Quality Indicator for Intelligent Food Packaging

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Modern food distribution systems are highly complex and often characterized by large quantities of food product handled by food producers. This trend, along with consumer preference for highly quality and minimally processed products, has resulted in growing concerns on the safety and quality of foods. Although expiry dates are still widely being used on food packages as indicators of freshness, these static information are not efficient since they do not truly reflect the quality of the product, nor do they take into the account of potential physicochemical and microbiological abuses occurred during distribution. To address these issues, the proposed project will develop advanced indicators that are integral of package structure (e.g., labels, prints), to reveal the real time quality and safety of the food products. We will focus on the detection of volatile compounds produce by deteriorating food products or spoilage microorganisms, by using array indicators fabricated from nanofiber or nanobead carriers. Our goal is to develop an indicator that provides visual feedback to inform consumer on the overall acceptability of the products. Expanding this concept further, by using a portable reading device, such as a cell phone camera, our goal is also to develop an array indicator that could provide more specific information on the nature of spoilage, such as the microorganisms involved. From the perspective of a food producer, the envisaged technology is beneficial to prevent consumers from purchasing unacceptable products to protect brand name and assure continuous customer royalty. Also, early detection of compromised products will be essential to prevent costly product recall and lawsuit when injury occurred. From a public health standpoint, there is a need to detect compromised products rapidly and reliably throughout the distribution chain, which will be beneficial to prevent the outbreak of food borne illnesses. The use of dynamic freshness indicator, rather than static expiry date label, could result in the reduction of food waste, indirectly bringing economical, environmental, and health benefits in Canada. Conceivably, the indicator can be adopted as test kits for rapid analysis in laboratory setting.