Active and Intelligent Packaging of Cheese: Developments and Future Scope

Technological advances and changes in consumer preferences for safer food with better shelf life have led to packaging innovations like smart packaging. Smart packaging systems involve the blend of active and intelligent packaging properties. Most of the smart packaging systems in food sector are mainly focused on fish, sea, food, meat, poultry, fruits and vegetables. With cheese being the major dairy product and its market expanding exponentially, smart packaging systems for cheese are exhaustively addressed in this book chapter. Some of the smart packaging systems pertaining to cheese like antioxidant releasers, antimicrobial packaging, ripening indicator and self-cleaning rinds can hasten commercial acceptance and reliability of cheese products. This book chapter also tabulates the recent data related to production, and consumption of cheese, permitted additives, types of active and intelligent packaging systems explored for cheese and commercial suppliers of smart packaging systems. Along with, future research directions for smart packaging of cheese are also presented

Investigations into colour constancy by bridging human and computer colour vision

PhD ThesisThe mechanism of colour constancy within the human visual system has long been of great interest to researchers within the psychophysical and image processing communities. With the maturation of colour imaging techniques for both scientific and artistic applications the importance of colour capture accuracy has consistently increased. Colour offers a great deal more information for the viewer than grayscale imagery, ranging from object detection to food ripeness and health estimation amongst many others. However these tasks rely upon the colour constancy process in order to discount scene illumination to allow these tasks to be carried out. Psychophysical studies have attempted to uncover the inner workings of this mechanism, which would allow it to be reproduced algorithmically. This would allow the development of devices which can eventually capture and perceive colour in the same manner as a human viewer. These two communities have approached this challenge from opposite ends, and as such very different and largely unconnected approaches. This thesis investigates the development of studies and algorithms which bridge the two communities. Utilising findings from psychophysical studies as inspiration to firstly improve an existing image enhancement algorithm. Results are then compared to state of the art methods. Then, using further knowledge, and inspiration, of the human visual system to develop a novel colour constancy approach. This approach attempts to mimic and replicate the mechanism of colour constancy by investigating the use of a physiological colour space and specific scene contents to estimate illumination. Performance of the colour constancy mechanism within the visual system is then also investigated. The performance of the mechanism across different scenes and commonly and uncommonly encountered illuminations is tested. The importance of being able to bridge these two communities, with a successful colour constancy method, is then further illustrated with a case study investigating the human visual perception of the agricultural produce of tomatoes.EPSRC DTA: Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University

Crowdsourcing: A new conceptual view for food safety and quality

Background Crowdsourcing is a new tool offered mainly over the internet for obtaining ideas, content, funding by seeking contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers. Crowdsourcing is widespread in numerous food applications (e.g., technology, entrepreneurial projects, start-ups funding, innovative product developments). Scope and approach Although the use of crowdsourcing has increased rapidly, there is still much untapped potential in harnessing its vast innovative potential in food quality and safety solutions. This paper aims to review recent utilization of crowdsourcing practices in the food domain. Additionally, to furnish a conceptual view on possible application where crowdsourcing can be harnessed in enhancing food quality, safety and reducing risks. Key findings and conclusions It argues that crowdsourcing initiative is potentially a very useful tool as a part of the big data by utilizing the crowd's data in shelf-life monitoring, inventory control, foodborne illness surveillance, identification of contaminated products and to improve food businesses' hygiene, enhance food safety, communication and allergen management and minimizing risk. The limitations include the number of reports and data generated may overwhelm the food industry or authority due to lack of internal resources i.e. time and technical expert to process the information. There is also risk of lack of crowd participation and loss of control. Hence, a mechanism to facilitate, evaluate and process the data should be in place

Multidisciplinary Quality Characterization for the Development of Active and Intelligent Packaging Technologies for Muscle Foods

