Freshness Indicators in Food and Beverage Packaging

Smart label device for packaging of perishable products that provides an indication of remaining product life. The label is flexible, printable, and made from organic/polymeric materials. It contains sensors, an integrated circuit, and a power supply printed onto a flexible substrate. The sensors detect environmental parameters and product conditions. The label can be applied to the outside of the packaging or inside to monitor the product. It calculates remaining life based on conditions and displays it. The printable electronics allow flexible, low-cost, easy-to-dispose labels for perishable goods.

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Systems and methods to indicate the elapsed time since a triggering event using nanoparticles, fluorophores, and chromophores. The indicators change color when certain conditions are met, like removing an article from its packaging or reaching a predetermined usage time. The indicators can contain nanoparticles stabilized by capping agents that dissociate in lower trigger concentrations, causing aggregation and color change. Fluorophores can also be used to generate FRET pairs where energy transfer decreases in lower trigger concentrations. Chromophores can change color with pH shifts induced by trigger removal. The indicators can be incorporated into items like contact lenses to provide a visual cue when they have exceeded their recommended usage time.

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A time-temperature indicator for monitoring microbial spoilage of refrigerated foods that accurately reflects the spoilage kinetics of the food itself. The indicator contains a specific combination of microbes, growth indicators, and growth-affecting substances. By adjusting the concentration of the microbes and growth-affecting substances, the indicator's reaction kinetics can be matched to the spoilage kinetics of the food. This allows the indicator to accurately predict when the food will spoil based on its own spoilage dynamics rather than just temperature.

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A low-cost, flexible, paper-based sensor for monitoring freshness of packaged perishable products like food, pharma, and cosmetics. The sensor uses a strip of hydrophilic material like cellulose paper coupled to electrodes on a substrate. When a water-soluble spoilage gas like ammonia is present, it decreases the paper's impedance as ions from the gas dissolve in the paper's water. The sensor can be integrated into product packaging and read wirelessly using a nearby device to provide freshness data.

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Indicator device for detecting food spoilage in real time. The device allows unidirectional contact between the food product and an indicator composition. The composition reacts with spoiled food or components secreted by it to produce a detectable signal indicating spoilage. The device can be attached to food packaging or directly to the food item. It allows transient contact to the food to detect spoilage without allowing spoilage to spread back.

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Meal kit packaging with a freshness sensor attached to the plastic bag that allows easy visual determination of freshness. The sensor is attached to the meal kit packaging's inner plastic bag to provide a visible indicator of food freshness. By attaching a freshness sensor to the inner bag, it allows users to quickly and easily see the freshness level of the contents by looking at the packaging itself. This provides a visual cue to help determine if the food is still fresh before opening the meal kit.

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Smart food storage case that can monitor freshness and maturity of deposited food items like meat and fruits. The case has separate compartments for each type of food. Each compartment has a monitoring system with smart labels and a governing system to control temperature, humidity, and gas levels. The smart labels have inner membranes loaded with materials like nanometer aluminum oxide, anthocyanin, and potassium permanganate to enrich and detect volatile compounds like biogenic amines and ethylene. The outer membranes have oxidized graphene to block water and oxygen. This allows the labels to sensitively detect freshness indicators without oxidation damage. The labels provide visual feedback on freshness/maturity. The case's features extend shelf life, reduce loss, and enable simultaneous monitoring of meat and fruit freshness.

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Freshness indicator container for perishable products that allows easy confirmation of the freshness of the contents stored in the container. The container has a section with a coating containing an enzyme that decomposes when exposed to higher temperatures. The decomposed coating flows into a storage portion below. As the storage temperature increases, the enzyme speeds up decomposition of the coating, indicating deterioration of the contents.

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Biological sensor for monitoring storage conditions of perishable products. The sensor contains a microorganism, nutrients, solvent, and color indicator. When stored properly, the microorganism remains dormant. If conditions degrade, the microorganism grows and metabolizes nutrients, altering the chemical balance and causing a color change. This indicates spoilage. The sensor allows tracking of environmental factors that impact product freshness.

