ABSTRACT
The infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is extremely useful in food processing in various ways:
• Food processes involving heating • Spectroscopic measurement of chemical composition (analytical applications) of food • Noncontact temperature measurement of food
Although these three types of applications involve some of the same properties, this chapter is primarily intended for the applications of infrared in heating of food, such as drying [1], baking [2], roasting [3], blanching, and surface pasteurization [4]. For applications involving composition measurement, the reader is referred to reviews such as those by Williams and Norris [5] or Buning-Pfaue [6], and for noncontact temperature measurement, to books such as by Michalski et al. [7].
