Method and instrument for measuring local water content inside food

A new method of measuring local water content inside food during heat processing has been evaluated. The method uses a fibre optic NIR-Instrument. The evaluation was mainly based on investigations of the influence of structure and temperature. The instrument was found to be very sensitive to both the structure and the temperature of the sample. The dependence on the temperature of the sample can be incorporated into the calibration and is thereby not an impediment to the measurements. The structural dependence makes quantitative measurements at different places in the sample difficult for inhomogeneous materials. However, measurements of dynamic changes in the water content in one spot work well for both homogenous and inhomogeneous materials and are probably the best application of the instrument. By using two or more optic fibres, the diffusion of water can also be measured.