Non destructive characterisation and quantification of the effect of conventional oven and forced convection continuous tumble (FCCT) roasting on the three dimensional microstructure of whole wheat kernels using X ray micro computed tomography (mCT)
Abstract Food microstructure influences the characteristics of end products. X ray micro computed tomography (mCT) enables investigating internal structure of food products non destructively. High resolution X ray mCT, in combination with image analysis, was used to visualise and quantify the impact of conventional oven and forced convection continuous tumble (FCCT) roasting (180 degC for 140 s) on the microstructure of whole wheat kernels. After image acquisition, two dimensional (2D) cross sectional images were reconstructed into three dimensional (3D) volumes. Quantitative parameters, i.e. volume, porosity, expansion ratio (ER) and relative density, were calculated. Oven roasting was associated with a significantly P