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School Project Information

Primary School
The story of Cornflakes
The story of So Good
The story of Weet-Bix
The story of Marmite
The story of Puffed Wheat

Secondary School
The story of Cornflakes
The story of So Good
The story of Weet-Bix
The story of Marmite
The story of Puffed Wheat

Primary school

The story of Skippy Cornflakes

Sanitarium has been making Skippy Cornflakes in New Zealand for over 50 years. This school project page tells you the complete story of how fields of golden corn end up as bowls of crisp Skippy Cornflakes.

1. Choosing the corn
The corn for Skippy Cornflakes grows in Gisborne.

The corn we choose has to be of the highest quality. It must have an approved golden colour and the right amount of moisture. It should also be almost free of unwanted materials, such as small stones and other grains.

2. Cleaning
We buy our grain and have it delivered to the Sanitarium factory in Auckland. We store the grain in large containers called silos and keep it at temperatures under 20 degrees Celcius to stop insects breeding in it.

We remove the unwanted grains and those which are too small.

The corn is steamed to soften it. Then we remove the germ and husk. The remaining part is called a grit, from which we make the flakes. The raw grits, which should be as large as possible, are cooled and dried.

3. Cooking
The raw grits go into a large pressure cooker with the vitamins, niacin, riboflavin and the mineral iron. After cooking the grits for two hours, we add thiamin.

4. Drying
We pass the cooked grits through a drier to separate them and reduce their moisture content. Then we put them through a sieve to make sure only the correct size grits are used in the making of Skippy Cornflakes.

5. Milling
Before milling the flakes, we add steam to the grits to make them moist and warm. The grits then run between the large rollers of a mill.

6. Toasting
The milled flakes go into an oven on a conveyor belt to be toasted for a few minutes.

They blister, develop their golden brown colour and become crisp. We cool the flakes by blowing air over them.

7. Packing
The flakes continue on their conveyor belt towards the packing area. We store them in a large bin and feed them into an automatic packer. This weighs the right amount of flakes inside the familiar red Skippy packets and heat seals them.

8. To the supermarket
Sanitarium has a company warehouse in Auckland and Christchurch. The large supermarket chains (such as Progressive and Foodstuffs) have their own warehouses.

Sanitarium also exports Cornflakes, particularly to countries in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia.

9. Quality control
Quality Control is important at all stages of production. Our trained technicians regularly check corn characteristics, flake moisture, crispness, colour and thickness of the flakes.

The story of So Good

Sanitarium So Good, is New Zealand's original and most popular soy drink. This school project page explains everything you need to know about how it is made.

Some soya bean history
The soya bean is a legume which is native to eastern Asia. It has been the staple diet for millions of people since ancient times.

The soya bean is richer in body-building protein than almost all other plants. Sanitarium uses this protein to make So Good. So Good is full of vitamins and minerals and has no cholesterol or lactose. So Good has practically no saturated fat and is high in calcium.

Sanitarium developed So Good in its own laboratories in Australia and started production in 1986. Today it is manufactured in one modern factory in NSW and one in New Zealand.

Soya protein isolate - the basis of So Good
Soya protein isolate is the protein portion of the soya bean in an almost pure form.

Mixing the ingredients
The ingredients used in So Good give us a drink that looks like whole cow's milk.
Soya protein isolate, vegetable oil, maltodextrin, sugar, minerals, and vitamins.
So Good is made in very large batches by firstly dissolving the mineral salts in filtered water.
Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorus.
We then add important vitamins.
Ascorbic acid [vitamin C], Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamin, vitamin A, vitamin B12.
We complete the mixture by adding the rest of the ingredients.
Sucrose, maltodextrin, soya isolate, sunflower oil.
This 'raw beverage' is continually stirred.

Quality control
Our Quality Assurance people now check the raw beverage to see that it conforms to the correct composition.
Daily Calcium Needs

Age	Calcium needs	Provided by So Good (250mL = 1cup)
1-5 years	700-800mg	2 1/2 cups
Children 6-11 years	800-900mg	3 cups
Teens 12-18 years	1000-1200mg	4 cups
Men 19-64 years	800mg	2 1/2 cups
Women 19-54 years	800-1000mg	3 1/2 cups
54 plus	1000mg	3 1/2 cups
Pregnant-Lactating	1100-1300mg	4 cups

Sterilisation
The raw beverage is now ready for UHT (Ultra High Temperature) treatment. This makes the mixture sterile. It is then cooled and stored in a germ-free tank for a short period before being packed.

