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Foods
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Smart Food Cold Chain Techniques and Traceability System
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Smart Food Cold Chain Techniques and Traceability System

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2024) | Viewed by 9129

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jianping Qian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: smart food cold chain; traceability system; information technology; computational fluid dynamics; rapid quality testing; dynamic shelf life prediction
Prof. Dr. Luis Ruiz García

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agroforestry Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: food cold logistics; cold logistics monitoring; food traceability
Dr. Zhiyao Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
Interests: food quality and safety; food supply chain system; complex system modeling; smart sensor technology; optimal control; machine learning
Dr. Ultan McCarthy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Science and Computing, Department of Science Land Sciences, South East Technological University, X91 Waterford, Ireland
Interests: food cold chain monitoring; RFID technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cold chain logistics has become an important measure to maintain the quality of postharvest/postmortem agro-food, reduce food loss and ensure food safety. Agro-food cold chain logistics is a systematic engineering process, involving various technologies, such as low-temperature control, postharvest physiology, preservation technology, information management, etc.; covering diverse categories of F&V, meat, milk, aquatic products, etc.; including different links, such as pre-cooling, storage, transportation, and sales, etc. With the rapid growth of new-generation information technologies, represented by big data, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, etc., informatization and intelligence of agro-food cold chain logistics has become an important future trend. Meanwhile, the application of smart food cold chain techniques is promoting the upgrade of food traceability systems in granularity and credibility; and the traceability can effectively guide the cold chain operation. In order to publicize and report the relevant advanced research achievements, the magazine plans to launch the Special Issue "Smart Food Cold Chain Techniques and Traceability System", and is soliciting contributions for the topic.

Prof. Dr. Jianping Qian
Prof. Dr. Luis Ruiz García
Dr. Zhiyao Zhao
Dr. Ultan McCarthy
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cold chain
  • traceability
  • smart monitoring
  • blockchain
  • computational fluid dynamics
  • food shelf life

