Research Korner: Quality Improvement

Characterization Technique for Chocolate

Characterization Technique for Chocolate   Introduction             Due to the strong competition among industries today, many business organizations and producers focus and come up with strategies and innovations, which would improve and develop their products. Such products include food and dairy products, and chocolate among others. The high demand of consumers for chocolate and other sweet products enable manufacturers and producers to come up with innovative ways on improving quality control and the character of chocolates. With this, this paper discusses a specific technique in improving the characterization of chocolate, which would be useful in enhancing its quality control.     Technique Chosen: Terahertz Time Domain Spectroscopy              (2006) reports that quality inspection gains more and more importance in food industry, particularly in chocolate production, and with this process, contamination from different sources are being detected using metal detectors. However, the use of metal detectors is not very efficient, for its spatial resolution is not very high. Because of this, many chocolate products are being wasted, rejected and discarded, as only a number are contaminated and some are not. With this problem, it was pointed out that the goal of lowering the high rejection rates could be accomplished in using a higher spatial resolution, which could even detect non-metallic contaminations, such as stones that come from natural products, or glass particles (2006).   With this problem at hand, many industries expressed the belief of using terahertz or THz waves, which may be used in collaboration with other techniques to determine chocolate contamination. Terahertz or THz waves, specifically, the process of terahertz time domain spectroscopy can be used because it can obtain images of samples, which are opaque in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum (2006). This process can be used to identify chocolate contamination because chocolate is has high absorbance and thick, which would make THz radiation applicable (2006). In addition, because the consistency and physical characteristics of chocolate, such as its color and viscosity, would make contamination invisible, THz time domain spectroscopy would be a possible solution for detection, with the use of the radiation it emits. In this way, the quality control of such products will be improved, to further meet the demands and expectations of its consumers.     Basis for Chosen Technique, Advantages and Disadvantages             Due the presence of contamination in the chocolate products, detection must be improved to ensure the high standard quality of the chocolates. In addition, because of the inefficiency and waste brought about by the use of the present detection methods, the use of terahertz radiation for the Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy or THz TDS was applied.  (2006) reports that Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is an original technique in the field of non-destructive and contact less testing, wherein short electromagnetic pulses with a frequency content between 50 GHz and 2.5 THz are employed to characterize different sample materials. In addition, an optoelectronic approach is used to generate THz radiation, wherein short optical pulses from a femtosecond laser excite photoconductive dipole antennas, and on the emitter side a short current pulse is generated, which radiates according to Maxwell’s equations of an electromagnetic wave, producing the THz pulse. The THz waveform is scanned by delaying the two laser pulses in the emitter and detector arm with respect to each other, and every position of the delay line provides a certain time delay that gives one single point of the THz waveform, which would enable THz pulses to be obtained. Moreover, contamination of the chocolate samples can be measured using the THz images, which contains time-domain data including the temporal shift of the pulse maximum or frequency-domain data such as the integrated intensity in a certain frequency interval, and in this way, THz imaging measurement yields many images with different information. Using THz pulses, contamination can be detected, for the graph or pulses can show the differences between the composition of the chocolate samples (2006).             This process or technique is beneficial or advantageous because primarily, THz radiation is not ionizing due to its low photon energy and is therefore completely harmless (2006). Unlike other X-rays, THz radiation is safe for biological tissues, and images formed with it can have relatively good resolution, being less than 1 millimeter (2006). This means the use of this kind of radiation poses no threat or effect on the chocolate products, therefore, will not affect human consumption. It also suggests that the images formed using the process will be essential in quality control, manufacturing, packaging and process monitoring. Secondly, chocolate bars are relatively transparent for THz radiation, since they contain mostly fat with only a very low content of water, and contaminations including small stones, screws or glass splinters act as scattering objects in terms of the wavelength and change the shape of the measured pulse (2006). As mentioned, due to the color, viscosity and opaqueness of chocolate, it would be difficult to detect contaminations easily, so with the use of the process, detection would be possible without contact. In line with this is the last advantage, wherein due to the pulsed nature of the radiation, one can draw comparisons to ultrasound, for compared to conventional metal-detectors and ultrasound techniques, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is able to sense non-metallic items without contact ( 2006).             However, despite its advantages are the disadvantages or limitations, which may largely affect the result of the process. First, the process depends on the alignment and positioning of the emitters and detector arms, so slight misalignment will significantly shift the relative phase of the electric field components ( 2005). Another disadvantage is that the collection of data depends on time, so without proper timing, the efficiency of detection might be lessened. With these limitations, the use of the process should be carefully evaluated to ensure the gathering of reliable results.         