Packaging
It is important that the packaging equipment and the sleeves used to make the cartons are sterile.

The cartons are made from a laminate of aluminium, plastic and paperboard, so that the aluminium is not in contact with the liquid.

From the factory to the store
Once we have filled and sealed the cartons, we pack them on large pallets. Our Quality Assurance personnel run spot checks on samples before So Good can be released to the wholesale warehouses and then on to the grocery chains.

So Good in so many ways
Besides making regular So Good, the most popular soya beverage on the market, Sanitarium has also developed a number of variants. There is So Good Lite for those who want a low-fat product; there is also a range of flavours (Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry) for those who like their drinks to be sweetened and flavoured.

The story of Weet-Bix

Choosing the best wheat
The wheat used in the making of Weet-Bix has to be of the highest quality. It has to have the right amount of moisture and protein. It also has to be almost free of unwanted materials such as small stones and other grains.

Cleaning
The wheat arrives from the farms and is placed in large containers (called silos) at the Sanitarium factories. Here, we clean it to remove unwanted materials.

The cleaned wheat is stored in the silos at below 20 degrees Celcius, to prevent insect attack.

Cooking
The wheat is mixed with other ingredients and steamed in large pressure cookers for 1-2 hours.

After this the grains become soft and rubbery.

Drying
We cool and dry the cooked wheat in a flat round dish by blowing cool air from underneath.

Milling
The wheat now passes between two rotating rollers so that the whole grains are rolled to form flakes.

Moulding
The milled flakes are compressed into moulds in rows on a continuous chain to form biscuits.

Toasting
The moulded biscuits go into an oven to be toasted for half an hour.

Packing
The packing machine automatically puts biscuits in packets. At no stage are the biscuits touched by human hands.

Sanitarium factories in Auckland and Christchurch produce millions of Weet-Bix every week. In fact, our Auckland factory produces about 1.5 million per day.
In one year Auckland and Christchurch factories combined produce 330 million Weet-Bix.

To the supermarket
Sanitarium has a company warehouse in Auckland and Christchurch. The large supermarket chains (such as Progressive and Foodstuffs) have their own warehouses.

Quality control
Quality control is important at all stages of production. Our trained technicians regularly check wheat characteristics, flake moisture, crispness, colour and thickness of the biscuits.

The story of Marmite

The History of Marmite
Marmite was first imported from Britain in 1910, however it tasted very different from todays Marmite. In 1919 Sanitarium gained the right to sell Marmite in New Zealand and by 1935 Sanitarium had changed the Marmite by adding local ingredients, giving it a uniquely Kiwi taste. It was made in Christchurch until the factory was gutted by fire in 1966, however the factory was rebuilt and Marmite is still made in Christchurch to this day.

Sourcing the Yeast
To make Sanitarium Marmite yeast is bought from breweries and bakers yeast suppliers throughout New Zealand.

Mixing the Ingredients
The yeast is placed in a vat that holds about 8000 litres. It is mixed with sugar, mineral salt and maltodextrin, and once mixed the yeast is placed onto autolysis in the large vats. This means that the yeast cells are made inactive, a process that takes 15 hours. A secret blend of herbs and spices is then added to create that unique Marmite taste and caramel is added to enhance the colour.

Heat Treatment
Once ingredients are added and mixed thoroughly, the Marmite is heated up for 90 minutes to develop flavour and prevent microbiological spoilage.

Evaporation
After heat treatment the Marmite is transferred slowly into large kettles, which stirs and evaporates the moisture out of the Marmite, and turns the Marmite from a liquid into a spreadable paste. This thickened Marmite is stored in large drums until mixed into batches which we call blends.

Quality Control (QC) Testing 1
Samples are now collected and taken to the laboratory for Quality Control analysis by the Technical department. We test for Salt content, Moisture content, pH level, viscosity (spreadability) and water activity and Salt to moisture ratio.

Blending
We then take the large drums of Marmite and batch these into Blends. These blends are mixed in large mixing vessels, which can hold between 4000 5000 kg of Marmite. Each blend is given a special number for tracking during its shelf life of two years.
At this stage we add the vitamins Riboflavin, B12, Niacin, Thiamine, Iron and Folic acid (folate) to the mixing vessels.

