Noninvasive Inline Food Inspection via Microwave Imaging Technology: An Application Example in the Food Industry

Contamination with foreign objects is one of the main causes of customers' complaints against food manufacturers. Although different technologies are used for food and beverage inline monitoring, cases of contaminated food products still reach the market, many of which involve plastic and glass fragments. In this article, we propose the use of a microwave imaging (MWI) technology to monitor packaged foods along production lines. In this framework, MWI exploits the differences in dielectric properties between the food and the contaminant as well as the differences between faulty and unaltered items. A dedicated MWI system is designed and validated through numerical simulations. Then the prototype device is assessed experimentally, both in controlled laboratory conditions and on an industrial production line. The results of this study show the capabilities of this technology for food safety and security.