Isabel M. Perez de Vargas Sansalvador
University of Granada, Spain
Title: A revolutionary quality indicator platform for CO2, NH3 and H2S.
Biography
Biography: Isabel M. Perez de Vargas Sansalvador
Abstract
We present Multisens, an innovative intelligent packaging platform that alerts the customer of packaged fresh meat quality.If the CO2 level changes during storage it is a clear indicator that bacteria are growing inside the package and / or the package is not well sealed and the modified atmosphere has been compromised. NH3 is a clear indicator of deterioration, as it is a product of microbial degradation and H2S is obtained by decomposition of cysteine, it is produced during meat spoilage. Therefore, these three gases have been selected as target gases for the development of the freshness sensors.
First, the correlation of meat freshness with the concentration of gases has been studied inside packages. Pseudomonas and TVC (Total Viable Count) are key parameters to evaluate this. It has been accepted that 107 cfu/g /mL as threshold for meat spoilage. The correlation between bacteria count and gas release has been be studied in terms of time and hence the threshold of these gas concentrations for meat freshness has been established.
Sensors for each of the target gases have been developed by the use of water soluble inks containing pH indicators and ionic liquids, extending the lifetime of conventional organic-based sensors. Reproducibility, cross-sensitivity, lifetime, and dynamic response have been studied obtaining good results to transfer this platform to the market.
Since there is an increasing interest in the use of smartphones and similar devices such as tablets, the development of an Android/iOS application is being carried out. This implementation simplifies the whole system as no sophisticated expensive instruments shall be used, just a mobile phone, avoiding the necessity for specialised training