Evaluation of baking performance by means of mid-infrared imaging

The present work aims to validate mid-infrared imaging as a promising method for evaluating oven systems. Therefore, a novel approach by analyzing mid-infrared radiation patterns captured by a thermal camera and subsequent image processing was developed. A thermal camera was adapted to two different oven systems: a standard electric deck oven and a novel gas-fired baking oven with integrated volumetric ceramic burners (VCBs). The baked goods were analyzed and key indicators describing the final product quality were determined. Specific volume, surface browning and mid-infrared image processing demonstrated a comparable performance of both oven systems. Furthermore, the determined surface heat homogeneity of the items to be baked was 0.65 ± 0.05 (–) for the electronic oven and 0.70 ± 0.03 (–) for the VCB oven. The proposed approach proved its fundamental qualification for comparing and evaluating different oven systems.