A food x-ray inspection often forms a critical component of the food safety process. It can look for contaminants and uncover other issues with the food, making it an irreplaceable element of quality control.
However, fully understanding the outcome of an x-ray scan means understanding what goes into it. Part of this includes how density affects food x-ray scans. With this knowledge, manufacturers will have a better chance of properly utilizing x-ray technology.
Understanding the Role of Density in Food X-Ray Inspection
An x-ray inspection can examine items with different densities. Since items with higher densities take longer for x-ray waves to pass through, they show up darker on x-ray scans. Ultimately, this greatly impacts how density affects food x-ray scans.
Uniformity of Inspection
Density impacts these scans primarily through uniformity of inspection. A scan featuring items of uniform density will look relatively uniform. All of the items will be the same color, and only the gaps between items will be different.
Meanwhile, everything will look different in a scan of items of different densities. A scan like this will display many shades of color, instantly identifying the differences in these items.
So, the food may show up as one color because it has a specific density. Meanwhile, a contaminant in that product will likely show up as a different color because it has a different density. The process here identifies the contaminant, even if it isn’t visible to the naked eye.
Detection Sensitivity and Clarity
Different x-ray systems will produce different results. For one, sensitivity matters. Some machines are capable of detecting incredibly small objects through an x-ray scan, while others are less capable.
The same is true for the clarity of an x-ray scan. High-quality machines display scans with a high degree of clarity, making it easy to identify issues. Others are incapable of doing this.
Factors Influencing Density Variation in Foods
Several factors influence how density affects food x-ray scans, as different materials show up differently on these scans.
Composition of the Food
The composition of the food significantly impacts its density. Most food products have different densities and will either sit on the higher end of the density spectrum or the lower end.
Because of this, a food product inspected under an x-ray scan will look different than other objects. With this in mind, you can tell the difference between them when they appear in a scan together. Doing so makes it easy to see when one material appears where it shouldn’t.
For example, applesauce and dry beans have very different densities. If, for some reason, a dry bean made its way into a jar of applesauce, it would clearly stand out in an x-ray.
However, this isn’t always the case. Some items have relatively similar densities and, thus, look relatively similar in an x-ray scan. When this happens, it makes it harder to distinguish between one item and another during inspection.
Moisture Content
Foods with a particularly high moisture content have a density closer to water, which makes them generally less dense.
In some cases, two items with high moisture contents may appear similar in a scan. Even though these items are different, the water content within them makes them seem the same in an x-ray image.
When this happens, it can be harder to detect problems. If a contaminant in food has a high moisture content and the food itself also has a high moisture content, they will look similar on a scan. Because of this, the contaminant may go unnoticed.
Temperature Effects
Higher temperatures cause substances within food, such as water, to expand. When this happens, the food ends up with a lower density.
Because of this, scans of a crop of apples that just came from sitting in the shade will look different from those that just came from sitting in the sun. Depending on what the scan is looking for, this will impact the final results.
With this in mind, it is easy to see the importance of knowing any temperature variations in the production line. Accounting for these differences will help account for potential variations in x-ray scans.
Assessing the Impact of Density on Image Quality
A number of factors affect the overall image quality of an x-ray scan. Along with understanding how density affects food x-ray scans, understanding these factors can lead to more informative results.
Contrast and Clarity
Contrast and clarity are often part of a trade-off in x-ray imaging. An image with higher contrast is effective at identifying glaring problems. These highlight large changes in density.
However, high-contrast x-rays often provide less detail when it comes to density levels. Because of this, smaller changes in density may go unnoticed.
Think of a high-contrast x-ray as looking for a point of light in a dark room. That point of light is easy to identify against the background of darkness, even if you can’t see much else. So, if you just need to find the light, you are in a decent situation, but if you need to find something else, then you want an image with more clarity.
There is no consistent right or wrong answer when choosing between contrast and clarity. One is better for certain situations, while the other is better for others. It ultimately comes down to the desired outcome of the scan and the potential contaminants in the product.
Artifact Creation
Many x-ray scans have artifacts in them. These are small disruptions in the scan that distract from the main image. They occur when something disrupts the radiation exposure process.
X-ray artifacts may result from:
- Motion
- Foreign objects
- Double exposures
- Debris
- Other x-ray issues
Resolution Limitations
It is worth noting that all scans have resolution limitations. Because of this, it is impossible to tell everything from a single scan.
Images with larger pixels have higher limitations. They will come from a system with a lower level of sensitivity and produce worse results. Meanwhile, images with smaller pixels are easier to read and come from systems with higher sensitivity levels.
Techniques for Handling Density Variations
These techniques can help you manage differences in density when inspecting products.
- Calibration procedures: Properly calibrating an x-ray machine makes it easier to handle density variations. Manufacturers can heighten or minimize these variations as needed.
- Image processing algorithms: Nowadays, programs exist to further process images created by x-ray scans. These allow for insights that go beyond what humans are capable of.
- Adaptive scanning techniques: Some x-ray machines utilize adaptive scanning techniques to automatically deal with density variations in the desired way.
Exploring Advanced Technologies for Density Detection
A number of advanced technologies exist in the world of density detection. Manufacturers can use these to solve some challenges with density detection or to help in specific situations.
Dual-Energy X-Ray Inspection
Dual-energy x-ray inspection systems use dual generators and detectors to take advantage of multiple-spectrum x-ray energy. Doing so allows these systems to detect contaminants that would otherwise go undetected.
Specifically, these systems are ideal for finding lower-density contaminants. Most x-rays have a particularly troublesome time finding contaminants like these. Hence, a dual-energy x-ray inspection is generally better when it comes to finding things like cartilage, rubber, plastic, and some bones.
Machine Learning Applications
In many cases, looking for contaminants in food is a process prone to error. When humans look at scans, they may miss something due to human error. Meanwhile, some computer programs don’t have the capability to identify all types of contaminants.
All of this could change as machine learning applications become more advanced. These eliminate the need for human oversight and, in doing so, help eliminate human error. Meanwhile, they are capable of finding contaminants in ways that older computer programs were unable to.
The best part is that machine learning applications are only improving as time goes on. With the advent of AI, it seems likely that there are far more advances in this category on the horizon.
The Overall Impact of Density on Food X-Ray Scans
Density is one of the biggest factors that goes into x-ray scans. By understanding how density affects food x-ray scans and how other factors play into density, manufacturers can get the most out of these inspections. As a result, they can reap the benefits of x-ray technology and deliver a better, safer product.
Could you use assistance choosing the appropriate x-ray technology? Let the experts at TDI Packsys in Vernon Hills, IL, help with our customized solutions. Call us at 877-834-6750 today.
