Dough Moisture Sensor to read moisture of the dough traveling along belt ?

Cydog

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Feb 2018
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Maryland
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Good Evening ,

I'm looking for a moisture sensor to read muffin dough going across a conveyor . We have recipes , that should add the correct amount of water , but we really don't measure the moisture after the dough is dumped.

I know of a few companies such Process Sensors , Moist Tech , etc. but I haven't contacted them yet.

Just wondering if any of you in the baking business had any success with any?

Thanks so much ,
 
I've seen the NDC FL710e's used in a couple of places, and also NDC's newer series 9 moisture meter. Not in bakeries specifically, but I've heard nothing but good reports about their capabilities.
 
I havent used the NDC sensor for moisture. I have used several of their other sensors. The make great sensors.
 
Just be aware that the NIR-based sensors, like the linked NDC device, will mostly provide a surface moisture content. The RF sensors, such as SensorTech, will have better penetration depth if that is necessary or desired.
 
Mipseld has a good point on reading surface moisture. The NDC works well for our finished product. We previously used these for several years to read dough-ish (moist ground grain) as it exits piping before the surface has a chance to dry. For that application we switched to this Mesa Sono-Vario sensor mounted in the piping. It needs to be in contact with the material so it might not be ideal for you unless you were to press it to the dough with an actuator. Our material is only slightly abrasive, but with about 3000 lbs an hour at 200-300 psi passing it, the first one without a hardened face lasted about a year. The hardened version looks like it will be fine for many years. These are also made for reading moisture in pumped concrete, so they are tough. Once upon a time before NDC then Mesa on the dough-ish, the instrument was a guided microwave spectrometer. The Mesa is much lower cost than the others mentioned here.

http://mesasystemsco.com/products/process-industry-products/
 
Last edited:
Good Evening ,

Thanks for your help and advice. I spoke with NDC and their sensors only read moisture 36% and less. Our dough is around 45- 51%.

I will check with SensorTech . What is the max moisture level they can
read ?

Thanks for your help.
 
..
I will check with SensorTech . What is the max moisture level they can
read ?

The ST-3300 specifies an upper accuracy range 30% to 60% +/-1%

Also note that this sensor needs a consistent offset distance to the item being measured, and is beneficial to be close, like 1/4" away. This is the kind of thing to review with their applications people.

You will see that the web site takes you to the parent company, KPM Analytics. They also have NIR offerings for moisture and composition.
 

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