Projects / Programmes
Development of an optical sensor system for nondestructive meat packaging quality control
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 2.15.00 |
Engineering sciences and technologies |
Metrology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| T003 |
Technological sciences |
Transport technology |
optical sensors, nondestructive detection, meat control, packaging
Researchers (9)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The pressure on food manufacturers to guarantee safety, quality and traceability is increasing. Packaging fresh meat is carried out to avoid contamination, delay spoilage, permit some enzymatic activity to improve tenderness, reduce weight loss, and where applicable, to ensure the colour of the meats at retail or customer level. Micro organisms cause the spoilage of the food by growth or indirectly with production of metabolic products, which can be toxic. Whereas in unpackaged foods bacterial decomposition is detected easily by its smell, detection is not so easy in packaged foodstuffs, since the gaseous products of bacterial decomposition, which are causing the smell, cannot penetrate tile wrapping. The side effects of food spoilage are production of gases, such as ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, organic amines or observed changes of O2 or CO2 partial pressure. The aim of our project work is to develop an optical chemical sensor system that will deliver information about the quality of meat product, quality of the packing material and damage of packing material by detecting such parameters and, simultaneously, will meet all food packaging application requirements: (a) sensor working range (adjustment to the type of packing, since different products has to be packed in different modified atmospheres), (b) temperature dependence (sensor’s operation over a wide temperature range, from -20 to +30°C), (c) fast response time (important for real-time, on-line quality control), (d) stability (sensors incorporated into meat packages are required to remain operable and reliable up to several weeks duration from the point of packaging to the point of opening; exposure to visible light, including UV/retail display lighting can cause gradual photobleaching of certain dyes or ageing of polymers) and (e) no intrinsic toxicity (toxicity free optical sensor elements, since its direct contact to food).
Significance for science
We have developed an optical chemical sensors for measuring of oxygen, ammonia and amines. For the development of sensors, we took into account the requirements of food packaging. Oxygen sensor has a response time of 2 s and covers the operating range from 0 to 100% of O2. Ammonia sensor has a response time of 150 s and the operating range of 1 to 20 ppm. Sensor for amines has a limit of detection of 0.1 mmol/L, working range from 0.003 to 0.3 mol/L and response time of 20 s. All sensors have proven to be stable.
By integrating the sensors in packaged meat products in modified atmosphere sensors can give information about the freshness or quality of packed meat product without opening the product. Optical chemical sensors that satisfy the requirements of the food industry, represent a new and up-to-date contribution to the science dealing with the development of optical chemical sensors. On the other hand, they are highly interesting a for consumers as well as for producers, which points out their aplicability. A great quality of the completed project is precisely because of the duality in which the project reflects the views of the science as well as the utility.
Significance for the country
For Slovenia, the findings of the project are of particular practical value, because the co-financiers involved in the projcet were PP, a meat producer, and Messer, a producer of gas which was used for modified atmosphere packaging of poultry. The sensor system will enable optimization and control of the conditions of packaging, storage and transport for the producers of packaged meat products. Sensor system will also enable more precise determination of the effective time use of the product by visual measurement of freshness in parallel with the shelf life and thus reducing the likelihood of errors. Reduction of waste (through a much more accurate estimation of the shelf life) and the confidence in the product is of great interest to dealers and manufacturers, as the products must be removed from the shelves after the date of exploration regardless of whether they are still suitable for consumption or not. More effective pursuit of food quality has a higher added value of the product, a greater economic impact and consequently better reputation of the manufacturer. Manufacturers will be able to use an optical chemical sensor system to follow the new and future European and other directives on traceability, food quality and food safety.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2008,
2009,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2008,
2009,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
