Noninvasive techniques for detection of foreign bodies in food: A review

Abstract

Foreign body in food is a matter of concern in food industry as it determines the safety and quality of the product. This issue leads to anxiety as it is hazardous if it is accidentally being consumed. Therefore, foreign body detection is urgently needed. Noninvasive techniques are attractive as they can be used to evaluate without altering the originality of the food products in terms of ingredient and structure. With the growing interest in this subject, this article reviews the development of noninvasive techniques including X-ray, thermal imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, ultrasonic, and terahertz. The principle and application of each technique are elaborated. The performances and limitations from previous studies in several types of food applications are analyzed. In addition, future trends and challenges encountered with these techniques are highlighted. It is envisaged that the information gathered in this article will be a valuable source of information for researchers working in this topic. Practical applications: The existence of foreign bodies in food causes degradation of their quality and safety. The implementation of the noninvasive technique as a monitoring tool have received an encouraging response from the manufacturers which endeavors to maintain their credibility and reputation. This review serves to provide an up-to-date development on the noninvasive technique for detecting foreign bodies which is useful for academicians and researchers especially from the food processing industries.