For perishable food throughout the production, transportation, storage and sales process, infrared thermal imagers are very important in the food industry for careful and meticulous temperature control. The spate of food contamination and improper storage triggering food spoilage alarms highlights the need for enhanced process control. Because of the human element typically involved in food processing, food processors need significant automation tools that can help reduce human error and lower costs.
An infrared thermal imager is such an ideal tool. Using thermal imaging cameras, automatic non-contact temperature measurement can be achieved in many food processing applications, and then the temperature of the food under test can be directly displayed for easy control.
Infrared thermal imagers are increasingly used in food processing, including applications such as: inspecting oven-baked food, detecting microwave-cooked meat, detecting microwave-dried steamed rice and other grains, measuring the proper temperature of an oven, and properly filling frozen foods Packaging, testing the sealing performance of microwave table paper, checking the lid glue of the outer packaging carton, monitoring the refrigerator and freezer, and infrared thermal imaging cameras to ensure quality and product safety.
Infrared thermal imagers are a tool second to none for quality assurance. Controlling the quality and safety of deli meat products is a true reflection of the superior value of infrared thermography. A fixed thermal imaging camera is installed to record the temperature of the crispy chicken tenders as it emerges from the continuous conveyor oven.
Another application of infrared thermal imagers in conveyor ovens is to monitor temperature uniformity throughout the conveyor oven. If a heating element in an electric oven fails, or if the entire gas jet impingement oven is heated unevenly, the temperature on one side of the product flow may drop. This problem can be spotted quickly with a thermal imaging camera. This quality monitoring is more difficult to detect using traditional contact temperature sensors. Therefore, thermal imaging cameras help to correct changes in products before they are scrapped and improve product quality.