Quality Control Testing 2
A sample of each blend is then collected and taken to the Laboratory for further analysis.
Once again we test salt levels, moisture content, pH level, viscosity, water activity and salt to moisture ratio.We also carry out a taste test on every blend.

Packing
Once all specifications are met, the Marmite can be packed into plastic jars.
The Marmite is pumped from the large mixers down a series of pipes to the packing room, where we pack product in a range of sizes from 125g to 1.2kg and bulk product, which is 250kg. Up to 40 jars per minute can be produced on the packing line, depending on the size being packed.

Jars travel down a conveyor, under two filling nozzles, which fill each jar with a set amount of Marmite at a certain temperature.

Jars then travel through an automatic capping machine, then onto another conveyor where labels are automatically placed on each jar. Every jar then gets a special code, which shows the unique blend number, and the best before date. Random jars are taken off the line at certain intervals and checks are carried out to ensure labels, caps, weights, temperatures and codes are correct.

All jars also pass through a metal detector system.

After metal detection, jars are then placed into cardboard cartons and placed onto pallets for distribution to shops and supermarkets ready to be purchased.

The story of Puffed Wheat

1. Choosing the best wheat
To make Sanitarium Puffed Wheat and Honey Puffs we use only the highest quality wheat with large, full grains.

We make sure the grain has the correct moisture and protein levels and is low in contaminants.

2. Cleaning the wheat
We buy wheat from brokers or directly from farmers and have it delivered and placed in large storage bins (called silos) at the Sanitarium factories. First it has to be thoroughly cleaned to remove unwanted materials such as small stones and other grains.

3. Grading
The wheat is now graded through a sieve, as only grains of a large, uniform size can be used for puffing. The cleaned wheat is kept in a silo and air is blown through it to prevent insect attack.

4. The puffing process
To puff the wheat we feed it into a hot pressure chamber and then suddenly release the pressure, so that the grain expands to several times its original size. The puffed wheat is now referred to as berries.

The coated berries go into a hot air oven to dry. The dried berries then pass over a sieve, so that only puffed wheat grains of the correct size remain.

5. Packaging puffed wheat
If Puffed Wheat is the cereal being produced, the berries are taken by a bucket elevator into a packaging machine. Any bags with metal contamination or underweight are rejected. A machine places the bag into a boxboard packet, which is then packed into a carton.

7. From the factory to the store
Sanitarium makes Puffed Wheat and Honey Puffs at a factory in Auckland. We send newly produced cereals to company warehouses for distribution to retail stores. The larger supermarket chains (such as Progressive and Foodstuffs) have their own warehouses.

8. Strict quality control
Quality control is important at all stages of production. We make sure our puffed cereals comply with specifications, such as vitamin levels, stated on our packs.

Secondary school

The story of Skippy Cornflakes

The history of corn flakes
Corn Flakes was one of the first cereals made by health enthusiasts in the late nineteenth century at Battle Creek, Michigan, USA.

1. Choosing the best corn
The corn for Skippy Cornflakes grows in Gisborne.

The corn we choose has to be of the highest quality
Colour: The corn should be an approved yellow colour.
Moisture Range: 10%-14%. If the corn is too moist, it can become mouldy. If it's too dry, it is difficult to turn it into flakes.
Contaminants. Less than 5%. A small amount of seeds from other grains find their way into the corn. We reject kernels that have sprouted, or are mouldy, diseased or insect damaged.

2. Cleaning
We buy our grain and have it delivered to the Sanitarium factory in Auckland. We store the grain in large silos and keep it at temperatures under 20°C to stop insects breeding in it.

We remove the unwanted grains and those which are too small by passing them over a sieve.

The corn is steamed to soften it then we removed the germ and husk. The remaining part is called a grit, from which we make the flakes. The raw grits, which should be as large as possible, are cooled and dried.

The germ, husk and smaller grits are sold for animal feed.

3. Cooking
The raw grits go into a large rotating pressure cooker with the vitamins, niacin, riboflavin and mineral iron. After rehydrating the grits, we cook them for two hours and then add thiamin.

