ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some of the most promising applications of microwave reflectometry (MR) for monitoring and sensing purposes in the agrofood industry. The interest towards MR originates from the fact that this technique can satisfy several contrasting requirements, such as low implementation cost, real-time response, possibility of remote control, reliability and adequate measurement accuracy. The chapter discusses the basic theoretical principles behind MR and the adopted measurement strategies. It presents some interesting test cases related to MR-based monitoring of agrofoods. The chapter considers applications: moisture measurement of granular agrofood materials; quality control of vegetable oils; and monitoring of dehydration process of fruit and vegetables. Industrial application of MR relates to the monitoring of the osmotic dehydration (OD) process of fruit and vegetables. OD is a process that is employed for the partial removal of water from fruit and vegetables.
