Background: Thermography can be defined as a process of writing or printing involving the use of heat. It's a technique for detecting and measuring variations in the heat emitted by various regions of the body and transforming them into visible signals that can be recorded photographically. Clearly it would be of great use in diagnosing abnormal or diseased underlying conditions. But in the recent years it has been suggested as a viable method in food science research both in detection and process control.
Scope and approach:We reviewed thermography as a not new method which has recently found its way into vast areas of research and practice. After discussing its history and fundamentals some practical applications of thermography such as medical, agricultural and quality control are presented. But the main focus of review is laid on its usage in food science and technology, which is provided in two main categories of process control and detection, through a series of case studies.
Key findings and conclusion:Thermography is a non invasive, non destructive and instantaneous method that makes dynamic observations feasible. It also can be used to confirm any slight gradient in temperature, suggesting it as a detection method. The most important drawback to method is being highly. Modification of the method to make it into a practical procedure in industry, heat and mass transfer studies and microbiological studies can be possible future concerns of the method.