Fresh food products such as meat and fish are highly susceptible to spoilage. Despite high efforts and advances in food processing and packaging technologies, inevitable microbial activity is the primary reason for their deterioration. Spoilage of muscle foods packaged under modified atmospheres typically manifests itself as changes in the properties of the food product and the surrounding headspace, leading to consumer rejection.Food spoilage is thus a major ecological and economic concern that calls for the development of innovative packaging solutions. These solutions could extend the product’s shelf life by targeting the spoilage microbiota (active packaging) or by providing with realtime information about the product’s quality status (intelligent packaging). Consequently, significant improvement in food quality and decrease of food waste could be foreseen, ultimately benefitting the whole food supply chain.This doctoral dissertation contributes to the development of active and intelligent packaging technologies for muscle foods by means of interdisciplinary quality characterization, involving aspects of packaging material development, food spoilage analysis and multivariate statistical analysis. The main purpose of the dissertation was to define the key aspects of the food quality characterization process within the aforementioned context, to develop novel methods to enhance this process and to address specific research questions about muscle food quality. The theoretical framework and current scientific knowledge is thus reviewed with a focus on the properties and spoilage of muscle foods, the use of silver and oxygen absorbers as well as intelligent packaging concepts. The experimental part of the dissertation describes the materials and methods used for assessing the quality status of meat and seafood packaged under modified atmospheres. The doctoral dissertation is based on four original manuscripts P1-P4 where an antimicrobial releasing system (P1), antimicrobial absorbing system (P2) or quality monitoring principles for an intelligent packaging system (P3-P4) were studied.In the first manuscript (P1), preparation and antimicrobial characterization of silver-containing packaging materials is described. Silver-containing films were produced by coextrusion and liquid flame spraying. Antimicrobial efficiency of the films was examined with bioluminescence imaging as well as with traditional antimicrobial assay. Selected films were used in meat packaging and their impact on the meat microbiota was assessed with chemical, sensory analyses and microbiological analyses, including 16S rRNA sequencing.In the second manuscript (P2), statistical analysis was used for characterizing the impact of high-O2 (80/20/0), common anoxic (0/20/80) and enhanced anoxic (0/20/80 + O2 absorber) atmospheres (O2/CO2/N2 %) on physicochemical properties of pork sirloin. Changes in headspace gas composition (O2/CO2 %), surface pH and color (CIELAB) was monitored as a function of time. Mixed ANOVA was used for determining the effects of storage time, atmosphere and blooming time on the studied variables.In the third manuscript (P3), spoilage of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) was examined with microbiological, chemical and sensory analyses. Selected-ion flow-tube mass spectrometry was used for real-time quantification of volatile organic compounds in the package headspace throughout storage time. Cod microbiota was examined with 16S rRNA sequencing.In the fourth manuscript (P4), multivariate statistical analyses were applied for determining potential spoilage indicators of Atlantic cod and brown shrimp (Crangon crangon). Evolution of volatile organic compounds over storage time was explored with hierarchical cluster analysis, principal components analysis and partial least squares regression. Consequently, partial least squares regression was used as a selective tool for identifying most potential spoilage indicators.Results of the present dissertation provide with new insights into the food quality characterization process as well as into the spoilage of packaged muscle food products. The requirements of packaging technology development and the characteristics of food quality information were identified as the main aspects of the characterization process and their impact on the experimental setup and methodology was examined. Efficiency of antimicrobial packaging solutions was found to be highly dependent on food product properties, antimicrobial activity mechanisms and material preparation techniques. Even though nanoscale silver showed high efficiency against typical spoilage bacteria in vitro, they were not effective in situ meat. The impact of varying oxygen levels on pork properties was demonstrated, suggesting that anoxic packaging could have benefits in pork packaging. On the other hand, a systematic procedure was developed for identifying and quantifying volatile organic compounds that could be used as food spoilage indicators. Several compounds were identified as potential spoilage indicators for both Atlantic cod and brown shrimp and their critical concentration levels were defined.Overall, the present dissertation highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and novel methods in food quality characterization when aiming at improving food quality, combining different aspects of microbiology, (bio)chemistry, materials science and multivariate statistical analysis

Centers of Excellence: A Catalogue

This report summarizes information on State-sponsored 'Centers of Excellence' gathered during a survey of State programs in the Fall of 1987. For the purposes of this catalog, 'Centers of Excellence' refers to organizations or activities with the following characteristics: institutionalized, focused, cooperative Research and Development (R&D) programs; supported in part by State governments, in addition to universities, industry and (in some cases) Federal agencies; performed by teams that may include both industry and university employees; and concentrated on relatively specific R&D agendas, usually with near term commercial or governmental applicability. Most of these activities involve state-of-the-art advancement of new technologies under conditions leading to early practical applications. Not included in this catalog are project-level matching grant programs. The principal purpose of this catalog is to help NASA program management, at all levels. to identify and where appropriate, to initiate relationships with other technology-developing organizations. These State-sponsored programs should be of particular interest, because: they present an opportunity to leverage NASA's R&D investments; they are concentrated at the frontier, yet have a concern for practical applications; and they involve industrial participation under conditions that increase the probability of prompt, widespread dissemination in the form of new or enhanced commercial products, processes, or services

