Polarbröd is Sweden’s third-largest producer of bread. A visionary, family-owned Swedish company with a strong focus on sustainability that has been baking the traditional breads of northern Sweden for more than 100 years.
In a new project (“Increased sustainability in industrial bread production with hyperspectral NIR image analysis”) Polarbröd, together with Prediktera, SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) and Umeå University will evaluate how hyperspectral imaging technology can be used to ensure products in the bakery industry are made with the best possible quality – and minimal waste.
Hyperspectral imaging cameras using near infrared (NIR) light makes it possible to go beyond what our eyes and regular cameras can see, and extract the chemical fingerprint of food and other organic materials. Using advanced machine learning in the software from Prediktera, this technology allows for automatic quality inspection in production lines based on chemical analysis.
The project is run within PiiA – Processindustrial IT and Automation – a strategic innovation program financed through Vinnova, Swedish Energy Agency and Formas. The project runs until the summer of 2025.
“Prediktera already have existing customers in the food industry (sea food) using our solution, and we are excited to explore yet another application for quality control. Using hyperspectral NIR image analysis we aim to help Polarbröd reach automated, fast and non-destructive product quality analysis which can improve efficiency and reduce waste through-out the production chain.”
– Andreas Vidman, CEO of Prediktera AB
“The food industry needs to ensure sustainable production while maintaining our high quality. We want to play a large and active role in achieving this. Our ambition is to have world-class bakeries and we have bold goals for 2032 when the business will be 100 percent circular. This project is an important piece of the puzzle on the way to the goal and the ambition is to be able to implement the technology in our bakeries going forward”
– Mirjam Ros Eldborn, project manager and quality engineer at Polarbröd.
For more information contact
Andreas Vidman, andreas@prediktera.se
CEO, Prediktera AB
Prediktera provides turn-key solutions for hyperspectral imaging, enabling the food and beverage industry to analyze the chemical information of materials and products in real-time.
