Sensors in food packaging: technology and possibilities in... · Sensors in food packaging:...

Sensors in food packaging: technology and possibilities

Prof. dr. ir. Peter Ragaert

Pack4Food vzw

26 oktober 2012

Het Pand - Gent

Sensors in food packaging © 2012 – Peter Ragaert26 oktober 2012

What is Pack4Food?

INDUSTRY

65 members

RESEARCH INSTITUTES/

NETWORK ORGANISATIONS

Food products-composition

-pH-aw

Filling System-standard

-clean-ultraclean

-Hot fill-Aseptic

-In packaging-MAP

Shelf-life-chemical-microbiological-physical

SustainabilityNetworking

Packaging material-barrier

-active-passive

-closure systems

Filling systems

Resins

Packagingmaterials

Gasses

Food products

Distribution

Advices

Training

Research


Trends in food packaging

CONSUMENT

Sustainability

Conscious and demanding

Convenience

Healthy

and tasty

BioplasticsRecycling

MAPO2-absorbers

Antimicrobial

systems

Intelligent

packaging

Transparancy

Heat resistanceBarrier

packaging

Migration


Intelligent packaging(Def. EU 1935/2004 and EU 450/2009)

• Intelligent materials and articles:– They monitor the condition of the packaged food

or the environment surrounding the food

– No changes in characteristics of food products


Intelligent packaging

≠ active packaging:– Intended to extend the shelf-life of packaged food

Or

– To maintain or improve the condition of packagedfood

≠ smart packaging: – Collective term ‘active and/or intelligent’

– Example: Gizmo


Intelligent packaging

• Extension of communication function of traditional packaging

• Communicates information to consumersbased on its ability to sense, detect, or record external or internal changes in the product’senvironment


Requirements of intelligent packaging

• Reliability:

– Link between signal and quality food product

– Irreversible signal

– Sensitive ánd specific



• Economical/logistic aspects

– Cheap

– Easy-to-read and unambiguous

– Easy-to-integrate in production chain

• Applied as sachet

• Applied as label

• Applied as integral part of packaging material



• Safe

– Deliberate interaction with food and/orenvironment!


Types of intelligent packaging

In general: two types

1. Measuring the condition of the package onthe outside

2. Measuring directly the quality of the foodproduct inside the packaging


Link with functionality of food packaging

• Containment

– Related with mechanical properties

• Protection

– Against external factors (e.g. O2, H2O, light)

• Convenience

– “easy-to-use”

• Marketing

– Providing information



• Containment


• Protection

– Against external factors

• Convenience


• Marketing


Leak detection systems

Added value by intelligent materials

Leak detection systemsQuality indicatorsTime/Temperature indicators

Thermochromic inksRFID

LED in food packagingHolographic Images



• Containment


• Protection


• Convenience


• Marketing




Leak detection systemsQuality indicators

Time/Temperature indicators




Time-Temperature Indicators (TTI)

• Integrating exposure of packaged food with time and temperature (t x T)

• Colour changes due to mechanical, chemical, electrochemical, enzymatic or microbiological reaction

TempTime

OnVu

http://www.onvu.com/ http://www.innolabel.eu/Innolabel

http://www.temptimecorp.com/

http://www.onvu.com/



http://www.temptimecorp.com/


Time-Temperature Indicators (TTI)

• Applications

– Monitoring cold chain

– Monitoring product quality: Importance of thorough knowledge of microbiological and chemical quality loss in the food product in function of temperature during development of TTI’s



• Containment


• Protection


• Convenience


• Marketing





Quality indicatorsTime/Temperature indicators




Quality indicators

• Colour change depending on changes in quality of the food product– Flavour components, ethylene,…

– Microbiological metabolites,…

• Not much commercial applications

• Lots of research/patents

• Focus on:– Following up ripening processes (e.g. fruits)

– Following up amine-production (e.g. fish)


Quality indicators

• Ripesense ®


Quality indicators

• SensorQ™ (Food Quality Sensor International / DSM)– pH-sensing technology (based on anthocyanines)

– Detects freshness/spoilage level of packed meat and poultry by reacting with biogenic amines from microbiological origin

– Label

– Orange-colored center in ‘Q’ turns dark

green if meat is spoiled

Photo: PackWorld.com


Quality indicators



• Containment


• Protection


• Convenience


• Marketing









• O2-indicators

– Ageless Eye®



• Actually measuring the O2-concentration: example Oxysense

Photo: Oxysense



• Containment


• Protection


• Convenience


• Marketing








Thermochromic inks

• Inks sensitive to temperature changes

• e.g. change in colour or appear/disappear at the moment the optimal temperature has been reached

Smart Lid Systems (Sydney, Australia)


Flexible electronis in

packaging materials? Information product via mobile phone

Source: MIT Media lab

LED-lights in

packaging?

LED in food packaging


RFIDRadio Frequency Identification Tags

Foto: Fraunhofer

Foto: foodylife.com


Legislative aspects

• Commission regulation (EC) 450/2009 on activeand intelligent materials and articles intended to come into contact with food– Article 3: definitions

• Active and intelligent materials• Functional barriers• Released active substances

– Article 4: refers to:• Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 (materials and articles intended to come into

contact with food)• Regulation (EC) 450/2009

– Article 5: Community list– Article 11: Labelling– Article 12: Declaration of compliance and documentation


Global market of intelligent packaging

• Intelligent packaging represents globally a $1.4 billion segment in 2008, increasingto $2.3 billion over the next five years

Source: Restuccia et al. 2010. Food Control, 21, 1425-1435


Global market of intelligent packaging

• Barriers towards intelligent packaging

– Costs

– Recyclability of packaging

– Retailer ánd consumer acceptance

Source: Restuccia et al. 2010. Food Control, 21, 1425-1435

Pack4Food VZWCoupure Links 653

9000 Gent

Tel: +32 (0)9 264 99 30 Tel: +32 (0)9 264 99 39

www.Pack4Food.be

Dare to innovatein food packaging!

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