Non-contact ultrasound imaging for foreign object detection in cheese and poultry

Novel non-contact air instability compensation transducers were utilized to detect foreign object and defects in cheese and poultry. Non-contact ultrasound velocity and energy attenuation images could be successfully assessed for metal and glass fragments in chicken breast and holes, cracks, and foreign objects in cheese. Results demonstrated that the non-contact ultrasound imaging technique has a good potential for nondestructive and rapid detection of foreign objects and defects in food materials and could provide to be yet another alternative to conventional X-ray methods.