Experimental and computational study of synchrotron X-ray micro-computed tomography imaging in peas and pinto beans after radiofrequency heating

Abstract

Radiofrequency heating is volumetric heating based on the electrical properties of the sample; therefore, it is expected to generate micro explosions in the biological materials due to the presence of moisture under high power conditions. These micro explosions lead to micropore development and expansion of existing pores. The development of micropores in pinto beans and peas due to RF heating was characterised using a non-destructive BMIT beamline at the Canadian Light Source (CLS). Three-dimensional images were rendered from the X-ray images of the samples using BIOMEDISA, and the data were processed for statistical analyses and mathematical modelling to visualize the RF heating mechanism using MATLAB. The analyses included determining the pore volume fraction, porosity of different pinto beans and peas segments, and pore size distribution. This study validated the hypothesis that treating whole peas and beans with RF heating (dielectric heating) induces the formation of micropores.