Sensors For Automated Food Process Control: An Introduction
The measurement of process variables provides not only the means for monitoring and controlling a process, and hence for providing constant quality unaffected by the operator; it also can be key to reducing capital tied up in inventory and to using energy more efficiently. Parallel to this, the management of assets both at process and enterprise level is gaining in importance. This chapter reviews the requirements of the food industry on field instrumentation, the instruments available to measure process variables, and the integration of these instruments into automation systems. A few practical examples and an outlook on future developments complete the chapter.