Validation and calibration of a TDLAS oxygen sensor for in-line measurement on flow-packed products

A device based on Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy has been developed for non-invasive evaluation of gaseous oxygen concentration inside packed food containers. This work has been done in the context of the SAFETYPACK European project in order to enable full, automated product testing on a production line. The chosen samples at the end of the manufacturing process are modified atmosphere bags of processed mozzarella, in which the target oxygen concentration is required to be below 5%. The spectrometer allows in-line measurement of moving samples which are passing on a conveyor belt, with an optical layout optimized for bags made of a flexible scattering material, and works by sensing the gas phase in the headspace at the top of the package. A field applicable method for the calibration of this device has been identified and validated against traditional, industry standard, invasive measurement techniques. This allows some degrees of freedom for the end-user regarding packaging dimensions and shape. After deployment and setup of the instrument at the end-user manufacturing site, performance has been evaluated on a different range of samples in order to validate the choice of electro optical and geometrical parameters regarding sample handling and measurement timing at the actual measurement conditions.