Automation-Assisted Recovery and Dispensing of Micro-Particle Salt in Industrial Food Production Lines: System Development and Experimental Analysis

In industrial food production, dispensing systems for ingredients such as salt and spices play a significant role in enhancing flavor, preserving products, and ensuring consistency. The literature emphasizes that excessive salt consumption in processed foods poses serious challenges not only for public health but also for sustainability. While macro-scale recovery systems for biscuit crumbs or dough are present in limited studies, there is a notable experimental research gap regarding closed-loop automation systems capable of real-time recovery of micro-particle food materials.

In this study, a salt dispensing machine operating with micro-particle salt was designed and developed with an integrated feedback recovery system. The developed system enables the real-time return of salt particles that have been dispensed but did not adhere to the dough back onto the production line via a conveyor belt. Experimental tests were conducted to analyze the amount of salt dispensed per minute and the distribution uniformity across the belt surface at different conveyor speeds.

Preliminary findings indicate that the real-time recovery system significantly reduces waste and enhances hygiene compared to manual systems. The transition to an automated system reduces dependence on human labor, eliminating time losses caused by manual intervention. Since manual systems require human involvement, it is difficult to determine comparative percentage-based data. Although academic sources lack numerical data on salt recovery, industry reports mention cheese salting systems with up to 271 kg/min dosing capacity, but without real-time recovery features. The system proposed in this study achieves a dispensing capacity of 50 kg/min, making it the highest throughput micro-particle dispensing system with recovery reported in the food-grade category. This study presents a scalable, hygienic, and Industry 4.0-compatible automation solution that contributes to environmental sustainability, production efficiency, and food safety, while demonstrating the feasibility of adapting recovery systems to micro-particle food applications such as salt, spices, and flour.