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Title: NONDESTRUCTIVE RADIO-FREQUENCY AND MICROWAVE QUALITY EVALUATION TECHNIQUES FOR AGRICULTURAL PROUDUCTS AND FOODS

Author
item NELSON, STUART

Submitted to: International Conference on Agricultural Machinery Engineering
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/12/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: An interpretive summary is not required for a literature review, book chapter (unless reporting original research), book review, or oral presentation (where only the title or abstract is published. Refer to directive 152.1 4/3/91

Technical Abstract: Studies on the use of radio-frequency and microwave dielectric properties for nondestructive quality evaluation of agricultural products are reviewed, following the presentation of general principles governing the interaction of the electromagnetic fields with materials and a brief discussion of the dependence of the dielectric properties on frequency, temperature, and product density. Since the measurement of product moisture content has been the principal interest for such nondestructive quality sensing, most of the review relates to these applications. Principles and findings of studies on the sensing of moisture content in bulk grain and in single kernels by RF and microwave techniques are presented. Initial studies on fruit and vegetable quality measurements are also considered. Factors necessary for the further development of such nondestructive quality sensing techniques are also discussed.