Spectroscopy Based In-Line Monitoring and Control of Food Quality and Safety

Food quality, and assurance of its safety is the most important criteria that dictates the growth and survival of the food industry. Each step during food processing, beginning from the farm to a consumer’s fork, requires continuous monitoring and process control to ensure quality and safety through its various stages like harvesting, processing, packaging, storage and transportation. The conventional method of analysis for parameters governing food quality and safety has largely been “off-line”. In accordance with the industry 4.0 initiative by FDA for process analytical technologies (PAT), food industry operations will require rapid, non-invasive, sensitive techniques which have the ability to give fast and accurate results. This chapter focuses on spectroscopy-based sensors which are the most popular in-line monitoring systems in the food industry, their basic principles, and various factors that influence the functioning and choice of the techniques and sensor, their advantages and disadvantages, along with their application in various food sectors. This chapter also focuses on the potential role of other sensor technologies like biosensors, acoustic, MRI, for real time measurement of analyte and their feasibility for integration to existing industrial processes. The chapter concludes by providing future perspectives in inline sensing which will be useful for achieving a robust and sustainable option to accomplish the goal of providing quality and safe food by the industry.