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Brasil
PackTrends
2020
153
quality and new technologies
Smart packages communicate and monitor
information about the content and the environment of a
product to the consumer, retailer and producer. Usually
they are devices incorporated in the package, applied
on it as a label and even fixed on the product.
We can fit in that category: time-temperature
indicators, ripening and freshness indicators,
oxygen indicators, ethylene indicators, pathogenic
microorganisms and toxins indicators, carbon dioxide
indicators, counterfeiting indicators, biosensors
(pathogens detection) and devices with many other
functionalities.
The indicators work in a passive way, sourcing
information about the freshness, microbiological safety
and quality of the products.
Innovations in the sensors technologies, such
as nanosensors and biosensors, are increasing the
application possibilities of smart packages. The search
for safety and traceability has moved developments
on. The trend for cost and size reduction of electronics
components also helps the sector. The possibility of
embed those sensors in traceability and monitoring
systems will allow that many links of the supply
chain have access to the collected information. The
compatibilization and incorporation of those sensors in
package materials should be evolving.
6.2 SMART PACKAGES
The time and temperature indicators – TTI show
the thermal history of the product and whether exposed
to extreme conditions during the distribution chain.
That allows any action to be done by the distribution
chain and also alerts the consumer to the product
safety. The evolution of this technology can lead us to
the replacement of the expire date by a more precise
indication of quality given by the indicator.
They are devices that can be generally used in the
retail package or in the industrial packages of ingredients
and raw material. Many indicators do not measure the
quality of the product directly; therefore they need to
be tailor-made to the kinetic of deterioration/alteration
of the product in which it is going to be used. The
time-temperature indicators can also be used as a
microbiological quality indicator, once they are tailored to
the microbiological deterioration process of the product.
The technologies associated to time-temperature
indicators are linked to: the migration of a ink/dye
through a porous material, which depends on the
temperature and time; the chemical, enzymatic or
polymerization reaction, which rate depends on
temperature; temperature sensitive inks and pigments;
and pH indicators. Most of the indicators work based
in the color change. A potential field for development
is the association of those time-temperature indicators
with control and traceability technologies.
The temperature monitoring technologies have
become more effective, easy to use and on an affordable
price. PakSense has developed a programmable
monitoring label, with LED indicators that show any
temperature fluctuation out of the specified range,
allowing a fast identification of packing problems in the
transportation and distribution of the product (Figure
6.16). The register initialization is pretty simple, requiring
only folding one of the label edges to activate. It is still
possible to collect the registered data using a proprietary
reading device, plotting graphs and reports that allow the
user to completely visualize the occurrences over time.
The company FreshPoint offers various solutions
of time-temperature indicators, commercially named
OnVu Logistic (Figure 6.17), co-developed with Ciba
Specialty Chemicals, now part of BASF group. The
system is based on an “intelligent” ink that changes
its color at a rate determined by the actual temperature
that the product was exposed to. It can be applied on
the conventional label or on the package. The indicator
is activated by a UV radiation source at the packaging
Time-temperature indicators