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Pasteurization is a critical process in the dairy industry to ensure the product’s safety and quality. Dairy manufacturers must comply with strict regulations, and the need for accurate temperature and process data is crucial. The manual data collection from pasteurization tanks and lines is a time-consuming process and prone to human errors. However, with digital technology, dairy manufacturers can automate the collection and analysis of pasteurization temperature and process data. In this blog, we will discuss the benefits of pasteurization data loggers for dairy manufacturers.

Instant Automated Reporting

One of the biggest benefits of upgrading to digital data loggers is real-time performance monitoring and immediate alerts for deviations. These features allow manufacturers to improve response time and minimize risks. 

Digital data loggers give plant managers and key decision-makers access to data remotely, ensuring timely decision-making and better communication across the entire plant. New guidance from the FDA has manufacturers taking a closer look at electronic recorders.

While cheesemakers have historically preferred paper chart recorders for process data logging, innovative food, and dairy processors are starting to implement digitization strategies. 

Sure Controls is a proud distributor and preferred integrator for one of the best pasteurization data logger solutions on the market. Explore more of the benefits of our data loggers below that have been outlined by our partners at Eurotherm by Watlow.

Never Lose Data

• In-situ UPS
• Data recorded in internal memory
• Store-and-forward self-healing data transfer strategy

The benefit of never losing data with pasteurization data loggers is achieved through multiple features such as in-situ UPS, internal memory for data storage, and a store-and-forward self-healing data transfer strategy. 

The in-situ UPS ensures an uninterrupted power supply to the data logger, preventing data loss due to power outages. The data is recorded in the logger’s internal memory, ensuring that even if connectivity is lost, the data is not lost. 

The store-and-forward self-healing data transfer strategy ensures that the data is transmitted even if the connection is lost and can be transmitted once connectivity is re-established. Together, these features can provide a reliable and continuous data record of your pasteurization process.

Sample Rates & Data Backups

• Data sampled once every 125ms
• Up to 125ms recording rate easily meets 5s requirement
• Backup by USB, FTP, or Eurotherm Review archiving software

Sample rates and data backups with pasteurization data loggers allow you to capture and preserve detailed information about the pasteurization process. With data sampled once every 125ms, the logger can easily meet the 5-second requirement for temperature recording. 

Additionally, the data can be backed up using USB, FTP, or Eurotherm Review archiving software, providing redundancy and ensuring that the data is always available for analysis. 

These features enable producers to identify trends and patterns in the data, make informed decisions about process optimization, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Capture Unusual Occurrences

• 125ms sample rate to capture events
• Operator messages
• Scheduled backups

Data loggers allow you to identify and analyze events that fall outside of normal operating parameters. With a 125ms sample rate, the data loggers can capture events and anomalies that occur during the pasteurization process, providing insight into potential issues and opportunities for improvement. 

Additionally, operator messages can be recorded alongside the data, providing context and additional information about the event. 

Scheduled backups ensure that this data is preserved and can be analyzed at a later time, providing valuable insights into the process and enabling producers to optimize their pasteurization procedures.

Digital Signatures & Initials

• Review, annotate, and sign digitally in Review software
• Audit trail option for password, access, and permission management
• USB ports for barcode /biometric data entry

Streamline and automate your review and approval process with data loggers. With the ability to review, annotate and sign digitally in Review software, the process of reviewing and approving data can be completed quickly and efficiently.

Additionally, an audit trail option provides a password, access, and permission management, ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to the data.

USB ports for barcode and biometric data entry further enhance security and simplify the data entry process, reducing the potential for errors. Together, these features enable producers to efficiently manage the data associated with the pasteurization process and ensure that it is accurate, secure and compliant with regulatory requirements.

Record Anomalies

• Alarms logged in memory
• Time and date-stamped messages
• Permanently recorded with the data

Lastly, with data loggers, you’re able to record anomalies to help you identify and respond to issues during your pasteurization process. 

With alarms logged in memory, the data loggers can provide real-time alerts when process parameters fall outside of the specified range. Time and date-stamped messages provide context and additional information about the event, enabling producers to quickly identify the cause of the anomaly and take corrective action.

Additionally, because these events are permanently recorded with the data, they can be analyzed at a later time to identify trends and opportunities for process optimization. 

Recording anomalies with pasteurization data loggers enable producers to improve the quality and consistency of their products while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

With the recent advancements in food safety requirements, there is more pressure than ever on producers to provide immediate, on-demand access to process data records. The long-term use and storage of paper charts on-site can create numerous problems both when trying to locate data amongst reams of paper and ongoing costs of maintaining the paper systems. 

Modern electronic data recorders with secure untamperable file formats are a perfectly acceptable replacement for paper systems when demonstrating compliance with the criteria of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO).

If you would like to learn more about the Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, you can read the full report here.  

If you have questions or would like to learn more about digital data process recorders, let’s connect! You can reach us at 800-844-8405 or you can fill out a contact form, and one of our automation experts will be in touch shortly.