Unveiling the invisible: How SWIR imaging enhances food and beverage quality control
Unveiling the invisible: How SWIR imaging enhances food and beverage quality control - A White Paper from JAI
Quality control in the food and beverage industry requires increasingly sophisticated inspection technologies. Whilst conventional RGB cameras excel at detecting surface defects and colour variations, many critical quality issues - moisture content, internal contamination, foreign objects within packaging - remain invisible to the naked eye and standard imaging systems.
Short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging technology is transforming how manufacturers approach quality control, offering capabilities that extend far beyond visible light inspection. By capturing wavelengths between 900nm and 1700nm, SWIR cameras can penetrate materials that appear opaque under visible light, revealing subsurface features, moisture distribution and contaminants that would otherwise go undetected until products reach consumers.
This White Paper from JAI explores how SWIR technology is being applied across food and beverage manufacturing, from granular inspection of grains and nuts to sophisticated packaging verification systems.
Who should read this White Paper?
This resource is specifically designed for:
- Vision system engineers seeking practical understanding of SWIR imaging fundamentals and implementation strategies
- Quality control managers evaluating advanced inspection technologies to meet stringent industry standards
- Production engineers responsible for detecting contaminants, foreign objects and defects in high-speed manufacturing environments
- Technical decision-makers assessing the business case for multi-spectral imaging solutions
What you'll discover
The White Paper provides both fundamental knowledge and practical application guidance, starting with the role of different wavelengths in machine vision before diving into specific food and beverage use cases.
Key topics include:
- Granular inspection applications - how SWIR imaging enables high-precision detection of impurities in grains, nuts and powders, including real-time moisture analysis and material classification based on spectral signatures
- Packaging inspection capabilities - using SWIR's penetrative properties to verify fill levels through opaque containers, detect oil contamination on metal packaging, and identify defects invisible to visible light cameras
- Combined RGB + SWIR imaging - the advantages of using prism-based multi-sensor cameras that simultaneously capture visible and SWIR data, simplifying system design whilst improving detection accuracy
Throughout the White Paper, you'll find practical examples demonstrating how SWIR technology detects nutshells in flour for allergen control, reveals foreign objects mixed with nuts during transport, and inspects product contents through multi-layered packaging materials.
Why this matters for your operations
Traditional inspection methods often require multiple camera systems, each addressing different aspects of quality control. This White Paper demonstrates how combining RGB and SWIR imaging in a single camera system reduces hardware complexity, lowers integration costs and provides more comprehensive quality data - all whilst maintaining the high-speed throughput essential for modern production lines.
Whether you're investigating crop contamination, verifying packaging integrity or ensuring consistent product quality, you'll gain actionable insights into implementing SWIR technology that enhances food safety whilst streamlining inspection processes.
