IQ-FRESHLABEL

"Developing novel intelligent labels for chilled and frozen food products, promoting the influence of smart labels application on waste reduction, food quality and safety in the European supply chains"

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'IQ-FRESHLABEL will develop two novel innovative intelligent labels. One will monitor the time and temperature of frozen products, the other also the oxygen content in modified atmosphere packed fresh food. Controlling post production life cycle of food is important element of food supply chain. Improper handling of product during transport, storage and in households results in quality defects, increases risk of microbial growth, subsequent spoilage and edible waste of food. The FRESHLABEL project succeeded in development of the first generation of commercially available and applied Time-Temperature-Indicators (TTIs) for fresh products. FESHLABEL demonstrated that number of rejected products and, thus, economical losses within a supply chain can be considerably reduced. However, the project showed that there are still many unexploited application areas for smart labels, which IQ-FRESHLABEL will reduce by the development of novel intelligent labels for the packaging of meat and fish products. IQ-FRESHLABEL will develop TTIs for the application on frozen fish products. These TTIs have to meet different demands compared to the TTIs for fresh products. Storage time is much longer and the temperature difference between optimal storage and risky high temperatures is much higher, but quality deterioration occurs already at slightly increased temperatures. Furthermore, IQ-FRESHLABEL will develop intelligent labels for modified atmosphere packaged (MAP) fresh poultry meat. These labels will show a colour change when the modified atmosphere, which has most cases a high level of carbon dioxide and a low level of oxygen is changing. This can happen when packages are damaged. Next to the research on novel intelligent labels, IQ-FRESHLABEL will conduct consumer and retailer behaviour study with respect to intelligent labels application in order to support design of novel TTIs in a unique approach. Cost benefit analysis will be conducted to estimate cost of smart labels application.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Discarding still-fresh food upon passing its best-before date wastes both food and money. One solution that could soon be a reality is intelligent food labels that indicate exposure to risky conditions between factory and shelf.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Keeping perishable food cold to prevent spoilage is a challenge for food producers, transporters, retailers and consumers alike. Temperature monitoring from post-production through to household storage is therefore important to prevent critical increases in temperature at any point in the cold supply chain.

The EU-funded http://www.iq-freshlabel.eu/ (IQ-FRESHLABEL) project developed innovative labels to monitor temperature and oxygen conditions in frozen and chilled packaged foods throughout the food post-production cycle.

While a previous project (FRESHLABEL) developed temperature indicators for fresh-chilled products, IQ-FRESHLABEL identified consumer, retailer and industry needs for monitoring frozen food. Researchers also recognised the importance of monitoring fresh-chilled food packaged in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), where carbon dioxide and oxygen levels are manipulated to reduce bacterial growth.

They hence developed two intelligent labels that change colour to provide easily interpreted information on potential food spoilage at any point in the cold chain. The chemically induced colour changes are based on length of exposure to risky high temperatures and changes in oxygen levels in MAP-packed products.

Although prototypes received positive feedback from manufacturers and consumers, and they were validated in frozen fish and poultry trials, several challenges remain. These include integrating the temperature- and oxygen-monitoring indicators into the food packaging, making the colour change unambiguous, and including instructions on remaining shelf life to provide certainty.

The benefits of implementing smart labels, however, clearly outweigh the risks. Their value is not only in preventing food spoilage or increasing consumer confidence in food supply chains, but also in reducing edible waste.