X-rays
have not yet been used to their fullest potential in a range of application areas , especially the agricultural and food industries . As a sub-surface technique , X-ray radiation can give three-dimensional information about the spatial density dif ferences and changes of the atomic number within a sample . To get a better understanding of the potential of X-ray imaging most of the physical processes involved can be described by certain computational simulation programs , for which a division can be made between linear attenuation and full photon history descriptions .
Specific areas of interest are small changes in the density of materials which consist of low atomic number elements , and the use of scattered photon information . Specific results from both the linear attenuation and the full photon history approaches are presented , their usefulness for X-ray imaging , and application areas are discussed . The simulation approaches concentrate on the detection of perspex , a soft plastic , and cellulose in a water environment .
Possible applications of these techniques within the agricultural and food industries , such as foreign-body detection , quality control and food processing , are indicated .