Robotics and Automation in the Food Industry: Current and Future Technologies

The implementation of robotics and automation in the food sector offers great potential for improved safety, quality and profitability by optimising process monitoring and control. Robotics and automation in the food industry provides a comprehensive overview of current and emerging technologies and their applications in different industry sectors.

Part one introduces key technologies and significant areas of development, including automatic process control and robotics in the food industry, sensors for automated quality and safety control, and the development of machine vision systems. Optical sensors and online spectroscopy, gripper technologies, wireless sensor networks (WSN) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are discussed, with consideration of intelligent quality control systems based on fuzzy logic. Part two goes on to investigate robotics and automation in particular unit operations and industry sectors. The automation of bulk sorting and control of food chilling and freezing is considered, followed by chapters on the use of robotics and automation in the processing and packaging of meat, seafood, fresh produce and confectionery. Automatic control of batch thermal processing of canned foods is explored, before a final discussion on automation for a sustainable food industry.

With its distinguished editor and international team of expert contributors, Robotics and automation in the food industry is an indispensable guide for engineering professionals in the food industry, and a key introduction for professionals and academics interested in food production, robotics and automation.

Provides a comprehensive overview of current and emerging robotics and automation technologies and their applications in different industry sectorsChapters in part one cover key technologies and significant areas of development, including automatic process control and robotics in the food industry and sensors for automated quality and safety controlPart two investigates robotics and automation in particular unit operations and industry sectors, including the automation of bulk sorting and the use of robotics and automation in the processing and packaging of meat, seafood, fresh produce and confectionery

Part I: Introduction, key technologies and significant areas of development

Chapter 1: Automatic process control for the food industry: an introduction

Chapter 2: Robotics in the food industry: an introduction

Chapter 3: Sensors for automated food process control: an introduction

Chapter 4: Machine vision in the food industry

Chapter 5: Optical sensors and online spectroscopy for automated quality and safety inspection of food products

Chapter 6: Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and related systems for automated process control in the food industry: an introduction

Chapter 7: Gripper technologies for food industry robots

Chapter 8: Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in the agricultural and food industries

Chapter 9: Intelligent quality control systems in food processing based on fuzzy logic

Chapter 10: Advanced methods for the control of food processes: the case of bioconversion in a fed-batch reactor

Part II: Robotics and automation in particular unit operations and industry sectors

Chapter 11: Automation and robotics for bulk sorting in the food industry

Chapter 12: Automatic control of food chilling and freezing

Chapter 13: Robotics and automation in meat processing

Chapter 14: Robotics and automation in the poultry industry: current technology and future trends

Chapter 15: Robotics and automation in seafood processing

Chapter 16: Robotics and automation in the fresh produce industry

Chapter 17: Robotics and automation for packaging in the confectionery industry

Chapter 18: Automatic control of batch thermal processing of canned foods

Chapter 19: Automation for a sustainable food industry: computer aided analysis and control engineering methods