Application Value and Selection Points of X-ray Foreign Body Inspection in Food and Pharmaceutical Industries

X-ray foreign body inspection works by imaging the differences in radiation absorption among materials. Dense or high-atomic-number contaminants such as metal fragments, glass, stone, bone chips and some hard plastics appear as gray-level regions distinct from the product itself, which algorithms then evaluate and reject. Compared with metal detectors, X-ray systems cover non-metallic contaminants and can simultaneously check for missing parts, damage and shape anomalies, making them suitable for lines with finished-product integrity requirements.

In food production, X-ray inspection is often used for meat, seafood, bakery, confectionery and packaged finished goods, targeting bone fragments and shell pieces from raw materials and debris from equipment wear. In pharmaceuticals, it is more often applied to tablets, capsules, blister packs and bottled products, focusing on metal particles, glass fragments and fill-level anomalies. When selecting equipment, the product form, packaging material, line speed and contaminant types should determine radiation energy and image resolution rather than parameter numbers alone.

During selection and acceptance, test with samples containing known-size contaminants and record detection and false-reject rates across products and positions. Attention should also be paid to radiation safety interlocks, leakage testing and operator training, as well as reject mechanism response speed, cleaning convenience and line interface capability. After commissioning, regular verification and sample retention are necessary to maintain stable performance, and acceptance criteria and after-sales response terms should be specified in the purchase contract.