THz Imaging for Food Inspections: A Technology Review and Future Trends

Abstract

Terahertz imaging is the newest among non-invasive sensing technologies and currently huge attention is pointed towards its use in several applications. Among possible applications, food inspection represents one of the most prominent cases, due to the possible dangerous impact on human safety. Hence, significant efforts are currently addressed towards the exploitation of THz imaging as a tool to improve the effectiveness of food quality surveys. This chapter deals with the exploitation of THz imaging technology for food quality control and assessment. In particular, the chapter aims at reviewing the latest developments regarding THz imaging, both in terms of measurement systems and data processing methodologies. Moreover, the chapter summarizes experiments available in literature and presents some purposely designed experiments to address the discussion on currently open issues.