Measuring moisture in seeds with the microwave resonance technique

Microwave resonance technology has many applications, such as radar and microwave. But this technology can also be used for analytical determinations in both lab and process. Because water molecules react to the electromagnetic field and the waves penetrate deep into the core of seeds, the moisture content in seeds can be determined very accurately.

Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) mainly measures at the surface. A second advantage over NIR is that the microwave resonance technique can measure color independently. Microwave resonance can therefore also be applied to black seeds. Also, changing colors of seeds do not affect the measurement.