Could oven temperature mapping and validation help you improve problems with inconsistent product quality, moisture retention, or uneven baking? Look no further than the SCORPION® 2 Profiling System from Reading Thermal and our other state-of-the-art sensors and sensor arrays.
Reading Thermal, a Reading Bakery Systems brand located in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, has been focused on studying the commercial baking process for 25-plus years. We manufacture and support the SCORPION® 2 Data Logger, which helps customers monitor actual in-process conditions and acquire the information they need to correct baking problems and maintain optimal process control.
What SCORPION® 2 Can Measure
Connecting smart sensors and sensor arrays to the SCORPION® 2 Data Logger and sending them through the oven with your product, enables the measurement system to capture the four primary baking parameters:
Heat Flux
Oven heat flux is the amount of energy transferred per unit area per unit time from or to a surface. This is among the best indicators of oven performance during baking. Many bakers use heat flux profiles when trying to reproduce the identical product on two different lines, something that is possible when the profiles don’t match. The SCORPION® 2 Heat Flux Sensor measures convective and radiant heat fluxes at product level and displays the results in Btu/hr·ft2 or W/m2.
Humidity
Products that pass through a thermal process interact with moisture in the environment. It often comes from the product itself and is a delicate balance that affects the quality of finished products in a variety of ways; e.g., the moisture remaining in a pretzel after baking can affect its shelf life; reducing evaporation can keep cookie surface moist, allowing them to stretch without cracking. Bakeries worldwide rely on the SCORPION® 2 Humidity Sensor to measure the absolute moisture content of the thermal environment in both their heating and cooling processes.
Temperature
Oven temperatures affect oven-spring, drying/dehydration, and color formation during baking. Temperatures that are too low or too high can also lead to unwelcome changes in taste and texture. The Scorpion® 2 Temperature Sensor Array measures the temperature at product level, in fixed positions across the conveyor, and provides you with a precise picture of temperatures from side-to-side and end-to-end.
Air Velocity
In a convection oven, airflow comes primarily from the air distribution plenums. In a radiant oven, it comes from the moving conveyor, the exhaust system, and natural combustion air currents. Measuring oven air velocity with the SCORPION® 2 Air Velocity Sensor is crucial because airflow impacts the texture, firmness, coloration, and baking time of the end product. The profiles will help you spot airflow inconsistencies between baking zones and unwanted air currents at the entrance or exit of the oven that may be causing uneven baking.
Avoid producing poor quality baked goods (color, texture, flavor) by taking advantage of oven temperature mapping and validation tools from Reading Thermal. Our powerful diagnostic tool can help you improve your proofing, baking, cooling, and freezing processes. Contact us online or call us at (610) 678-5890 Ext. 2 to explore our innovative products.