In an exciting new £600,000 project funded by the Technology Strategy Board, Arden Photonics has teamed up with Branscan Ltd, Aston University and Warburtons Bakery, to use innovative photonic technology to develop a sensing solution for characterising and inspecting food products.
Near Infra-Red (NIR) spectroscopy technology developed by the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies ( AIST ) will be used to determine the physical properties and quality of powdered food products such as flour. In this project we plan to develop multiple wavelength, factory deployable sensors which will enable fast, low cost, portable operation.
Benefits which could accrue from this new development in the milling industry include a reduction in the the level of non-compliant or contaminated products; reduced processing time; increased yields through better product consistency; reduced wastage and waste disposal costs.
