Safe sensors in food!

Headwall Photonics has announced that their CEO David Bannon recently met with USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan to discuss Headwall sensor technology developed through close collaboration with the USDA Agricultural Research Service organisation.

The following Headwall Hyperspec® sensors are COTS products and are available as optimized sensors for the following spectral regions:
UV 250 - 600nm
VNIR 380 - 1000nm
Extended VNIR 550 - 1700nm
NIR 900 - 1700nm
SWIR 950 - 2500nm

The success of recent USDA and FDA initiatives such as the Food Safety Modernisation Act and expansion of the HACCP Based Inspection Models Project (HIMP) are in part dependent upon the incorporation of new techniques, protocols, and instrumentation that are consistent with food safety regulations and enhanced food quality objectives and provide US food producers with increased competitive capabilities.

For a number of years, Headwall Photonics has worked closely with researchers and scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the agency's chief scientific research organisation, to develop spectral imaging instruments for high speed, in-line inspection of food and agriculture products. These spectral vision systems utilise a specialised processing algorithm that is tailored to the specific product or agricultural inspection algorithm.

"Through ongoing collaboration with USDA researchers, Headwall continues to develop cost-effective, compelling spectral solutions that support improvements in food safety inspection and food quality while meeting the need of food processors for high throughput inspection," offered David Bannon, CEO of Headwall Photonics. "Our hyperspectral sensor platform has been specifically designed for these critical applications."

Headwall's hyperspectral in-line imaging instruments represent a critical inspection technology that allows food processors and agricultural researchers to identify product characteristics within the field of view of the sensor based on the sample's chemical 'fingerprint' or spectral signature rather than relying solely on visual appearance. Based on a patented sensor design, Headwall's Hyperspec Inspector™ sensors are specifically designed for high spectral and spatial imaging in very harsh operating environments such as required within food processing centers. Headwall's hyperspectral imaging platforms have been optimized for reliable, cost-effective performance based on years of deployment within military and defense organizations.