Advances in techniques for identifying and tracking foreign bodies in agri-food supply chains

Abstract

Foreign bodies in food can occur at any stage in the agri-food supply chain continuum, and they are recognised as the main single source of customer complaints. From a food safety perspective, these physical contaminants can cause adverse health effects, so food companies strive to have effective control measures in place to prevent their occurrence. One of proposed solutions is instalment of various detection systems focused on discovering different types of foreign bodies in food. This chapter provides an overview of a variety of techniques applicable in food industry, from being fully operative to various lab-scale techniques proposed by some researchers. As part of this analysis, limitations of different detection systems have also been discussed. Finally, the requirements for validating control measures as part of a functional food safety management system have been considered.