Ultrasonics of food

Ultrasound is well suited to the study of food materials because of the pos sibility of non-invasive and safe implementation which is ideal for hygieni c application. New advances in the understanding of the interaction between the soft solids which comprise many foods and ultrasound mean that new dat a and new insights into foods have been gained using ultrasound measurement techniques. Studies of complex food materials have challenged theories of ultrasound propagation, resulting in significant theoretical developments o f general importance. This review covers the use of low power ultrasound to study food materials. Both pulse echo and continuous wave interferometry a re covered and the theory of ultrasound scattering in soft heterogeneous me dia discussed. Foods to which the ultrasound technique has been applied ran ge from eggs through margarine to chocolate.