With the arrival of new technologies in modern smart factories, automated predictive maintenance is also related to production robotisation. Intelligent sensors make it possible to obtain an ever-increasing amount of data, which must be analysed efficiently and effectively to support increasingly complex systems’ decision-making and management. The paper aims to review the current literature concerning predictive maintenance and intelligent sensors in smart factories. We focused on contemporary trends to provide an overview of future research challenges and classification. The paper used burst analysis, systematic review methodology, co-occurrence analysis of keywords, and cluster analysis. The results show the increasing number of papers related to key researched concepts. The importance of predictive maintenance is growing over time in relation to Industry 4.0 technologies. We proposed Smart and Intelligent Predictive Maintenance (SIPM) based on the full-text analysis of relevant papers. The paper’s main contribution is the summary and overview of current trends in intelligent sensors used for predictive maintenance in smart factories.

Green processes are very important for the implementation of green technologies in production to achieve positive sustainability outcomes in the Industry 4.0 era. The scope of the paper is to review how conventional green processes as a part of Industry 4.0 provide sustainability outcomes in manufacturing. The paper is based on the methodology of systematic literature review through the content analysis of literary resources. Twenty-nine studies were included in our content analysis. The results show the main focus of current literature related to Industry 4.0, sustainability outcomes and green processes. The authors present a conceptual Sustainability Green Industry 4.0 (SGI 4.0) framework that helps to structure and evaluate conventional green processes in relation to Industry 4.0 and sustainability. The study summarizes which technologies (big data, cyber-physical systems, Industrial Internet of Things and smart systems) and green processes (logistics, manufacturing and product design) are important for achieving a higher level of sustainability. The authors found that the most often common sustainability outcomes are energy saving, emission reduction, resource optimalization, cost reduction, productivity and efficiency and higher economic performance, human resources development, social welfare and workplace safety. The study suggests implications for practice, knowledge and future research.

Cooking can positively affect meat tenderness, on the other hand, the heat treatment also causes weight loss. The resulting tenderness of cooked meat is influenced by the background toughness of fresh meat, by the post mortem ageing process and by the method of cooking. In the case of heat treatment, the temperature and duration of action play a key role. In this respect, the meat tenderness depends on the type of appliance used for cooking. The cooking loss of meat during heat treatment is caused by contraction of muscle fibres and intramuscular connective tissue, the intensity of which also depends on the temperature and device used. The extent of this contraction increases with increasing temperature. Cooking of meat is considered the most effective way of eliminating microorganisms causing food-borne diseases. The recommended combination of temperature and time of 70 °C for 2 min reduces the number of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria by more than 6 log. This temperature is not, however, always attained with the use of many meat cooking methods, such as grilling or frying. This presents the risk of survival of food-borne agents. The latest knowledge indicates that, in the case of cross contamination, the population of food-borne agents is of the order of 1–2 log CFU/cm2 or g. If they do not multiply as a result of a higher environmental temperature, the population of pathogenic bacteria present is then reliably eliminated during adequate cooking, either entirely or to an amount that does not suffice to induce illness.

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Antimicrobial materials are widely used for inhibition of microorganisms in the environment. It has been established that bacterial growth can be restrained by silver nanoparticles. Combining these with other antimicrobial agents, such as ZnO, may increase the antimicrobial activity and the use of carrier substrate makes the material easier to handle. In the paper, we present an antimicrobial nanocomposite based on silver nanoparticles nucleated in general silicate nanostructure ZnO·mSiO2. First, we prepared the silicate fine net nanostructure ZnO·mSiO2 with zinc content up to 30 wt% by precipitation of sodium water glass in zinc acetate solution. Silver nanoparticles were then formed within the material by photoreduction of AgNO3 on photoactive ZnO. This resulted into an Ag-ZnO·mSiO2 composite with silica gel-like morphology and the specific surface area of 250 m2/g. The composite, alongside with pure AgNO3 and clear ZnO·mSiO2, were successfully tested for antimicrobial activity on both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains and yeast Candida albicans. With respect to the silver content, the minimal inhibition concentration of Ag-ZnO·mSiO2 was worse than AgNO3 only for gram-negative strains. Moreover, we found a positive synergistic antimicrobial effect between Ag and Zn agents. These properties create an efficient and easily applicable antimicrobial material in the form of powder.