Implementation of a sensor system for monitoring the temperature of "ready to eat" products (fresh pasta and pizza)
One of the foundations of our foundation is innovation and, in this sense, we aim to improve processes and productivity with a digital transformation strategy that differentiates us and allows us to innovate within our sector.
For this reason we want to solve some technological challenges of the Aliments Onyar organic food production line, a business line of the Special Work Center of the Ramon Noguera Foundation.
The challenges posed are specified in two: on the one hand, solve the thermal monitoring during the distribution of products in the marketing process, from the workshop to the point of sale, and, on the other, the modeling of life useful depending on the thermal profiles obtained. In this way, it can be determined whether there are breaks in the cold chain on the different distribution routes, which could compromise the quality and food safety of the products we market.
One of the main advances that the project brings us is the improvement of the thermal control of the products during the transport and storage in the shops. Knowing the thermal profile of transported and stored products provides us with sufficient data to implement improvements during these processes, and these improvements will be reflected in the quality of the product until the end of its useful life.
In order to monitor temperatures, the AKO sensor system has been implemented in production, transport and storage. At the same time, laboratory tests have been performed simulating temperature variations in the different distribution routes, and with different storage temperatures of the products, assessing, in each case, the changes experienced by the products in the different conditions (visual appearance, organoleptic and microbiological), and a mathematical model of the useful life index of the product has been made.
Thanks to this implementation we will be able to know in real time the temperature in which the product is advancing, at all times, to possible breaks of the cold chain and possible losses of useful life.
This project is funded by ACCIÓ (Public Agency for the Competitiveness of Catalan Business of the Generalitat de Catalunya) and has the collaboration and expertise of IRTA, which is a research institute whose in order to contribute to the modernization, improvement and boost to competitiveness, to the sustainable development of the agricultural, food, agroforestry, aquaculture and fishing sectors.
