Digital inspection in food industry(compuer vision) Essay

Digital inspection in food industry(compuer vision) - Essay Example Current paper explores the various aspects of foods’ digital inspection, which is commonly developed through computer vision. The requirements of this process are analyzed and its value is explained. Examples, as available in the literature, are presented so that the benefits and the risks of the specific technique are clear. It is proved that the digital inspection of foods through computer vision can be quite helpful in identifying defects in foods but also in checking the actual ingredients of foods provided to the public. This means that digital inspection, as applied using computer vision, can serve the need for testing the appropriateness of foods for consumption but also for identifying their ingredients, if they are aligned with the standards related to the particular type of food or not. 2.0 Research Questions The research questions on which this study is based can be described as follows: A) which are the key characteristics and role of digital inspection in regard t o the food industry? B) Which are the components of digital inspection with computer vision? C) Which are the phases of computer vision in digital inspection of foods? D) Which are the risks related with the use of computer vision in digital inspection of foods? 3.0 Research Methodology Literature Review has been chosen as the research methodology for exploring the various aspects of this study’s subject. More specifically, a series of articles published in academic journals has been employed for answering to the study’s research questions, as described in the previous section. Effort has been made to retrieve recent studies. In fact, the studies used have been published from 2011 up today, with an exception of 3 studies, 2 of which were published in 2004 and one was published in 2006. These studies were used, even if not quite recent, at the level they analyzed issues that need to be incorporated in this paper. 4.0 Limitations of research During the research developed for this study the following issue appeared: not all issues addressed in this study are sufficiently covered in the literature. Effort has been made to refer to as many aspects of the study’s subject as possible; however, it is possible that gaps can be identified in regard to the answers given to the study’s research questions. These gaps are identified and highlighted in the end of the study making suggestions for future research. The fact that the recent studies available for the particular subject are limited should be also highlighted; older studies have been used instead for covering this gap so that the credibility of the study is not affected. 5.0 Literature Review 5.1 Digital inspection in food industry – overview and role Digital inspection of foods, as a process, is incorporated in food engineering sector (Yam and Papadakis 2004). The specific process focuses on the analysis of specific characteristics of food so that its condition and its synthesis are checked. This type of analysis is characterized as qualitative analysis and ‘involves visual inspection and comparison of the food samples’