Using the novel technique of energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction tomography, measurements were made of the coherent X-ray scatter from various types of foodstuff (chocolate, bacon, cherry jam, chicken breast) with their typical contaminants (macrolon, blue foil, cherry stones/wood and bone, respectively). In addition, it is shown how the use of a window technique in the diffraction spectrum allows cancellation of the foodstuff contribution in scatter images, leaving only that of the contaminant. The extension to multicomponent systems, allowing arbitrary elimination of unwanted materials in coherent scatter images, is possible. Taken together, these results indicate the great potential of coherent X-ray scatter analysis for contamination detection in the foodstuff industry. By development of more efficient X-ray scatter geometries, using e.g. fan beam irradiation with simultaneous acquisition of spectra from different voxels, the requirements of industrial mass production with respect to inspection time and resolution are likely to be met.

Date Published: 28 March 1994
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 2092, Substance Detection Systems, (28 March 1994); doi: 10.1117/12.171258

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2092:
Substance Detection Systems
Geoffrey L. Harding; Richard C. Lanza; Lawrence J. Myers; Peter A. Young, Editor(s)