realize how many samples you will have to obtain and send out for analysis as that is an added cost as Liberator described above.  If you are wanting the system to download results to a certain program negotiate that into the program as well.

 

Ask about continuing service contracts and what they cover as we have found that was a better option for us than trying to maintain it ourselves.