4 replies to this topic

[Ludmyla]

How to justify the use of a sifter screen size for flow of 1 mm rather than 0.5 mm for flour in a risk analysis. What the risk if we use sifter with  size 1 mm (sieve opening size)ю Thank's

[Marloes]

Hi,

 

I am not in the flour industry, so I am not up to speed on all the relevant risks.
For food safety - mainly physical contamination - there shouldn't be any additional risks involved with an increase to 1 mm. Safety risks for physical contamination are usually in the 5-7mm zone.

 

However it could lead to quality issue's.
Perhaps your flour will be less fine? I know this can be a major issue in some applications.
Perhaps any unwanted particles may come through (sand/bugs?)

 

[Ludmyla]

Thank you for your answer,

But our wafer cup customer, a large company, asks us to install a 500 micron flour sieve. We have a 1000 micron sieve. During production, more than 5 years, there were no problems with safety, foreign bodies, or quality. Now the customer wants us to justify the size of the sieve for 1000 microns or change to a smaller size. 

 

[EagleEye]

Hi Ludmyla,

 

That "No previous incidents" could be your key point in justifying the size to continue the use of the same. With the help of your monitoring records (if you have), this history could be verified by the customer (if possible).

[SQF Technician]

I would ask them why they are making the request. For example, is there a new standard in your industry that you are not yet aware of? Is it a chain reaction (their customer asked them to ensure a certain micron size is used by their supplier, i.e. you)? Although this will not help you in justifying your current filter micron, it will either help you understand the importance of the request or possibly make them see the irrelevance of it.