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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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.

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