Nghia Nguyen

Food Quality Control by Combining Light Propagation Models with Multiple vis/NIR Reflectance Measurements

14 Food quality I n past decades, food quality has been a hot topic all over the world. the objective dimension of food quality can be well defined by the chemical and physical characteristics of the product, corresponding directly to its composition and microstructure. Examples of physical properties include sponginess of bread, crispness or crunchiness of crackers, firmness of fruit, tenderness of meat etc. Food processing can also affect the microstructure and composition. For example, structures or components can be added, changed or destroyed. Consumer demands for enhanced nutritional quality (composition), sensory quality (texture, internal defects) and safety (absence of foreign materials), are continuously driving the food industry to optimise their products and processes. therefore, measuring these objective quality parameters might give more insight into their products and processes and consequently help ensure the quality of our food.