Food and Packaging

Exciscope Polaris and phase-contrast imaging specialize in imaging materials with similar contrasts, however, when the contrast between two material types is larger (such as between solid biomaterials and air), image quality increases to the point that the overall scan time can be reduced. This point is emphasized by analyzing the internal structure of porous materials such as coffee beans and other porous foods. The microstructure of a coffee bean changes throughout the roasting process where pressure builds inside the system due to steam and carbon dioxide gas formation. Pores expand, embrittling the surrounding structure. Pores can range in size from the mesoscale (due to the bean itself cracking open) down to the microscale (as many of the pores are formed from the cell walls of the bean). The high contrast between the pores and the surrounding material using the Exciscope Polaris makes identification, rendering, and segmentation easier.