We add extra vitamins and iron to Skippy Cornflakes to restore what is lost in processing and because breakfast cereals are an important source of vitamins and minerals in the New Zealand diet.

4. Drying
We pass the cooked grits through a drier to separate them and reduce their moisture content. Then we put them through a sieve to make sure only the correct size grits are used in the making of Skippy Cornflakes.

5. Milling
Before milling the flakes, we add steam to the grits to make them moist and warm. The grits then run between the large rollers of a mill. It is important that the flakes are the right size. We remove any undersized flakes by passing them over a screen.

6. Toasting
The milled flakes go into an oven on a conveyor belt to be toasted for a few minutes. They blister, develop their golden brown colour and become crisp. We cool the flakes by blowing air through them.

7. Packing
The flakes continue on their conveyor belt towards the packing area. We store them in a large bin and gravity- feed them into an automatic packer. This weighs the right amount of flakes inside the familiar red Skippy packets and heat seals them.
The bags stop air and moisture getting in and keep the flakes fresh for about 12 months.

Before putting the Skippy packets in cartons, we check their weight and pass them through a metal detector. We remove light packets and other rejects from the line.

8. To the supermarket
Sanitarium has a company warehouse in Auckland and Christchurch. The large supermarket chains (such as Progressive and Foodstuffs) have their own warehouses.

Sanitarium also exports Corn Flakes, particularly to countries in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia.

9. Quality control
Quality Control is important at all stages of production. Our trained technicians regularly check corn characteristics, flake moisture, crispness, colour and thickness of the flakes.

We also analyse samples at our central laboratory in Auckland, to make sure the nutritional claims (such as vitamin levels, dietary fibre, etc.) made on the packet are correct.

The story of So Good

So Good, New Zealand's favourite soy drink, is a healthy and delicious alternative to milk without any of milk's drawbacks. This school project page explains everything you need to know about how it is made and how good it is for you.

Some soya bean history
The soya bean is a legume which is native to eastern Asia. It has been referred to as 'economically the most important bean in the world' because soya beans form a staple diet for millions of people.

The soya bean has been cultivated and eaten since ancient times. It is richer in body-building protein than almost all other plants. Thousands of years ago the Chinese discovered that the soya bean made an excellent meat substitute.

In recent years many people have become aware that too much cholesterol and saturated fat in food is unhealthy and lactose - found in milk - can cause pain and discomfort in those susceptible. So Good is full of vitamins and minerals and has no cholesterol or lactose. So Good has practically no saturated fat (0.34%) and is high in calcium.

Until recently, drinks based on the soya bean have not proved popular with westerners because of the unacceptable taste. We have overcome this problem by using a soya protein. It has been reported in reputable journals that soya protein may actually have a cholesterol-lowering effect.

Sanitarium developed So Good in its own laboratories in Australia and started production in 1986. Today it is manufactured in one modern factory in NSW and one in New Zealand to supply the large local market and growing export trade.

Soya protein isolate - the basis of So Good
Soya protein isolate is the protein portion of the soya bean in an almost pure form. The isolate is extracted from the soya flour in a process that involves subjecting the flour firstly to acidic and then alkaline conditions to remove excess carbohydrates and fats.

Mixing the ingredients
By using soya protein isolate, together with vegetable oil, maltodextrin, sugar, minerals and vitamins, Sanitarium has formulated a beverage that looks like whole cow's milk with a similiar calcium content.

So Good is made in batches of thousands of litres at once. First of all, we dissolve mineral salts in filtered water to provide calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus in amounts similar to those found in milk. We then add ascorbic acid (vitamin C), niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin A and vitamin B12. (You can find out the precise amounts of vitamins and minerals in So Good by contacting Sanitarium Customer Services on 0800100257)

We complete the mixture by adding sugar in the form of sucrose, maltodextrin, soya isolate, and sunflower oil. High performance blenders ensure that the dry powders mix well with the water.

Quality control
Our Quality Assurance people now check the raw beverage to see that it conforms to the correct composition.
Daily Calcium Needs

Age	Calcium needs	Provided by So Good (250mL = 1cup)
1-5 years	700-800mg	2 1/2 cups
Children 6-11 years	800-900mg	3 cups
Teens 12-18 years	1000-1200mg	4 cups
Men 19-64 years	800mg	2 1/2 cups
Women 19-54 years	800-1000mg	3 1/2 cups
54 plus	1000mg	3 1/2 cups
Pregnant-Lactating	1100-1300mg	4 cups

Sterilisation
The raw beverage is now ready for UHT (Ultra High Temperature) treatment which makes the mixture sterile. It is then homogenised (treated to stop it separating in the pack), cooled and stored in a germ-free tank for a short period before being packed.

