The presence of stones is common in fields and they can be found naturally in raw materials such as vegetables, fruits, condiments, cereals or dried fruits. They are also found in the gizzards of ducks, geese or chickens, for example. Birds have a beak, but no teeth, so to make it easier to grind food, they store stones in their stomachs.

Another type of contamination, this time fraudulent and still widespread, is the voluntary incorporation of small pebbles into mushroom stalks to increase the selling weight. Some manufacturers still have grinding wheels that allow the grinding, crushing, triturating, or more specifically the milling of various substances. Over time they can become damaged and release fragments into the products.

With the help of our constantly improved X-ray technology equipment, our vision staff selected by visual tests and experienced for years, we are able to provide you with the best control guarantees before putting your products back on the market.

Even if mechanical techniques exist to eliminate them by de-stoning, colorimetric or visual sorting, a 100% elimination of this type of foreign bodies is not always possible.
Who has never found a stone in lentils, pistachios or raisins?

As the density of pebbles or stone fragments is close to that of glass, we can obtain good detection sensitivities in compliance with consumer protection.

ELCOWA, 25 years of experience in the search for foreign bodies or defects has a fully dedicated control centre in Mulhouse to help you quickly manage this type of crisis. Leader in Europe in this field, do not hesitate to contact us for any information, advice, free tests, quotation or controls.