Terahertz Technology: Principles and Applications in the Agri-Food Industry

THz technology is an active area of research but only in recent years has the application of THz waves in food and agricultural industries been explored. Terahertz Technology: Principles and Applications in the Agri-food Industry describes the operating principles of terahertz technology, and discusses applications and advantages of the terahertz regime of the electromagnetic spectrum for use in agri-food industry. The Agri-food industry is focusing on the development of non-destructive quality evaluation techniques that can provide accurate analysis quickly and are environmentally friendly. Among such techniques is terahertz (THz) technology that provides a novel non-invasive approach to quality assessment and safety assurance of agri-food products. The low energy of THz waves is best suited for the analysis of sensitive biomaterials and does not cause photoionization. Therefore, THz imaging is complementary to X-ray imaging. Although accessing of the THz spectrum is tedious by conventional devices, the combination of optics and electronics principles has opened a dimension of research in this field.

This book provides an overview of THz spectroscopy and imaging, system components, types of THz systems, and applications and advantages of THz for applications in the agri-food industry. It describes the basic working mechanism, operating principle, operation modes, system components of THz spectroscopy and imaging. Various advancements in THz technology related to agricultural and food applications are discussed that could serve as guidebook for all those working and interested in non-destructive food assessment techniques.

Key Features:

Explores broader applications of the THz regime in the agri-food sector

Describes system components, different forms of THz systems, and the working principle of THz waves for spectroscopic and imaging techniques

Provides insights on future research needs for industrial implementation of THz technology

Complements the knowledge of other existing non-destructive spectroscopy and imaging techniques for food analysis

Although books on biomedical applications of THz have been published, no book is available that deals with applications in agri-food industry. Hence, Terahertz Technology is beneficial for undergraduate and graduate students and those food industry professionals involved in research related to non-destructive quality assessment and imaging techniques.