Other Techniques Used             Another useful technique capable of characterization of chocolate is Differential Scanning Calorimetry or DSC, which is a complex program with multiple heating, cooling and isothermal steps that can be easily constructed and utilized to simulate real-life processing conditions (2000). The power compensated DSC gives a number of advantages in chocolate analysis, as the design of the sample and reference low mass furnaces yields very close control over the sample environment, which allows the DSC to produce specific and accurate thermal treatments for reliable material comparison or to investigate effects of changes in processing conditions. In addition, its sensitivity to small changes makes it an ideal tool to identify sample characteristics or processing changes ( 2000). With Differential Scanning Calorimetry, detection of unnecessary objects in the products can be obtained, for the melting point of chocolate is lower than solid contaminations.               Another characterization technique used is Size Exclusion Chromatography, which is a well-established characterization technique for products with high viscosity even at low concentration, such as chocolate. Through this technique, along with low angle light scattering, refractive index and viscometer detectors, several aspects can be measured, including molecular weight distribution, viscosity, molecular size, molecular architecture and cumulative weight fraction ( 2007). Using Size Exclusion Chromatography, contamination will be detected, as each particle present will be known, and if ever, unnecessary particles will be present, the molecular weight, viscosity, and concentration of the product will be altered. The alteration of the chocolate sample will be the indicator of the presence of contaminations in the products.       Performance of Technique based on the Micro Structure of Product             Results of the technique show that metal, stone, or glass contaminations can be detected in chocolate bars with a spatial resolution of less than 1 millimeter, where the transmitted intensity for glass and stone contaminations is lower due to higher absorption and scattering losses. Metal, on the other hand, reflects all THz radiation, which decreases the transmitted intensity, and even if the chocolate is measured in its own original plastic package, the contamination is clearly visible. Plastic foil is nearly transparent to THz radiation, while aluminum foil reflects all THz radiation and thus cannot be investigated using the process (2006). Through the process, manufacturers will be able to examine and improve quality control of their products, given the speed and efficiency in producing the data and the scanning of the products. This process would help many chocolate manufacturers in detecting solid contaminations and reducing wastes. This would also improve the quality of products, as each chocolate bars or samples will have consistency in terms of content, weight and quality.             Moreover, results of the data show that if there are any contaminations inside the chocolate bar, like a stone or a glass splinter on the scale of millimeters, the THz pulses produce a different shape, where two smaller pulses appear close to each other, which are generated by two portions of the main THz pulse. One part of the pulse travels aside the contamination, and the second part travels through the contamination, which experiences a time delay due to the higher refractive index of the glass splinter or the small stone. Since the first THz pulse is smaller than the main one, a dip occurs in the sum of two line scans indicating the contamination ( 2006). Based on the results of the pulse, contamination will be detected effectively and efficiently because as the products pass through the detectors, quality control personnel will be able to detect the presence of unnecessary items in the products using the reading of the pulse. In this way, wastes will be lessened and quality of the products will be improved simultaneously.   Effect of Microstructure of Chocolate on its Quality              (2000) reports that the microstructure of the sucrose in the chocolate was considered critical, for it determines many of the physical properties of the material, such that the microstructure of cocoa butter and other fats have fractal dimensions from both rheological data and image analysis taken using polarized-light microscopy, which measures the spatial distribution of crystals in the chocolate. This fractal dimension of the crystal network is an indicator of hardness in relation to heat flow. Making chocolate, thus, involves precise control of the temperature, time, and shear history of material in a tempering process, such that when it is heated too high, and not cooled in a correct way, it will set in an untempered form. In addition, tempering or the process of controlled crystallization is a crucial step in chocolate production, such that tempered chocolate shrinks on cooling and comes away readily from the mold, while untempered chocolate does not ( 2000). With this, manufacturers depend on the microstructure and temperature in making chocolate for it largely affects chocolate quality. The untempered form of chocolate is not attractive to consumers, being spotted and marked due to strong fat bloom, has a coarse taste, and the melting point of some of the crystals is above the temperature of the mouth, making its mouth-feel less pleasant. On the other hand, tempered chocolate is glossy to the eye, and melts in the mouth (2000).   Conclusion             The use of the Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is one helpful technique in determining the contaminants in chocolate products. The use of this technique must be developed further to help lessen wastage and improve the quality control of chocolate manufacturing companies. In this way, they can meet the standards and focus on the satisfaction and loyalty of their customers.

