Quality, Safety, Diagnostics, Traceability, Packaging

The food market has a very long supply chain that distances the moment of production from that of consumption. In order to increase consumer confidence in the purchased product, it is therefore necessary to adopt instruments to verify the authenticity, safety and quality of the food, as well as to guarantee its durability in fresh conditions.

It is in this context that WP3, dedicated on the one hand to food diagnostics, through the use of platforms for genetic, chemical-physical and metabolic analysis and on the other hand to the development of innovative packaging capable of prolonging the state of preservation of food, maintaining its ideal nutritional and organoleptic characteristics. Intelligent labels (QRcode) will be realized, able to record the data related to the diagnostic analysis carried out, the characteristics of the packaging and the profile of the producer that will be immediately available to the consumer. And new packaging films will be created with increased UV and temperature resistance, improved atmospheric permeability and effective antimicrobial and antibacterial properties.

WP3 includes seven complementary macroactivities:

Food Authentication

Genetic identification of the purity of raw materials and the actual composition of the matrices and agri-food products

Food Diagnostics

Identification of metabolites, proteins, fatty acids, volatile compounds and microorganisms specific to a given food when kept under ideal storage conditions

Food Labeling

Production of smart labels and customized web services with product information, packaging film and manufacturing company information

Improvement of commercial films

Treatments of commercial films to increase their UV resistance, high temperature resistance and barrier effect

Innovative solutions with new materials

Antibacterial, antimicrobial and antioxidant solutions for packaging with innovative properties

Smart packaging

Intelligent packaging with integrated temperature and radiation sensors to monitor real product deterioration

Material characterization and performance evaluation

Optical, physical and chemical characterizations of packaging materials and stored products to evaluate the real packaging performance

Expected Results in WP3

Genetic authentication of raw materials and food;
Molecular, physical-chemical, metabolic and microbiological analyses of food matrices and correlation with the duration of their optimal state of preservation;
Consumer information systems, concerning the product, the packaging film and the manufacturing company, based on intelligent labels (QR Code);
Improved barrier properties, UV resistance and high temperature resistance of commercial films used for packaging;
New packaging films with antimicrobial and atmospheric permeability properties;
Sensors integrated into the packaging to monitor actual product deterioration;
Validation of new packaging materials and quantification of their performance.

Impacts of WP3

QRcode documentation of the analysis of actual food composition and absence of pathogens;
Improvement of the barrier effect of packaging, heat and UV resistance through different surface treatments of compostable or recyclable materials;
Antibacterial properties through internal surface treatments of the packaging;
Increased shelf life through the introduction of antioxidant materials in the packaging;
Monitoring of the deterioration time of a product through sensors integrated in the packaging.