TY - JOUR
T1 - Non-contact multi-frequency magnetic induction spectroscopy system for industrial-scale bio-impedance measurement
AU - O'Toole, Michael D
AU - Marsh, Liam A
AU - Davidson, John L
AU - Tan, Yee Mei
AU - Armitage, David
AU - Peyton, Anthony
N1 - This research was conducted as part of the Fruitgrading Project, ``A low cost sorting solution for the fruit sector based on the evaluation of internal fruit quality''. The project is funded by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 286737.
PY - 2015/2/3
Y1 - 2015/2/3
N2 - Biological tissues have a complex-impedance, or bio-impedance, profile which changes with respect to frequency. This is caused by dispersion mechanisms which govern how the electromagnetic field interacts with the tissue at the cellular and molecular level. Measuring the bio-impedance spectra of a biological sample can potentially provide insight into the sample's properties and its cellular structure. This has obvious applications in the medical, pharmaceutical and food-based industrial domains. However, measuring the bio-impedance spectra non-destructively and in a way which is practical at an industrial-scale presents substantial challenges. The low-conductivity of the sample requires a highly sensitive instrument, while the demands of industrial-scale operation require a fast high-throughput sensor of rugged design. In this paper, we describe a multi-frequency magnetic induction spectroscopy (MIS) system suitable for industrial-scale, non-contact, spectroscopic bio-impedance measurement over a bandwidth of 156 kHz-2.5 MHz. The system sensitivity and performance are investigated using calibration and known reference samples. It is is shown to yield rapid and consistently sensitive results with good long-term stability. The system is then used to obtain conductivity spectra of a number biological test samples, including yeast suspensions of varying concentration and a range of agricultural produce, such as apples, pears, nectarines, kiwis, potatoes, oranges and tomatoes.
AB - Biological tissues have a complex-impedance, or bio-impedance, profile which changes with respect to frequency. This is caused by dispersion mechanisms which govern how the electromagnetic field interacts with the tissue at the cellular and molecular level. Measuring the bio-impedance spectra of a biological sample can potentially provide insight into the sample's properties and its cellular structure. This has obvious applications in the medical, pharmaceutical and food-based industrial domains. However, measuring the bio-impedance spectra non-destructively and in a way which is practical at an industrial-scale presents substantial challenges. The low-conductivity of the sample requires a highly sensitive instrument, while the demands of industrial-scale operation require a fast high-throughput sensor of rugged design. In this paper, we describe a multi-frequency magnetic induction spectroscopy (MIS) system suitable for industrial-scale, non-contact, spectroscopic bio-impedance measurement over a bandwidth of 156 kHz-2.5 MHz. The system sensitivity and performance are investigated using calibration and known reference samples. It is is shown to yield rapid and consistently sensitive results with good long-term stability. The system is then used to obtain conductivity spectra of a number biological test samples, including yeast suspensions of varying concentration and a range of agricultural produce, such as apples, pears, nectarines, kiwis, potatoes, oranges and tomatoes.
KW - Electromagnetic fields
KW - Electromagnetic induction
KW - Fruits
KW - Mobile security
KW - Nondestructive examination
KW - Solid solutions
KW - Spectroscopy
KW - Suspensions (fluids)
KW - Tissue
U2 - 10.1088/0957-0233/26/3/035102
DO - 10.1088/0957-0233/26/3/035102
M3 - Article
SN - 0957-0233
VL - 26
JO - Measurement Science and Technology
JF - Measurement Science and Technology
IS - 035102
M1 - 035102
ER -