How thermal imaging technology can help reduce food waste | The Packer

Oct 31, 2024

Thermal imaging technology at the farm and processor level could save more produce from the trash bin, according to University of Georgia research.

A review suggests new temperature measuring technologies could make be valuable in reducing food waste in the supply chain.

“Measuring temperature in food processing environments has to be done right,” Kevin Mis Solval, lead author of the study and an associate professor in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said in a news release. “We do it on a regular basis to make sure we have the proper conditions for producing safe products, but it may not always be done practically. These types of thermal imaging tools are not only feasible but cost-effective and good at measuring temperature profiles. That is beneficial for a farmer or food processing facility.”

Funded by the Center for Produce Safety and published in Scientia Horticulturae, the review was co-authored by Yen-Con Hung and Boran Yang of UGA’s Department of Food Science and Technology, Govindaraj Dev Kumar of UGA’s Center for Food Safety, and Kaitlyn Casulli of UGA’s Department of Food Science and Technology.

Temperature spikes are the root of adverse outcomes like premature spoilage and rotting, so monitoring these changes quickly and accurately is key, the release said, and the university's researchers say thermal imaging technology could help control temperatures before and after harvesting fruit and vegetables.

Mis Solval evaluated the technology as a tool for rapidly sensing abrupt temperature changes in crops in real time, the release said. By collecting infrared radiation of fruits and vegetables, thermal imaging technology can gauge temperature without contact.

These types of cameras are readily available to food producers and range from industrial-grade cameras to smartphone attachments and can identify temperature spikes.

“Once you harvest, there is a decomposition process that starts right there, so in some instances a rapid cooling process is very critical for extending the shelf life of fresh produce,” Mis Solval said. “If this cooling process is not done correctly, then the shelf life of some fruit and vegetables is significantly shorter. We’re talking two weeks compared to three or four days.”

Many farmers and harvesters now use conventional thermometers to capture the temperature of one or two items, but researchers said that process is time-consuming and potentially damaging to the product, raising the risk of cross contamination.

Thermal imaging technology has been effective in evaluating the quality of seeds and food safety, but this is the first time it has been considered for such a key part in the pre- and postharvest processes of fresh produce, researchers said.

“Items with a shorter shelf life have less of a chance to reach the marketplace,” Mis Solval said. “If it doesn’t meet the quality criteria for the supermarket, it’s going to be discarded. If it makes it to the consumer and fails in quality, it’s going to be thrown away. We are making sure quality produce reaches the final consumer.”