Smart Packaging Technologies for Fruits and Vegetables

Development and characterization of a prototype of a lactic acid–based time–temperature indicator for monitoring food product quality

“…The E a of this lactic acid-based TTI prototype was consistent with a commercially available enzymatic TTI (Vitsab AB, Malmö, Sweden) type C2-15d (E a = 50.2 kJ mol À1 ) (Bobelyn et al, 2006), and a diffusion-based TTI (3 M MonitorMark™, St Paul, MN, USA) all type (E a = 33-50 kJ mol À1 ) (Poças et al, 2008). Bobelyn et al (2006) and Poças et al (2008) also reported that Vitsab TTI and 3 M MonitorMark™ TTI were suitable as quality indicators for mushroom color at medium storage temperatures of 12°C, as well as for fresh apples, whole carrots, lettuce, strawberries and mushrooms.…”

“…Bobelyn et al (2006) and Poças et al (2008) also reported that Vitsab TTI and 3 M MonitorMark™ TTI were suitable as quality indicators for mushroom color at medium storage temperatures of 12°C, as well as for fresh apples, whole carrots, lettuce, strawberries and mushrooms. Ellouze and Augustin (2010) reported that values of 115 and 113 kJ mol À1 were obtained for the ground beef TTI and the cooked chicken TTI, respectively for a 2-15°C temperature range.…”

“…84-62.76, 62.76, 41.84-104.60, 83.68-125.52, and 83.68-251.04 kJ mol À1 , respectively. In addition, Poças et al (2008) reported that typical E a values for respiration rates occurring in fruits and vegetables were in the range of 29-79 kJ mol À1 . Although this prototype does not cover the whole range of food quality losses, it could be applied to show the time-temperature history of some foods -especially fruits and vegetables (such as fresh apples, whole carrots, lettuce, strawber- Fig.…”

New enzymatic time–temperature integrator (TTI) that uses laccase

“…When compared to typical E a values for food quality losses (Labuza, 1982;Labuza and Kamman, 1983), the activation energy of this laccase type TTI can cover the quality losses that occur due to enzymatic changes (41.84-62.76 kJ/mol), hydrolysis (62.76 kJ/mol), or lipid oxidation (41.84-104.6 kJ/mol). The activation energy of this laccase based TTI prototype was comparable to a commercially available enzymatic TTI (Vitsab AB, Malmö, Sweden) type C2-15d (E a = 50.2 kJ/mol) (Bobelyn et al, 2006) and a diffusion based TTI (E a = 33-50 kJ/mol) (Poças et al, 2008). Considering that the allowable difference in activation energy between the food and the TTIs must be within ± 25 kJ/mol (Taoukis, 2001) to predict food quality with less than a 15% error, this prototype cannot accurately predict some losses of food quality due to nutrient loss, nonenzymic browning, or microbial growth, all of which occur at Ea higher than 83.68 kJ/mol.…”

Nanocomposite Materials for Food Packaging Applications: Characterization and Safety Evaluation

“…The rate of change of visual indication in a time-temperature indicator must be temperature dependent and increase at higher temperatures similar to most physicochemical reactions. The major mechanisms upon which the TTIs are based include enzymatic reaction, polymerization, melting point, and diffusion of a substance [140]. Due to their large surface area, nanomaterials prepare rapid visual responses when they are applied as indicators in packaging systems.…”