Packaging
It is important that the packaging equipment and the sleeves used to make the cartons are sterile. We use hydrogen peroxide, which is very effective and also because it breaks down into harmless water and oxygen when heated prior to filling the cartons.

The cartons are made from a laminate of plastic, paperboard and aluminium. The paperboard provides strength, while the aluminium foil makes the carton completely airtight and stops air and bacteria from getting in. The aluminium itself is covered by two layers of plastic, so it does not come into direct contact with the product.

From the factory to the store
Once we have filled and sealed the cartons, we code them with the factory, time of production and use-by date. We pack them on large pallets and then store them in a quarantine area for a few days. Our Quality Assurance personnel run spot checks on samples of the product to test for taste, composition and bacteria. Having passed these tests the batches of So Good can be released to the wholesale warehouses and then on to the grocery chains.

The story of Weet-Bix

The history of Weet-Bix
Sanitarium began making Granose, the original flake biscuit, at its Christchurch factory at the turn of the century. The idea of making a malted flake biscuit was devised by an entrepreneur in 1926. It was given the name Weet-Bix and soon became very popular. Sanitarium bought the recipe and the operation in 1928 and today it is NZ's favourite breakfast cereal. Weet-Bix is manufactured in Auckland and Christchurch. Sanitarium also produces many variants of Weet-Bix, including Bran Bix, Weet-Bix Hi-Bran and Weet-Bix Oat Bran. In these, flake biscuits are used as a medium to carry extra ingredients with particular nutritional advantages, for example the soluble fibre of oat bran in Weet-Bix Oat Bran.

A number of criteria are used, when choosing suitable wheat:
Moisture range: 9%-12%. If wheat is too moist, it can get mouldy and spoil. If it's too dry, it will break when it is being milled into flakes.
Protein range: 11%-14%. Protein is an important body-building food. It also helps bind flakes together to make firm biscuits.
Contaminants: Less than 5%. Some small amounts of unwanted materials find their way into loads of wheat. These include weed seeds, other grains and small stones. It is important to get rid of these undesirables. The more present, the harder it is to remove them.

1. Choosing the best wheat
The wheat used in the making of Weet-Bix has to be of the highest quality. That means using the `bread-making' hard varieties.

The wheat should also be virtually free of insecticides. However, very low levels of certain insecticides are permitted, as these break down in storage and any residue is destroyed in the cooking process.

2. Cleaning
The wheat is purchased from brokers and is placed in large silos at the Sanitarium factories. First, we clean it to remove unwanted contaminants.

The cleaned wheat is stored in the silos at below 20°C, to prevent insect attack.
Contaminants cleaning method
Metal objects
Magnetic separator
Stones
Gravity separator
Straw and dust
Winnowing
Over and under-sized grains
Winnowing
Rodent droppings
Winnowing
Weed seeds
Carter disc

3. Cooking
The wheat is mixed with other ingredients and steamed in large pressure cookers for 1-2 hours. The cooking process gelatinises the starch, so that the grain becomes soft and rubbery. Gelatinisation makes the starch more digestible and changes its nutritional composition. Changes in flavour and colour also occur because of the so-called Maillard reaction.

We add extra vitamins and iron to the mixture to restore what is lost in processing because breakfast cereals are an important source of vitamins and minerals in the New Zealand diet.

4. Drying
We cool and dry the cooked wheat in a conditioner, which is a flat round dish. The wheat enters in the middle and moves slowly to the outside. It is cooled and dried by blowing cool air from underneath.

5. Milling
The wheat now passes in a steady measured stream to the mills. These consist of two rotating rollers which run at slightly different speeds so that the wholegrains are rolled to form flakes. A good flake is about 2cm by 1cm and slightly sticky.

6. Moulding
The milled flakes continue on a covered conveyor belt to the moulding machine. This consists of moulds arranged in rows on a continuous chain. Compressing the flakes in the moulds forms them into biscuits, which then drop on to another moving belt. We can vary the size, weight and density of the moulded biscuits.

