Optical coherence tomography (OCT), space-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (SRS) and time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS): Principles and applications to food microstructures

This chapter presents the recent developments in advanced optical methods for exploring food microstructure. The chapter first discusses the basics of light propagation in food and the main limitations of classical approaches (e.g. continuous wave near infrared (NIR), colorimetry) for the measurement of the optical properties of food. It then describes the physical principles, the technological solutions and the advantages of optical coherence tomography, and of space- and time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy. The chapter includes examples of applications and an overview of future prospects. © 2013 Woodhead Publishing Limited All rights reserved.