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Project

Novel techniques for inspection and engineering of food (micro)structure based on X-ray computed tomography (TOMFOOD).

Food microstructure is defined as the organisation of food constituents at the microscale and their interaction. Most solid foods, including bakery products, fruit, vegetables and dairy foods, are microstructured. Many properties of foods which are relevant to process engineering or quality are related to their microstructure. Microstructure affects food quality attributes such as texture, but also relates to the occurrence of internal defects, as well as affecting food stability and shelf life. Examples include sponginess of bread, texture of cakes and pastry, gas and water transport properties of fruit and consistency and texture of cheeses, cream and butter. Food processing operations affects the microstructure: existing porous structures are destroyed and new ones are created. Insight in food microstructure and how it changes during processing operations is essential to produce high quality food. In particular, consumer demands for enhanced nutritional quality (composition), sensory quality (texture, internal defects) and safety (absence of foreign materials) are driving manufacturers to optimize products and processes with respect to microstructure.X-ray computed tomography (CT) enables the non-destructive visualisation and quantification of the internal structure of objects. Technological advances led to micro-CT (or CT) and nano-CT systems with nowadays a pixel resolution at or below 1 micron, while fast X-ray CT scanners have emerged in the medical field. This project with the acronym TomFood aims at- Developing novel X-ray CT instruments for inspecting food structure and food microstructure of foods at the best possible image quality and resolution balanced to processing speed and equipment cost;- Developing novel tomographic reconstruction and analysis methods for improved quantification of food structure parameters;- Using X-ray CT to improve our understanding of process-structure-property relationships through advanced mathematical models;- Develop tools for design and engineering of novel food processes and food products;- Developing affordable online food inspection equipment in food processing plants to the benefit of the food industry in Flanders.The objectives are realised by means of a multidisciplinary consortium combining food technology experts in specific application fields (dairy, fruits and vegetables, cereal based foods) with experts in X-ray physics and image processing and analysis. The objectives are translated into a program of work packages for each specific objective. The aim is to force a breakthrough in each of the domains resulting in innovations for the Flemish industry.
Date:1 Oct 2012 →  30 Sep 2016
Keywords:TOMOGRAPHY, X-RAY TOMOGRAPHY, FOOD COMPOSITION
Disciplines:Other chemical sciences, Multimedia processing, Biological system engineering, Signal processing, Nutrition and dietetics, Agricultural animal production, Food sciences and (bio)technology
Project type:Collaboration project