7. Toasting
The moulded biscuits go into an oven to be toasted for half an hour. Toasting removes excess moisture and further develops flavour, texture and colour. Reducing the moisture content makes the biscuits crisp and means they will keep fresh for longer. Toasting also helps the flakes to stick together properly so that the biscuits remain intact.

8. Packing
The packing machine turns the biscuits on their sides and brings them together in rows. It then automatically puts them in packets. At no stage are the biscuits touched by human hands.

Polyethylene liners inside the cardboard packs help keep the biscuits fresh for up to twelve months.

Sanitarium factories in Auckland and Christchurch produce millions of Weet-Bix biscuits every week. In fact the Auckland factory produces 1.5 million Weet-Bix per day. Auckland and Christchurch combined produce 330 million Weet-Bix in one year.

Before putting the Weet-Bix pack in cartons, we check their weight and pass them through a metal detector. We remove light packets and other rejects from the line.

9. To the supermarket
Sanitarium has a company warehouse in both Auckland and Christchurch. The large supermarket chains (such as Progressive and Foodstuffs) have their own warehouses.

10. Quality control
Quality control is important at all stages of production. Our trained technicians regularly check wheat characteristics, flake moisture, crispness, colour and thickness of the biscuits.

We also analyse samples at our central laboratory in Auckland, to make sure the nutritional claims (such as vitamin levels, dietary fibre etc.) made on the packet are correct.

The story of Marmite

The History of Marmite
Marmite was first imported from Britain in 1910, however it tasted very different from todays Marmite. In 1919 Sanitarium gained the exclusive licence to sell Marmite in New Zealand and by 1935 Sanitarium had modified the Marmite by adding local ingredients, giving it a uniquely Kiwi taste. It was manufactured in Christchurch until the factory was gutted by fire in 1966, however the factory was rebuilt and Marmite is still made in Christchurch to this day.

Sourcing the Yeast
To make Sanitarium Marmite yeast is purchased from breweries and bakers yeast suppliers throughout New Zealand. Yeast is a natural source of B vitamins, which include thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B12 and folate. Marmite is made from yeast extract, which is four, or five times more concentrated than yeast, making it even healthier.

Mixing the Ingredients
Once the yeast has been analysed and passed all the tests it is placed in a vat that holds about 8000 litres. It is mixed with a ratio of dry powdered yeast, sugar, mineral salt and maltodextrin, and once mixed thoroughly the yeast is placed onto autolysis in the large vats. This means that the yeast cells are deactivated using enzymes, a process that takes 15 hours. A secret blend of herbs and spices is then added to create that unique Marmite taste and caramel is added to enhance the colour.

Heat Treatment
Once ingredients are added and mixed thoroughly, the Marmite is heated up for 90 minutes to develop flavour and prevent microbiological spoilage.

Quality Control (QC) Testing 1
Samples are now collected and taken to the QC laboratory for Quality Control analysis by the Technical department. We test for Salt content, Moisture content, pH level, viscosity (spreadability) and water activity and Salt to moisture ratio.
There are certain requirements that have to be met at this stage of production.

Blending
We then take the large drums of Marmite and batch these into Blends. These blends are mixed in large mixing vessels, which can hold between 4000 5000 kg of Marmite. Each blend is given a special number for tracking during its shelf life of two years.
At this stage we add Riboflavin, B 12, Niacin, Thiamine, Iron and Folic acid (folate) to the mixing vessels. The vitamins are then mixed into the Marmite for a given period of time and then QC tested again before being packed into jars.

Packing
Once all specifications are met, the Marmite can be packed into plastic jars.
The Marmite is pumped from the large mixers down a series of pipes to the packing room, where we pack product in a range of sizes from 125g to 1.2kg and bulk product, which is 250kg. Up to 40 jars per minute can be produced on the packing line, depending on the size being packed.

Jars are inverted, travel down a conveyor, under two filling nozzles, which fill each jar with a set amount of Marmite at a certain temperature.

Jars then travel through an automatic capping machine, then onto another conveyor where labels are automatically placed on each jar. Every jar then gets a special code, which shows the unique blend number, and the best before date. Random jars are taken off the line at certain intervals and QC checks are carried out to ensure labels, caps, weights, temperatures and codes are correct.

