Independently Operational Dual-Band Metamaterial-Based Smart EM Sensing System for Detection and Quantification of Adulteration in Cooking Oils

In this article, a nondestructive smart electromagnetic (EM) sensing system consisting of novel metamaterial-based resonator is proposed and demonstrated to detect and quantify various chemical adulterants in different popularly used cooking oils for X-band industrial and food-technology applications. It primarily involves a compact and advanced metamaterial-based modified split-ring resonator that shows dual resonances with improved field confinement. Furthermore, an antisymmetric step structure is incorporated to achieve independent dual-frequency bands, necessary for detecting mineral oil, paraffin oil, pyridine, and liquid neon within coconut, mustard, and olive oils explicitly in the permittivity range of 0.1–3. The best-suited optimization is carried out using the genetic algorithm within the framework of the CST Microwave Studio. A novel laboratory-made self-powered RF-transceiver module is further developed to independently generate the necessary input EM signals for the sensing mechanism. Catering the smart detection for the larger population, a reverse-mapping algorithm is developed that compares the preloaded adulterated tested dataset and the sensed data. Finally, by leveraging the frequency-shifting property and wirelessly transferring the sensed data to visual interface, the developed sensing system accurately detects and quantifies the adulterants in cooking oils. The performance of the smart sensing system is thoroughly examined through both theoretical analysis and experimental validation. The proposed smart sensing system exhibits a high sensitivity of 85%, a Q factor of 212.5, a figure of merit (FOM) of 180, and a promising broad detection range from 10% to 100% while maintaining simplicity, compactness, robustness, and user-friendly. The outcomes of the research surpass the achievements of previous studies on liquid sensing holding promising applications in chemical, oil, microfluidic, and food industries.