Automated Quality Inspection
Every lot that enters a Spice Admiral facility passes through an automated inspection line before it is put away. Nothing is released to production or to a customer on the strength of a supplier's certificate alone.
How a Lot Is Inspected
- Receiving. Each pallet is scanned at the dock and matched to the purchase order, the shipping documents and the supplier's certificate of analysis already stored in HELM.
- Sampling. An automated probe sampler draws a composite sample from a statistically determined number of containers in the lot, following our written sampling plan.
- Machine vision. High-resolution cameras image the sample under controlled lighting. Models trained on our own lot history classify foreign matter, measure color, estimate particle size distribution and compare the result with the specification for that item, origin and grade.
- Near-infrared spectroscopy. A spectrometer estimates moisture, volatile oil, total ash and acid-insoluble ash in seconds. The models are calibrated against our reference laboratory and rechecked every month.
- Laboratory scheduling. HELM automatically schedules the microbiological, chemical and contaminant tests required for the item and the customer specification, at our laboratory or an accredited third party, and attaches the results to the lot record as they arrive.
- Disposition. Lots that meet specification are released. Lots with any anomaly are placed on hold and routed to a quality professional, who reviews the images, spectra and results and decides.
What the Line Catches
- Foreign material: stems, stones, string, plastic, insect fragments and other extraneous matter beyond SIPF cleanliness limits
- Color and appearance outside the expected profile for the declared origin and grade, an early warning for adulteration or substitution
- Moisture above specification, which predicts mold and quality loss in storage
- Volatile oil below specification, which indicates age or poor handling
- Particle size drift in ground and granulated items
The Digital Certificate of Analysis
When a lot is released, HELM generates a certificate of analysis from the recorded results, not from a template. The certificate lists each test, the method, the result and the specification, and it is tied permanently to the lot number. Customers receive it with the shipment and can retrieve it at any time from the Quarterdeck portal.
Learning Over Time
Every quality professional's decision on a held lot is recorded with the reason. Those decisions are reviewed and used to improve the models, under the supervision of our quality department. The system has become more accurate every year since 2021, and the people who run it have become faster, because they spend their time on the lots that need judgment rather than on the ones that do not.
Capacity
| Facility | Inspection Lines | Typical Throughput |
|---|---|---|
| Newark, New Jersey | 2 | Up to 80 lots per shift |
| Long Beach, California | 1 | Up to 40 lots per shift |
Inspection results are available before the pallet reaches its storage location. See also Testing and Analysis for the full testing program.