Portable colorimetric sensor array technology

Humans as a species are generally audio-visual creatures and do not take full advantage of the olfactory sense. Nonetheless, even humans can recognize and differentiate among thousands of different odorants under challenging conditions. Molecular recognition by the olfactory system derives its specifity from a complex pattern of responses generated by cross-reactive olfactory receptors. These receptors are encoded by approximately one thousand genes, which represents roughly 3% of the entire human genome. As a concept, the use of multiple cross-reactive chemical sensors is broadly applicable to any situation in which the sensors can be simultaneously exposed to each of a set of multiple target analytes; such an "artificial nose" has significant potential in all areas of chemical sensor technology. The chemical sensor arrays discussed in this work are based upon cross-reactive colorimetric response: each of many sensor elements in an array is a mixture of dyes or other compounds that changes color upon exposure to an analyte. These arrays typically use strong, poorly-reversible chemical reactions involving a diverse set of color-changing dyes or chromogens; such colorimetric sensor arrays have evolved to be fast, sensitive, portable, and inexpensive. Importantly, the analyte scope of the developed arrays has been shown to be capable of tailoring based on their intended applications, and can be made to be either broad or narrow as desired: in previous works, they have proven to be capable of discriminating among a broad range of analytes including both gaseous and aqueous analytes involving many different types of chemical reactivity, including Lewis and Brønsted acidity/basicity, molecular polarity, redox properties, and chelation. Of particular interest is the study of chemicals which are hazardous to human life, by either directly interacting with the human body or indirectly causing a physical effect. This work discusses development of colorimetric sensor arrays for two such cases: aqueous toxins and explosives materials. Both types of analytes are particularly challenging due to their relative lack of chemical reactivity: aqueous toxins derive their toxicity from interaction with specific proteins within the human body, while explosives have high potential energy but are kinetically inert. Targeting these analytes while still maintaining high sensitivity, low noise, and the ability to discriminate among them was the primary focus of these two projects. Further, inexpensive portable technology for the quantitative analysis of these arrays is vitally necessary for their intended use outside of the laboratory. This work discusses development of an automated, truly portable device that fits into a pocket and improves upon previous instrumentation in scan speed, sensitivity, and noise. Since colorimetric sensor arrays are monitored by optical transduction, development of portable scanners involves investigating inexpensive, compact, low-noise optical imagers. Previous works focused on flatbed scanners, which have since shown to have limitations in portability (flatbed scanners will certainly not fit in someone's pocket), scan speed (~15-45 seconds per scan), noise (largely induced by the scanner's moving parts), and processing ability (processed manually). To improve upon this, an optical line imager known as a contact image sensor was used to act as the optical transducer; chemical sensor arrays were printed linearly so as to maintain compatibility with the line imager. The final device included disposable sensor array cartridges, a flow control system, control software, and analysis software for pattern matching

The sustainable materials roadmap

Over the past 150 years, our ability to produce and transform engineered materials has been responsible for our current high standards of living, especially in developed economies. However, we must carefully think of the effects our addiction to creating and using materials at this fast rate will have on the future generations. The way we currently make and use materials detrimentally affects the planet Earth, creating many severe environmental problems. It affects the next generations by putting in danger the future of the economy, energy, and climate. We are at the point where something must drastically change, and it must change now. We must create more sustainable materials alternatives using natural raw materials and inspiration from nature while making sure not to deplete important resources, i.e. in competition with the food chain supply. We must use less materials, eliminate the use of toxic materials and create a circular materials economy where reuse and recycle are priorities. We must develop sustainable methods for materials recycling and encourage design for disassembly. We must look across the whole materials life cycle from raw resources till end of life and apply thorough life cycle assessments (LCAs) based on reliable and relevant data to quantify sustainability. We need to seriously start thinking of where our future materials will come from and how could we track them, given that we are confronted with resource scarcity and geographical constrains. This is particularly important for the development of new and sustainable energy technologies, key to our transition to net zero. Currently 'critical materials' are central components of sustainable energy systems because they are the best performing. A few examples include the permanent magnets based on rare earth metals (Dy, Nd, Pr) used in wind turbines, Li and Co in Li-ion batteries, Pt and Ir in fuel cells and electrolysers, Si in solar cells just to mention a few. These materials are classified as 'critical' by the European Union and Department of Energy. Except in sustainable energy, materials are also key components in packaging, construction, and textile industry along with many other industrial sectors. This roadmap authored by prominent researchers working across disciplines in the very important field of sustainable materials is intended to highlight the outstanding issues that must be addressed and provide an insight into the pathways towards solving them adopted by the sustainable materials community. In compiling this roadmap, we hope to aid the development of the wider sustainable materials research community, providing a guide for academia, industry, government, and funding agencies in this critically important and rapidly developing research space which is key to future sustainability.journal articl