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Stable indicator device that activates and changes color when exposed to an activating agent like acid or CO2. The device has an outer barrier layer that prevents activator access initially. Inside is an indicator section with dye that changes color in response to the activator. The barrier layer thickness can be adjusted to control activation time. This allows the device to be stable until activation, then change color when exposed to the activator. Applications include food packaging, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostics where the device indicates passage of time, compromised seals, or exposure to oxygen or CO2.

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Non-invasive real-time prediction of food quality inside sealed containers like beverage bottles using color-changing indicators (CCIs) inside the containers. The CCI changes color when it comes into contact with the food item. The color change is visible through a transparent window on the container. By monitoring the CCI color, the remaining shelf life of the food inside the sealed container can be predicted. This allows dynamic decisions like repricing, reusing, recycling, etc. to reduce food waste and economic loss.

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A device for indicating the freshness of food during storage, particularly in controlled environment systems like cold storage. The device has a packaging body with upper and lower plastic sheets joined around the edges. Inside, it is divided into two compartments by a weakly bonded welding line. One compartment contains microbial powder and the other contains an indicator solution. As the food ages, microbes grow in the powder compartment and release metabolites that diffuse into the indicator compartment, changing its color to indicate spoilage. This provides a precise and low-cost way to accurately predict and monitor food freshness during storage.

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Food container with an embedded electronic sensor to detect microbial growth inside the container and indicate spoilage. The sensor monitors the container for changes in microbial populations that indicate food spoilage. When spoilage is detected, the container displays a visible color change to alert the user that the food is no longer safe to consume. This helps prevent food poisoning by allowing users to identify spoiled food and avoid consuming it. The sensor continuously monitors the container for microbial growth and alerts the user when spoilage occurs.

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Storage device that can be used to preserve food freshness and provide a real time reliable indication of spoilage and freshness of food products. The device includes a food product, a chamber comprising a sample of the food product, a composition comprising at least one indicator, and a number of compartments separated from one another by a membrane.

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Spoilage indicators for packaged foods that visually determine the amount of remaining shelf life and whether a product has spoiled. The indicators use sensors inside the package that detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced during food spoilage. The sensors have a gas-permeable membrane separating them from the food content to prevent direct contact. The sensors change color when exposed to spoilage VOCs, allowing consumers to see if the food is still safe to eat. The colorimetric sensors can be attached to the package or used as disposable devices inside opened containers.

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A food package with an indicator that changes color or texture over time after opening to provide a visual indication of food freshness. The indicator can be activated by opening the package and changes like color or texture over time indicate spoilage. It allows consumers to accurately gauge food freshness after opening instead of relying on arbitrary expiration dates. The indicator can be integrated into the package or attached. A camera can monitor the indicator and a control unit tracks spoilage progress.

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A method to visually check the deterioration of packaged food products like milk by using low sugar reaction test papers. The method involves adding the test paper to the packaged food item and observing the color change on the paper when the food item is near its expiration date. The test paper contains a reagent that reacts with low sugar levels in spoiled food to change color. This allows consumers to quickly and easily check the freshness of packaged foods at a glance.

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A time and temperature indicator system for monitoring the storage conditions of perishable products. The system consists of separate compartments containing reactive and mobile agents. When the compartments are joined, the mobile agent migrates through a matrix in the first compartment. This reactive migration provides better sensitivity and reflects quality loss reactions. The system can also have a time and temperature indicator integrated into a bag closure device.

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Critical temperature time indicator for food packaging that shows if food has exceeded a critical temperature during storage or processing. The indicator consists of multiple layers stacked on a base film. The top layer is a colored coating dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with a melting point of 18.4°C. Beneath that is a porous paper layer. Below that is a membrane with tiny holes. The bottom layer is a thin film. When the food temperature exceeds 19°C, the DMSO melts and wicks through the porous layer to dissolve the colored coating, revealing the underlying layers. The color change indicates the food has been above the critical temperature. The time spent above 19°C is shown by how much of the colored coating has dissolved.

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Food storage container with a built-in shelf life indicator using a browning confirmation paper. The container has a compartment to insert the paper, which has a sticky end to attach. The paper changes color when food is past its expiry date due to browning. The container also has features like a cover to access the paper, air holes, and a sealed lid to prevent contamination.

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