Use of microwaves has increased largely in the domestic household in the last few decades due to the convenience of using microwave ovens. In the industrial sector, microwave processing is used in some of the unit operations, while it is yet to capture a major place in the industrial applications. The major drawback associated with microwave heating is the non-uniform temperature distribution, resulting in hot and cold spots in the heated product. The non-uniform temperature distribution not only affects the quality of the food but also raises the issue of food safety when the microorganisms may not be destroyed in the cold spots. The temperature distribution during microwave heating has been studied in a wide variety of products by several researchers. This paper summarizes their results and the solutions offered by them to lessen the nonuniformity of heating. The current applications of microwave energy in the industrial sector are also highlighted.

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Several complex set of engineering and scientific challenges in the food and bioprocessing industries for manufacturing high quality and safe food through efficient and sustainable means can be solved through nanotechnology. Bacteria identification and food quality monitoring using biosensors; intelligent, active, and smart food packaging systems; and nanoencapsulation of bioactive food compounds are few examples of emerging applications of nanotechnology for the food industry. We review the background about the potential of nanotechnology, provide an overview of the current and future applications of nanotechnology relevant to food and bioprocessing industry, and identify the societal implications for successful implementation of nanotechnology.

In the food and agricultural industry, sensors are being used for process control, monitoring quality, and assessing safety. There is a growing demand for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sensors in the bulk food storage sector, because CO 2 sensors can be used to detect incipient spoilage and to assess CO 2 levels in modified-atmosphere packages and storage structures. The market potential for reliable and inexpensive CO 2 sensors is huge because of a wide range of applications in the agri-food industry. This review synthesizes information about the types of CO 2 sensors, analyzes their detection processes, provides a broad overview of the innovative research on the development of sensors, sensing mechanisms, and their characteristics, and outlines future possibilities for use of CO 2 sensors.

Thermal imaging is a technique to convert the invisible radiation pattern of an object into visible images for feature extraction and analysis. Infrared thermal imaging was first developed for military purposes but later gained a wide application in various fields such as aerospace, agriculture, civil engineering, medicine, and veterinary. Infrared thermal imaging technology can be applied in all fields where temperature differences could be used to assist in evaluation, diagnosis, or analysis of a process or product. Potential use of thermal imaging in agriculture and food industry includes predicting water stress in crops, planning irrigation scheduling, disease and pathogen detection in plants, predicting fruit yield, evaluating the maturing of fruits, bruise detection in fruits and vegetables, detection of foreign bodies in food material, and temperature distribution during cooking. This paper reviews the application of thermal imaging in agriculture and food industry and elaborates on the potential of thermal imaging in various agricultural practices. The major advantage of infrared thermal imaging is the non-invasive, non-contact, and non-destructive nature of the technique to determine the temperature distribution of any object or process of interest in a short period of time.

Use of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) for inactivation of microorganisms is one of the more promising nonthermal processing methods. Inactivation of microorganisms exposed to high-voltage PEFs is related to the electromechanical instability of the cell membrane. Electric field strength and treatment time are the two most important factors involved in PEF processing. Encouraging results are reported at the laboratory level, but scaling up to the industrial level escalates the cost of the command charging power supply and of the high-speed electrical switch. In this paper, we critically review the results of earlier experimental studies on PEFs and we suggest the future work that is required in this field. Inactivation tests in viscous foods and in liquid food containing particulates must be conducted. A successful continuous PEF processing system for industrial applications has yet to be designed. The high initial cost of setting up the PEF processing system is the major obstacle confronting those who would encourage the system's industrial application. Innovative developments in high-voltage pulse technology will reduce the cost of pulse generation and will make PEF processing competitive with thermal-processing methods.

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