Intelligent packaging

Smart packaging

Intelligent packaging
monitors and gives information about
the quality of the packed food;
is a system that monitors conditions
surrounding food and gives information
about its quality during transport and
storage.
Intelligent package cover with
indicator.

Applications in practice
Controlling critical control points
(HACCP).
The importance of consumers knowing
what they are buying.

Types of indicators
External indicators
Time-temperature indicators
Indicators of physical shock

Internal indicators
placed

- in atmosphere of packaging
- part of the lid
Indicators of O2, CO2, MO and pathogens.

Others

Special line codes

Specific indicators

Indicator

Principle/reagents

Give information about

Application

Time-temperature
indicator
(ext.)

Mechanical,
chemical,
enzymatic

Storage conditions

Food stored under

chilled and frozen
conditions

Oxygen indicator
(int.)

Redox dyes
pH dyes
enzymes

Storage conditions
package leak

Foods stored in
packages with reduced
oxygen concentration

Indicator of CO2
(int.)

chemical

Storage conditions
package leak

Foods package in MAP

or CAP

Microbial growth
indicators MO
(int/ext),
Freshness indicators

pH dyes,
All dyes reacting with
certain metabolites

Microbial quality of
foods (i.e. spoilage)

Perishable foods such

as meat, fish, poultry.

Pathogen indicators
(int.)

Various chemical and

immunochemical methods
reacting with toxins

Specific pathogenic
bacteria such as
E. coli O157

Perishable foods such

as meat, fish, poultry.

A) Intelligent packaging to improve

product quality and value
B) Intelligent packaging providing
more comfort

A) Intelligent packaging to improve

product quality and value
1. Freshness indicators and indicators
of microbial quality.
Principle interaction between food
and indicator.
The resources for this interaction can be various
substances of food e.g. glucose, CO2 , ammonia,
DMA and TMA, biogenic amines, sulphuric
compounds, ethanol, organic acid .....

Most of concepts are based on a

colour change of the indicator.

a) Fresh Tag

Indicator sensitive to volatile nitrogen

compounds.
Is typical for packaging of fish.
Colour change in response to the release of
volatile amines, which are typical of ageing and
degradation of fish meat by microorganism.
It is a label that contains a plastic chip with
a reagent and taper, which passes into
container.

b) Indicator of H2S

for determining the quality of poultry products

packed in MAP.
Freshness indicator is based on the colour
change of myoglobin by H2S, which is produced
in considerable amounts during the ageing of
packed poultry during storage.
The indicators were prepared by applying
commercial myoglobin dissolved in a sodium
phosphate buffer on small squares of agarose.

c) Chromogen indicators
based on a colour change of chromogenic
substrates after reaction with enzymes
produces by contaminating microbes,
suitable for detecting microbial contamination
in liquid products.

d) Knife sampler of meat freshness

based on an assessment of the glucose gradient

at the surface of meat.
On the surface of meat a MO primarily use
glucose, sampler which indirectly determines
the level of bacterial contamination and
consequently the freshness of the product.

e) indicator Toxin GuardTM

System used PE packaging materials that
contain immobilized antibodies to detect the
presence of pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella,
Campylobacter, E. coli O157, Listeria)
Bacterial toxin is bound to the immobilized
antibody in contact with packaging material,
reaction colour change.

f) CO2 indicator

Monitoring the formation of CO2 generated

by the growth of MO,
indicator responds to the change in pH by
changing colour.

f) Indicators sensitive to pH change

These concepts are based on the use of pHdyes, which change colour in the presence of
volatile compounds produced during spoilage.

g) Indicators sensitive to
miscellaneous microbial metabolites
A diamine dye-based sensor system
responding to the presence of
diacetyl vapour.
Diacetyl is a volatile compound
evolving from meat.
Diacetyl migrating through the
packaging material would react with
the dye and induce a colour change.

2. Temperature indicators
provide an overview of the temperatures that were
actually exposed to packaged product
heating of food, cold chain

principle
based
on
the
physical,
chemical,
microbiological and enzymatic reactions
response
= reversible colour change of indicator
= mechanical deformation
= movement of colour field etc.

Type of temperature indicators

Critical temperature indicators (CTI)

show exposure above (or below) a reference
temperature.
After
crossing
the
critical
temperature the indicator reversible changes
colour of indicator.

Critical time-temperature indicators (CTTI)

respond to the change of critical time and critical

temperature

Indicators of time and temperature

give a continuous, temperature dependent response

throughout the products history

Chocolate
ideal temperature for consumption 22 C

Time-temperature indicators
3M Monitor Mark is diffusion-based indicator
label and is on the color change of an oxidable
chemical system controlled by temperaturedependent permeation through a film. The action
is activated by a blue-dyed fatty acid ester
diffusing along a wick.

Fresh-Check - is based on a solid state

polymerization reaction, resulting in a highly

coloured polymer. The response of the TTI is the
colour change measurable as a decrease in
reflectance

CheckPoint enzymatic reaction

3. Indicators of gas concentration

(leakage of packaging)
The principle of operation is based on
changes in oxide-reduction-sensitive
colours (e.g. methylene blue) due to
chemical or enzymatic reactions or as a
result of the colour pigments influence
the pH shift.

O2 indicator
As indicator of cover leakage (MAP).
The increased concentration of O2 as the
selected value in MA indicator irreversibly
changes colour warns consumers that the
product is not right (which is visually more
noticeable on the product).
Verification of the effect of oxygen absorber.

Ageless-eye
O2 indicator tablet which controlling
normal function of Ageless absorber
O2 concentration in atmosphere 0.1 %
indicator is pink
O2 concentration in atmosphere 0.5 %
indicator is blue

CO2 indicator
Monitoring of CO2 level in MAP indicator of
integrity of the packaging (decrease the
concentration of CO2)
Indicator of microbial stability
Disadvantage :
Microbial spoilage bacteria can consume O2 captured
as a result of leakage or MO may produce CO2, which
will be located in the space above the food.

Humidity indicator

B) Intelligent packaging

providing more comfort

Thank you for your attention.