Characterization Technique for Chocolate

Characterization Technique for Chocolate Introduction Due to the strong competition among industries today, many busi...

Measuring Quality :Health Care Settings Essay

Measuring Quality Introduction The definition of measuring the quality care outcomes encompasses the physical, emotional, and social functions of the patient after his admission or his visit in a health care institution or meeting the health care providers. The quality care assessment and outcomes are focused in delivering the effectiveness of different interventions and in some other ways, provide or influence the health care system. Approaches in Measuring Patient Outcomes 1.0 Processes and Service The assessment on the quality of service or process measures the service action and can have several advantages over the outcome measures. This approach is usually cheaper and do not require a lengthy period of time to manifest. The service and process in terms of quality care have an effort on disseminating and implementing the standards ( 2005). The standardized process helps the health care providers and welcomes the possibility to update the process and investigate the variations of the certain problems on the patients. 2.0 Patient-Reported Assessment/Consumers’ Experience This first identified indicator is used for clinical research and evaluation of medical practice. The major goal of the patient-reported outcome assessment is to develop measures that can be use for many different conditions. This approach allows the development of a new scientific and validated method in measuring the outcomes. Also, it allows the health care professionals to be more accurate in assessing the conditions of the patients and to develop strategies in improving their lives ( 2006). Areas for Improvement There are four areas for improvement identified in the past studies that will contribute in achieving the quality care in different health care settings ( 1997;  2001)). First is assuring the technical quality which is opposed to any interpersonal outcomes. Literally, the technical aspect is important in improving the health but with the appropriate materials or machineries, innovated or updated technologies are expected to promote the long-term quality of care. Each technology such as X-Ray machines, ultrasound equipment, etc., is unique and cannot be used without the assistance of an expert. Second is in the area of the health care provider’s skill. Most of the health care professional uses the elements of knowledge, expertise, and experience in performing the specific process to deliver the quality of care. The continuous training can contribute to improve the quality care outcomes. Third is the development of the criteria. In health care settings, the assessment in each patient already exists. But with the efforts to improve, the quality assessment can be in a more efficient way such as making it a routine in performing the monitoring systems most especially in the people who had chronic conditions. This are can be done in combining the technology and human skills. Fourth is setting a strong foundation of guidelines. In measuring the outcome for patient, it is said that the process (and services) can positively contribute in establishing the quality care. Therefore, with the appropriate methods and proper facilitating, all of the efforts in delivering the quality care can be possible for there is an alignment among the areas. Roles of Health Care Workers in Quality Care The physicians, nurses, doctors, medical professionals, and other health care providers are considered the health care workers. The essence of care lies in their oath-taking after passing the board examinations for the medicine and health care aspects. The health care providers are in control over the costs, processes or methods, and services in their aim to provide the quality care. As a provider of quality care, the decision making is very important more likely on those patients that needs the surgery. The decision that created by the involved parties are based on their consultation on the health care workers assessment, judgment and autonomy ( 1997). The health care workers definition of outcomes is according to the biological status of the patients such as blood pressure, lung or heart functions, and/or mortality because these were the outcomes in which the health care providers have the greatest control. Conclusion The health care providers play a main role in delivering the quality of health. For all the cost, technical aspect, and skills, the health care providers are in control in utilizing all their knowledge and skills to contribute in the quality of care. There is available approach in measuring the quality of health and they are based on the processes and services, and consumer or patient’s experiences.   Although there are certain areas that needs for improvement, still the influence and philosophical views of care they leave in their patients can be another basis in their effectiveness as the main provider of care.

Measuring Quality :Health Care Settings Essay

Measuring Quality Introduction The definition of measuring the quality care outcomes encompasses the physical, emotional, and social ...