Microwave detection of foreign objects inside bread loaves

Abstract

Food safety is a critical component of modern day food production. For baked products such as bread, existing methods for detection of foreign objects are typically limited to x-ray and magnetic (metal detection) technologies. We have developed a new method for detection of foreign objects based on near-field microwave scattering that, unlike existing commercial microwave methods which are limited to bulk flow of material in a pipe, is applicable to finished bread products.