Food and Food Ingredients

Food and food ingredients are analyzed throughout product development, manufacturing and quality control to verify composition, detect contaminants, understand structure and physical properties, and ensure consistent finished products. Analytical requirements range from measuring nutrients, minerals and potentially harmful elements to characterizing crystalline ingredients, particle and pore structure, thermal behavior and the internal structure of foods.

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) provides rapid elemental analysis for applications such as nutrient measurement, heavy metal screening and process control. X-ray diffraction (XRD) identifies crystalline phases and can characterize structural changes in ingredients. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) examines nanoscale structures and particle characteristics, while thermal analysis measures properties such as melting, crystallization and decomposition. X-ray computed tomography (CT) provides nondestructive three-dimensional imaging of internal food structures, including pores, coatings and ingredient distributions.