ABSTRACT
In the last two decades, the use of computers and process control in the food industry has substantially increased and their application is expected to continue to grow since the cost of electronic components has decreased and their ability to withstand a food production environment has continually been improved.
With the increase in computing power, applications such as image processing or computer simulation based on discretization have become possible in reasonable time frames. For example, quality parameters such as size, shape, firmness, and sweetness can be assessed objectively in a fast manner using advanced image processing techniques. Finite element discretization allows researchers to have an insight into heat, mass, or momentum phenomena in the nonmeasurable parts of the food product. Furthermore, using process simulation techniques, the real-world behavior of a process can approximately be observed in a simulation environment.