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 7490 KiB  
Article
Monitoring of Volatile Compounds of Ready-to-Eat Kiwifruit Using GC-IMS
by Jiajia Yuan, Hongbo Li, Shangqiao Cao, Zhenbin Liu, Na Li, Dan Xu, Haizhen Mo and Liangbin Hu
Foods 2023, 12(24), 4394; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12244394 - 06 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1060
Abstract
Ready-to-eat kiwifruit has gained significant market value in recent years due to its convenience and the increasing consumer demand for healthy ready-to-eat snacks. The volatile compound content (VOC) in ready-to-eat kiwifruit is a crucial factor determining its flavor and aroma. VOC is an [...] Read more.
Ready-to-eat kiwifruit has gained significant market value in recent years due to its convenience and the increasing consumer demand for healthy ready-to-eat snacks. The volatile compound content (VOC) in ready-to-eat kiwifruit is a crucial factor determining its flavor and aroma. VOC is an important characteristic that positively affects the overall evaluation of ready-to-eat kiwifruit. In this study, we utilized gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) to investigate changes in the composition of VOCs in ready-to-eat kiwifruit during different storage periods (every 12 h). Our results revealed the presence of 55 VOCs in ready-to-eat kiwifruit, with alcohols, esters, and ketones being the dominant compounds responsible for the aromatic flavor. Among these compounds, methyl caproate, ethyl butyrate, and ethyl propionate provided specific fruit flavors to ready-to-eat kiwifruit, whereas esters played a secondary role. Furthermore, varying trends were observed for different compound types as the storage period increased: alcohols exhibited a decreasing trend, whereas ester products and some sulfur-containing compounds showed an increase. Additionally, fingerprint profiles of volatile compounds were established for each storage period, enabling the identification of characteristic substances. This comprehensive analysis of volatile flavor substances during the ripening of ready-to-eat kiwifruit will greatly contribute to enhancing its sensory quality, consumer appeal, and overall marketability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Food Cold Chain Techniques and Traceability System)
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12 pages, 2130 KiB  
Article
Research on Flesh Texture and Quality Traits of Kiwifruit (cv. Xuxiang) with Fluctuating Temperatures during Cold Storage
by Ranran Xu, Qian Chen, Yizhao Zhang, Jiali Li, Jiahua Zhou, Yunxiang Wang, Hong Chang, Fanxiang Meng and Baogang Wang
Foods 2023, 12(21), 3892; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12213892 - 24 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1001
Abstract
Kiwifruits are often exposed to various temperature fluctuations (TFs) during postharvest transportation and storage. To evaluate the effect of TFs on the qualities of kiwifruits during storage, kiwifruits were stored at 2 °C, 2 °C or 5 °C (TF2 °C–5 °C, alternating every [...] Read more.
Kiwifruits are often exposed to various temperature fluctuations (TFs) during postharvest transportation and storage. To evaluate the effect of TFs on the qualities of kiwifruits during storage, kiwifruits were stored at 2 °C, 2 °C or 5 °C (TF2 °C–5 °C, alternating every 12 h), 2 °C or 7 °C (TF2 °C–7 °C, alternating every 12 h) for 3 d before long time storage at 2 °C. Observations revealed that kiwifruits stored at a constant 2 °C showed the lowest loss of weight and vitamin C because of minimized ethylene production and respiratory rate compared with that of TF2 °C–5 °C and TF2 °C–7 °C. Moreover, the results of RT-qPCR verified that the expression levels of genes encoding polygalacturonase, β-galacturonidase, and pectin methylesterase were significantly increased by the treatment of TF. Hence, TF accelerated the degradation of cell walls, softening, translucency, and relative conductivity of the flesh of kiwifruits. In addition, the impact of TF2 °C–7 °C on kiwifruits was more significant relative to TF2 °C–5 °C. The present study provides a theoretical basis for kiwifruit during cold storage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Food Cold Chain Techniques and Traceability System)
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14 pages, 3786 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Pallet Covers Performance for Produce Protection in Cold Chain Logistics for Chard, Cucumbers and Carrots
by Ricardo Badia-Melis, Luis Ruiz-Garcia, Jose Ignacio Robla-Villalba and Pedro Hoyos-Echevarria
Foods 2023, 12(15), 2961; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12152961 - 04 Aug 2023
Viewed by 998
Abstract
Cold chain disruption and refrigeration failures are common issues in the logistics of perishable food products. In these cases, the use of pallet covers should be very useful, delaying the increase of product temperatures inside the pallets until cooling conditions are restored. However, [...] Read more.
Cold chain disruption and refrigeration failures are common issues in the logistics of perishable food products. In these cases, the use of pallet covers should be very useful, delaying the increase of product temperatures inside the pallets until cooling conditions are restored. However, there are no studies about the performance of pallet covers in these types of situations, which could persist for hours. This paper evaluates the performance of three different types of cold chain covers versus having no cover for three different types of vegetables (chard, cucumbers, and carrots). A refrigeration failure during the cold chain was simulated. The three covers presented an improvement in temperature loss compared to the no-cover situation, with the average time for the temperature to increase from 4 to 10 °C with a cover being a range of 214 to 506 min, while for no cover, from 162 to 211 min. Relative humidity (RH) always presented improved preservation with a cover than with no cover, except for one case. The correlation between the thermal images and sensor temperatures was also studied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Food Cold Chain Techniques and Traceability System)
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14 pages, 1978 KiB  
Article
Changes in Lipids and Proteins of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Fillets under Frozen Storage and Establishment of a Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN)
by Chunli Kong, Caiping Duan, Yixuan Zhang, Ce Shi and Yongkang Luo
Foods 2023, 12(14), 2741; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12142741 - 19 Jul 2023
Viewed by 988
Abstract
Storage via freezing remains the most effective approach for fish preservation. However, lipid oxidation and protein denaturation still occur during storage, along with nutritional loss. The extent of lipid alteration and protein denaturation are associated with human health defects. To precisely predict common [...] Read more.
Storage via freezing remains the most effective approach for fish preservation. However, lipid oxidation and protein denaturation still occur during storage, along with nutritional loss. The extent of lipid alteration and protein denaturation are associated with human health defects. To precisely predict common carp (Cyprinus carpio) nutritional quality change during frozen storage, here, we first determined lipid oxidation and hydrolysis and protein denaturation of common carp fillets during 17 weeks of frozen preservation at 261 K, 253 K, and 245 K. Results showed that the content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and free fatty acids (FFA) were significantly increased. However, salt-soluble protein (SSP) content, Ca2+-ATPase activity, and total sulfhydryl (SH) content kept decreasing during frozen storage, with SSP content decreasing by 64.82%, 38.14%, and 11.24%, respectively, Ca2+-ATP enzyme activity decreasing to 12.50%, 18.52%, and 28.57% Piμmol/mg/min, and SH values decreasing by 70.71%, 64.92%, and 56.51% at 261 K, 253 K, and 245 K, respectively. The values at 261 K decreased more than that at 253 K and 245 K (p < 0.05). Ca2+-ATPase activity was positively correlated (r = 0.96) with SH content. Afterwards, based on the results of the above chemical experiments, we developed a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) to predict the modification of lipid and protein of common carp fillets during frozen storage. Results showed that all the relative errors of experimental and predicted values were within ±10%. In summary, the quality of common carp can be well protected at 245 K, and the established RBFNN could effectively predict the quality of the common carp under frozen conditions at 261–245 K. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Food Cold Chain Techniques and Traceability System)
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Review

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23 pages, 1629 KiB  
Review
Overview of Food Preservation and Traceability Technology in the Smart Cold Chain System
by Lin Bai, Minghao Liu and Ying Sun
Foods 2023, 12(15), 2881; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12152881 - 29 Jul 2023
Viewed by 3921
Abstract
According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), about a third of all food produced for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted—approximately 1.3 billion tons. Among this, the amount lost during the storage stage [...] Read more.
According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), about a third of all food produced for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted—approximately 1.3 billion tons. Among this, the amount lost during the storage stage is about 15–20% for vegetables and 10–15% for fruits. It is 5–10% for vegetables and fruits during the distribution stage, resulting in a large amount of resource waste and economic losses. At the same time, the global population affected by hunger has reached 828 million, exceeding one-tenth of the total global population. The improvement of the cold chain system will effectively reduce the amount of waste and loss of food during the storage and transportation stages. Firstly, this paper summarizes the concept and development status of traditional preservation technology; environmental parameter sensor components related to fruit and vegetable spoilage in the intelligent cold chain system; the data transmission and processing technology of the intelligent cold chain system, including wireless network communication technology (WI-FI) and cellular mobile communication; short-range communication technology, and the low-power, wide-area network (LPWAN). The smart cold chain system is regulated and optimized through the Internet of Things, blockchain, and digital twin technology to achieve the sustainable development of smart agriculture. The deep integration of artificial intelligence and traditional preservation technology provides new ideas and solutions for the problem of food waste in the world. However, the lack of general standards and the high cost of the intelligent cold chain system are obstacles to the development of the intelligent cold chain system. Governments and researchers at all levels should strive to highly integrate cold chain systems with artificial intelligence technology, establish relevant regulations and standards for cold chain technology, and actively promote development toward intelligence, standardization, and technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Food Cold Chain Techniques and Traceability System)
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