from October 10 to 14, 2009 in Cologne/Germany

Joint Booth of the Fraunhofer Alliance »Food Chain Management«
Hall 5.1 Booth B020

Fraunhofer IPMS, Dresden carries out customer specific developments in fields of microelectronic and micro systems technology serving as a business partner that supports the transition of innovative ideas into new products. Fraunhofer IPMS develops and fabricates modern MEMS and OLED devices in its own clean room facilities. In addition to R&D services it offers ramp-up within a pilot production. With modern equipment and about 200 scientists and engineers, the range of projects and expertise covers sensor and actuator systems, microscanner, spatial light modulators, lifetronics as well as organic materials and systems.

At the anuga 2009 in Cologne Fraunhofer IPMS presents:

Food analysis using a novel NIR spectrometer

At the fruit stall in supermarkets the customer wants to buy fresh fruits without any bruises. An early recognition of fruits, which shouldn´t be sold, is difficult for the retailer as well as for the wholesaler as putrefactive dents are not visible to the naked eye. The solution of this problem will be presented by Fraunhofer IPMS at the anuga 2009: A novel MEMS-based spectrometer system working in the near infrared range. A halogen lamp irradiates the sample, which should be analyzed. With near infrared light and the spectrum of the back scattered light from the sample now the compositon of the sample can be analyzed quantitatively. Now conclusions about the quality of the food can be drawn from the so aquired data. Not only the degree of fruits' freshness can be analyzed, but also the content of fat, water, protein and connective tissue of meat can be measured. The core device of the system is a MEMS scanning grating chip, which makes the novel spectrometer more compact, more reliable and much more cheaper than spectrometers purchasable in the market. The Fraunhofer IPMS develops and processes the MEMS scanning grating chips and implements them into the system. Because of the use of MEMS chips the systems are cheaper and more reliable than conventional NIR spectrometers. The small and portable microspectrometers for the fast analysis of the composition of food contribute in particular to secure a high level of quality during the process of food production.