TERAHERTZ TECHNOLOGY FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY ASSESSMENT

Abstract

Despite its promise, wider industrial adoption faces challenges including high instrument cost, limited penetration depth in high-moisture foods, water absorption, complex data interpretation, and the need for robust models under real production conditions. Terahertz (THz) technology, operating broadly in the 0.1–10 THz frequency range, is emerging as a powerful non-destructive testing (NDT) tool for food quality and safety assessment. THz waves combine properties of microwaves and infrared radiation, offering low photon energy, high sensitivity, spectral “fingerprint” information, and the ability to penetrate many non-metallic and non-polar materials such as paper and plastic packaging. Future research should therefore focus on developing compact, low-cost, high-speed THz sources and detectors; improving penetration and signal-to-noise performance; creating standardized food spectral libraries; and integrating THz spectroscopy with chemometrics, artificial intelligence, and automated online inspection systems. With continued technological advances, terahertz technology is expected to become a rapid, reliable, sustainable, and commercially viable tool for non-destructive assessment of food quality, authenticity, and safety.