Emerging non-invasive microwave and millimeter-wave imaging technologies for food inspection

Abstract

The microwave and millimeter-wave (MMW) imaging technology is gaining increasing interest for food inspection. It allows for noninvasive, contactless, and fast scanning capabilities, while being cost-efficient and safe to human. This review paper introduces the fundamentals in the interaction of electromagnetic wave with food materials and the current MMW sensing and imaging systems used for foods. Then we present emerging technologies in MMW imaging for inspecting food quality and safety, aiming to meet the modern food industry’s demand. According to the most recent technological advancements, it is expected that high-performance antenna, ultrawide bandwidth signal generation, nano-scale semiconductor technologies, radio frequency identification with inductance-capacitance resonator, and machine learning could significantly enhance the capabilities of MMW imaging systems for food inspection.

Keywords:

• Microwave imaging
• millimeter-wave imaging
• sensing
• food quality
• noninvasive
• food inspection

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This project is partially funded by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, as USDA-AMS award # AM200100XXXXG028, and partially funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Program, Competitive Grants Program award from the Data Science for Food and Agricultural Systems program [grant number 2022–67021-36866] and Engineering for Agricultural Production and Processing program [grant number 2023–67022-40627].