Measurement of Food Optical Properties

Abstract

Optical properties determine how a biological material or a food product will behave or interact with light. Absorption and scattering coefficients are the two primary optical properties characterizing turbid or diffusive food products. Measurement of the optical properties can provide useful information about the structural characteristics, chemical composition, physiological status, and quality or condition of food products. This chapter gives an overview of our recent research on the development and application of hyperspectral imaging-based spatially-resolved technique for measuring the optical absorption and scattering properties of food products. It first introduces the basic concepts of light scattering and absorption in turbid biological materials, followed by a brief review of the principle and theory of spatially-resolved spectroscopic technique. The chapter then describes the development of algorithms and hardware for a new optical property measuring instrument for food and agricultural products, and shows application examples of using the optical properties to assess the maturity/quality of fruits. It concludes with recommendations for further research in the measurement of optical properties for food and agricultural products.