Increasing regulatory and consumer demands have intensified the pressure on the food industry to implement reliable methods of food inspection to ensure product safety and quality. X-ray technology can be used in food inspection to detect physical contaminants and to study the internal structure of food products for quality purposes.
Supercritical CO2 Fluid Extractor
Increasing regulatory and consumer demands have intensified the pressure on the food industry to implement reliable methods of food inspection to ensure product safety and quality. X-ray technology can be used in food inspection to detect physical contaminants and to study the internal structure of food products for quality purposes.
The operation of food safety management systems incorporates the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP); inspection forms a key part of procedures designed to control potential hazards. The role of technology for inspection purposes has become increasingly important due to the ever-increasing emphasis by consumers and regulatory authorities on food safety and quality. Emerging issues such as fraud and the intentional contamination of food have also highlighted the importance of food inspection technology.
Many different methods and technologies are available for the inspection of food, including metal detectors, optical camera systems, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, and X-rays. The application of a specific inspection technology is related to the nature of the food and the specific purpose of that inspection.
X-rays are a form of invisible electromagnetic energy with short wavelengths and high energies. The use of X-ray technology is most familiar to people through its use in medical imaging. However, X-rays can also penetrate food products and allow the imaging of the internal features of the food to detect physical defects or contaminants without damaging the food product.
As an X-ray enters a food it loses some of its electromagnetic energy. If the X-ray encounters a dense area in the food, such as a metal contaminant this will reduce the X-ray energy further. As the X-ray leaves the food a sensor in the inspection equipment converts the X-ray into a greyscale image of the foods interior. The denser a contaminant, the darker it will appear in the image, which helps in its identification.
Depending on the type of X-ray inspection equipment and the nature of the food product, X-ray inspection can identify a variety of physical contaminants including metal, glass, rubber, stone and some plastics. Because X-ray inspection provides non-destructive imaging, its use has become more widespread for packaged, processed foods, particularly those in bottles, cans, jars and pouches. Increasingly, as the technology advances X-ray inspection is being used for in-line production control and verification.
Considerable research has highlighted the potential of X-ray inspection for the grading of fruits, vegetables and grains, and detection of bones in chicken and fish. Some advanced X-ray inspection systems can simultaneously perform in-line quality checks detecting physical defects, measuring mass, counting components, identifying missing or broken products, monitoring fill levels and inspecting the seal integrity of packaging. As such X-ray inspection systems may help reduce inspection costs for some food businesses.
X-ray systems can detect the following non-exhaustive list of contaminants:
• Metal
• Non-ferrous metals in foil, including stainless steel
• Glass
• Bone (alcified)
• PVC plastic
• TFE (Teflon) plastic
• Ceramic or concrete
• Flavor/sugar clumps
• Missing product
Limitations
In most food-based products x-ray systems cannot detect the following materials:
• Low-density plastics
• Thin glass, such as fluorescent tubes
• Low-density stones
• Insects
• Wood
• Hair
• Carboard
• Paper
The detection of physical defects and contaminants using X-ray technology is an important part of quality control for specific food businesses. TONEDO Tech (Zhongshan) Co.,Ltd. is a high-tech enterprise integrating R&D, design, manufacturing and sales.The main products are X Ray inspection system, Optical sorting machine, Metal detector and related service. If you are interested in our products, please feel free to contact us!