LIGHT! 003 | Photonics revolutionise the food industry

Digitising
the food industry
Flexible production that is efficient and with the capacity
for customisation. That is the proposed concept
of Industry 4.0 that is here to stay and is leading to the
creation of an increasingly interconnected industrial
environment.
This proposal not only involves a technological change,
but also a paradigm in which processes and technologies
must go hand in hand. In fact, a technological
change is meaningless if it is not part of an evolution of
the production model towards short cycles thanks to
Lean tools, which enable the optimisation of processes
and the application of continuous improvement, as
well as reducing unproductive times and improving
the availability of equipment.
From a technological point of view, it is about equipping
the machines with new technologies, both hardware
and software, that possess a certain degree of
intelligence necessary to make the processes more
flexible and decision-making quicker and more optimal.
This key technology includes advanced sensorisation,
laser systems and big data.
Within this technological field, photonic technologies
are understood to be tools that can help us in two
main objectives: to increase production and improve
food safety.
As regards increased production, technologies such as
infrared spectroscopy or hyperspectral imaging enable
aspects such as nutrient content, the ripening point or
the detection of chemical products and contaminants,
among others, to be monitored.
Ensuring that food and beverages are safe for consumption
is another way in which photonics plays an
important role in terms of health. Recent innovations
in hyperspectral imaging sensors have enabled food
safety and food quality inspections to be improved.
The present and future lie in the application of these
technologies on direct monitoring on the processing
line and in real time, as well as in the development of
food packaging that enables better food preservation
through the use of tools such as lasers.
6 LIGHT! by secpho