With increasingly stringent food safety supervision, X-ray food inspection equipment is gradually becoming an important tool for food companies' quality inspection due to its efficient, non-destructive and intelligent detection capabilities. With the development of cold chain logistics and the popularity of frozen food consumption, a key question has gradually emerged: Is X-ray food inspection equipment suitable for frozen food inspection?
This article will start from multiple dimensions such as detection principles, applicability analysis, technical difficulties and solutions, actual application scenarios, and industry cases to give you a comprehensive understanding of the feasibility and application prospects of X-ray detection technology in the field of frozen food.
1. Brief description of the working principle of X-ray food inspection equipment
The basic principle of X-ray food inspection equipment is to penetrate the food to be inspected through X-rays, and generate grayscale images based on the differences in the absorption rate of X-rays by different substances, so as to identify foreign matter (such as metal, glass, stone, plastic, bone fragments, etc.) or structural abnormalities (such as cavities, cracks, damage, etc.) in the food.
Due to the strong penetration of X-rays, clear imaging, and insensitivity to packaging materials, they are widely used in the quality inspection of various types of food, including bulk, bottled, boxed, bagged and other products.
2. Unique challenges of frozen food inspection
Compared with room temperature food, the physical properties of frozen food have the following significant differences, which also constitute potential challenges for the application of X-ray inspection equipment:
Low temperature: Frozen food is often in a temperature environment of -18℃ or even lower, which may affect the operation of the equipment or image quality.
Density change: In the frozen state, the moisture of the food freezes, resulting in an increase in the overall density, making it more difficult for X-rays to penetrate.
Frosting of the package: Some frozen packages are prone to forming mist or frost, which may interfere with image clarity.
Diverse product forms: There are many types of frozen foods, with large differences in shape, thickness, and density, requiring the equipment to be highly adaptable.
Special production line environment: Cold chain factories usually have low temperature and humidity, and have higher requirements for the material and protection level of the inspection equipment.
3. Can X-ray equipment detect frozen food?
Although there are some technical challenges in frozen food inspection, with the continuous iteration and upgrading of inspection equipment, modern X-ray food inspection equipment is fully capable of detecting frozen food, and has been verified in many practical applications. The following is its feasibility analysis:
High-penetration design to adapt to density changes
For foods with higher density in the frozen state, some high-end X-ray detection equipment is equipped with adjustable high-power X-ray sources and high-sensitivity detectors, which can achieve stronger penetration effects, ensure clear images, and accurately identify foreign objects.
Image algorithm optimization to adapt to frost interference
Currently, mainstream X-ray detection systems are equipped with intelligent image recognition algorithms, which can remove background and enhance edges of interference objects in the image, thereby reducing detection errors caused by frost or water droplets.
Industrial design upgrade to adapt to low temperature environment
The internal heating and anti-condensation system is often used in the equipment, or the temperature of the core components is controlled to avoid electronic component failure or image blur due to low temperature. At the same time, the whole machine structure also uses high-protection grade materials, such as stainless steel body, moisture-proof seal, IP66 and other protection standards, which are suitable for cold chain workshops.
Can be seamlessly connected with cold chain production lines
Modern X-ray equipment is equipped with belt heating system, anti-slip conveyor belt, automatic rejection device, etc., which can be seamlessly connected with the automated packaging production line of frozen food without affecting efficiency.
4. Typical application scenarios of X-ray equipment in frozen foods
In actual production and processing, X-ray equipment has been widely used in the following types of frozen foods:
Frozen meat: such as chicken legs, pork chops, fish pieces, etc., used to detect foreign objects such as bone fragments, metal nails, and plastic packaging material fragments.
Frozen ready-to-eat foods: Pastry products are easily mixed with packaging materials and foreign object fragments, and X-rays can fully cover and inspect each finished product.
Frozen seafood: such as shrimp, crab with shell, and salmon pieces are prone to sand, shell pieces, and metal tool debris.
Frozen vegetables and fruits: Although the density is low, X-rays can still identify foreign objects such as stones and glass.
These applications prove the practicality and necessity of X-ray detection equipment in the frozen food industry.
5. Advantages of using X-ray detection for frozen foods
Full coverage detection: Whether the foreign object is on the surface or inside, it can be captured by penetrating imaging.
Non-contact, non-destructive testing: does not affect product quality and packaging integrity, suitable for rapid detection of large-scale production lines.
High adaptability: suitable for products of different sizes, densities, and shapes, especially for complex structures of frozen foods.
Reduce recall risks: effectively discover early problems and avoid large-scale returns or brand losses due to foreign matter residues.
Enhance brand reputation: demonstrate the company's technological investment and sense of responsibility in food safety.
Among domestic and foreign food companies, more and more brands have incorporated X-ray detection into the production process of frozen foods. For example:
A large frozen food company uses X-rays to detect bone spurs and metal residues in chicken nuggets, effectively reducing the consumer complaint rate;
A frozen pizza manufacturer introduces a dual-view X-ray system to perform dual detection of sauce filling uniformity and glass fragments.
In general, X-ray food inspection equipment can be applied to frozen food inspection, and has higher efficiency and accuracy.
For companies engaged in frozen food processing, export or chain retail, deploying X-ray inspection systems has gradually become a "standard" for food safety. In the future, with the development of AI recognition and automatic control technology, the application of X-ray detection in the field of frozen food will be more extensive and accurate.
If you have any selection requirements or want to know the specific X-ray inspection equipment configuration plan, please contact us for customized suggestions and technical support. We can assist you in the whole process from evaluation, installation to operation training.
www.vixdetect.net
Shanghai Vixdetect Inspection Equipment Co., Ltd.
0
0 
