Application of terahertz spectroscopy and imaging techniques in food quality and safety

With the rapid development of semiconductor materials science and ultrafast laser technology, applications of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and imaging for quality and safety control of food products has shown a powerful potential. This article summarized the principals of terahertz spectrum systems and terahertz imaging systems at present. Combining with the characteristics of the THz radiation source, the applications of THz technology in food quality and safety was introduced, such as food moisture determination, residual detection, foreign body detection, beverage characterization detection, health food authenticity identification, deterioration detection, genetically modified foods detection, etc. The challenges and prospects about applications of terahertz in the field of food quality and safety were also discussed. The ability of THz waves to pass through a wide variety of materials, combined with their ability to characterize the molecular structure of many foods made it an attractive process analytical tool for enhanced monitoring of food production and food safety. Through the potential of THz technology had been demonstrated for many fields in food quality and safety, it was clear that much remained to be researched in this area. Combined with lowering costs for sources and detectors, faster systems should lead to the increased adoption of THz spectroscopy and imaging for food quality and safety.