Method and device for detecting and checking edible products

Abstract

A method and a device for detecting and checking an edible product (P) used in the food and / or agricultural sector, in which sensor means (1) comprising at least two emitters (2, 3) continuously and in real time irradiate said product (P) directly with electromagnetic radiation at different wavelengths.

Description

[0001] “Method and device for detecting and checking edible products”

[0002] DESCRIPTION

[0003] The present invention relates to a method and device for detecting and checking edible products.

[0004] In particular, the invention is advantageously used in the food industry and / or in the agricultural field to detect and check, in real time and continuously, treatment processes such as fermentation, ripening, drying, and similar or equivalent processes, directly applied to natural edible products of plant origin, such as fruit and vegetables, or of animal origin, such as meat, fish, shellfish, etc., or to processed / treated edible products, such as hams, cured meats, sausages in general made from meat, and dairy products, to which the following description will make explicit reference without thereby limiting the general applicability of the invention. In the food and / or agricultural industry, it is known to measure the environmental and climatic characteristics within fermentation / drying / maturation chambers where food / agri cultural products are stored and housed, in order to optimize the evolution of their organoleptic characteristics.

[0005] Measurement methods are also known in which the organoleptic characteristics of appropriately selected product samples taken from the aforementioned fermentation / drying / maturation chambers, where the products are housed, are checked.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to optimize and make the aforementioned controls more effective, faster, and more consistent.

[0007] In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for analyzing products used in the food and / or agricultural field that operates in real time and continuously, in order to ensure effective and constant monitoring at a low cost.

[0008] The functional characteristics of the methodology of the present invention and its advantages over the prior art will become even clearer and more evident from the claims below and, in particular, from an examination of the following description, referred to the attached drawing, which shows a block diagram of a preferred, but not limiting, embodiment of a device for detecting and checking edible products for use in the food and / or agricultural fields implementing the same methodology.

[0009] With reference to the attached schematic figure, D generally indicates a device for detecting and checking a product P used in the food and / or agricultural sectors, such as a natural plant-based product such as a fruit and / or vegetable, or an animal-based product such as meat, fish, shellfish, etc., or a processed / transformed food product, such as, for example, ham, salami, a meat-based sausage, and / or a dairy product.

[0010] The device D is configured, in use, to detect and measure in real time, directly on the product P and continuously, the intrinsic surface moisture of the product P itself through the analysis of the reflection of the water contained in P (reflectance of nearinfrared radiation), and comprises sensor means 1 for detection and control.

[0011] Preferably, but not limited to, the sensor means 1 are optical or equivalent sensors, consisting of a pair of light emitters 2 and 3 operating at two different wavelengths, and a receiver 4 sensitive to the aforementioned two wavelengths emitted onto the product P.

[0012] The light emitters 2 and 3, preferably but not limited to laser or LED light, are pulsed and alternately controlled by a digital unit 6, which manages the timing of the pulses and, at the same time, the sampling of the signal received by a receiver 4 and appropriately conditioned by an electronic interface unit.

[0013] Preferably, but not limited to, the receiver 4 is an InGaAs photodiode.

[0014] In order to optimize the uniformity of the illumination of the product P being measured, it is possible for the sensor means 1 to also consist of multiple light emitters 2 and 3, multiple receivers 4, or even dedicated optics for collimating and collecting the emitted light.

[0015] The signal received by receiver 4 can be appropriately sampled at high frequency and processed with digital filtering, which allows estimating the amplitude of the reflections while eliminating any contributions from optical (such as ambient light, natural or artificial) or electronic disturbances.

[0016] The ratio between the two reflection measurements at the two wavelengths is a monotone function of the surface moisture content of product P.

[0017] As a first approximation, this function can be linearized, obtaining the following equation: humidity [%] = [(Measurement at 1200nm) / (Measurement at 1450nm) - A] x B where A and B are two calibration constants of device D. In use, according to the present invention, the methodology for detecting and monitoring the organoleptic characteristics of product P involves continuously and in real time directly irradiating food product P with pulsed light radiation.

[0018] The aforementioned pulsed light radiation can advantageously be previously sampled and electronically conditioned.

[0019] ***

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method for real-time detection and checking of an edible product (P) used in the food and / or agricultural sectors, comprising the step of continuously measuring the intrinsic chemical-physical characteristics of said product (P), said measurement step comprising the step of continuously directly irradiating said product (P) with pulsed radiation; characterized in that said pulsed radiation is previously sampled and electronically conditioned.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said pulsed radiation is light radiation.

3. The method according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 2, characterized in that said chemi cal -physical characteristics include the moisture content of said product (P).

4. A device (D) for detecting and checking an edible product (P) used in the food and / or agricultural sectors, comprising sensor means (1) formed by at least two emitters (2, 3) of electromagnetic radiation at different wavelengths to be continuously irradiated directly onto said product (P) and at least one receiver (4) sensitive to said wavelengths, characterized in that said emitters (2, 3) are light emitters capable of emitting pulsed light previously sampled and electronically conditioned.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that said sensor means (1) are optical sensors.

6. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims 4 to 5, characterized in that it also comprises interface means (5) and digital unit means (6) for conditioning said wavelengths.

7. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims 4 to 6, characterized in that said emitters (2, 3) are LEDs.

8. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims 4 to 6, characterized in that said emitters (2, 3) are laser light emitters.

9. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims 4 to 8, characterized in that said receiver (4) is a photodiode of the InGaAs type.

10. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims 4 to 9, characterized in that said sensor means (1) are suitable for detecting and controllingthe humidity of said product (P).

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