All jars also pass through a metal detector system.

After metal detection, jars are then placed into cardboard cartons and placed onto pallets for distribution to shops and supermarkets ready to be purchased.

The story of Puffed Wheat

Sanitarium Puffed Wheat and Sanitarium Honey Puffs are not only fun to eat but also full of goodness and easily digestible. They are suitable for use in vegetarian, vegan and kosher diets and are free of artificial additives, lactose, cholesterol, yeast and egg products. This school project page explains how we turn the highest quality wheat into two delicious puffed wheat cereal breakfasts.

A number of criteria are used when choosing shuitable wheat
Size: Large, full grains are required.
Moisture: Range: 9%-12%. If wheat is too moist, it can become mouldy and spoil. If it's too dry, it will break when being puffed.
Protein: 11%-14%. Protein is an important body-building food.
Contaminants: Less than 5%. Some small amounts of unwanted materials find their way into loads of wheat.
These include weed seeds, other grains and small stones. It is important to get rid of these undesirables. The more there are present, the harder it is to remove them.

1. Choosing the best wheat
To make Sanitarium Puffed Wheat and Honey Puffs we use only wheat of the highest quality, `bread-making' varieties. That means wheat with large, full grains.

We make sure the grain has the correct moisture and protein levels and is low in contaminants.

2. Cleaning the wheat
The wheat is purchased from brokers or directly from farmers and is placed in large silos at Sanitarium's Auckland factory. First, we clean it to remove unwanted contaminants.
Contaminants cleaning method
Metal objects
Magnetic separator
Stones
Gravity separator
Straw and dust
Winnowing
Over and under-sized grains
Winnowing
Rodent droppings
Winnowing
Weed seeds
Carter disc

3. Grading
The wheat is now graded through a sieve, as only grains of a large, uniform size can be used for puffing. The cleaned wheat is kept in a silo at below 20°C and air is blown through it to prevent insect attack.

4. The puffing process
The essence of puffing is to gelatinise the starch in wheat in a hot pressure chamber and then suddenly release the pressure, so that the grain expands to several times its original size.

The first step is to deliver a measured quantity of wheat into a pressure chamber (known as `the gun') and heat it by high pressure steam to almost 200°C. This is achieved in less than a minute. The pressure is then released, expanding the grains and shooting them into a large chamber (referred to as `firing the gun').

Loose bran is aspirated off�the puffed grains (called `berries' at this stage).

The coated berries are then carried on a conveyor belt into a hot air oven to dry to a moisture content of 3%. The dried berries pass over a sieve, so that only puffed wheat grains of the correct size (over 6mm) remain.

5. Packaging puffed wheat
If Puffed Wheat is the cereal being produced, the berries are taken by a bucket elevator into a packaging machine. A fixed volume of berries is measured and passed down a chute into a continuous sheet of polyethylene which is formed into a tube. Any bags with metal contaminations or which are underweight are rejected. A machine places the bag into a boxboard packet, which is then packed into a carton.

6. Making Honey Puffs
The production of Honey Puffs requires one further step. The berries are mixed with hot toffee (made from sugar, honey, glucose and acetic acid) and then placed in a cooler, where their temperature drops to 5°C. This causes the toffee to set - the inverted sugars in the toffee prevent it from crystallising. The coated berries are screened to remove the undersized puffed grains and any adhering masses of grains. We then package the product in the same way as Puffed Wheat.

7. From the factory to the store
Sanitarium makes Puffed Wheat and Honey Puffs at a factory in Auckland. We send newly produced cereals to company warehouses for distribution to retail stores. The larger retailers (such as Progressive and Foodstuffs) have their own warehouses, smaller business' buy from wholesale outlets throughout New Zealand.

8. Strict quality control
Careful watch is kept on product density and packet weights and regular chemical analysis of our puffed cereals ensure that they comply with specifications, such as vitamin levels, stated on the packs.

Untitled Document

Sanitarium: The Health Food Company

School Project Information

Primary school

The story of Skippy Cornflakes

The story of So Good

The story of Weet-Bix

The story of Marmite

The story of Puffed Wheat

Secondary school

The story of Skippy Cornflakes

The story of So Good

The story of Weet-Bix

The story of Marmite

The story of Puffed Wheat