Development of optical sensing system for the analysis of meat freshness

Abstract

Food is the most essential source of nourishment for all living things. Now the phenomenon of producing, preparing, transporting and consumption of food is globalized. Particularly, the globalization of meat industry poses potential risk to human health. If the food supply chain is disturbed due to the lack of traceability, the quality of meat product is changed. Consuming unhealthy meat is associated directly with various health issues for human beings. So there is a need to seek and consume fresh meat and to stay healthy and productive. When meat products are kept at room temperature, the freshness is affected due to contamination caused by rapid growth of unsafe microorganisms. The food-borne illness is caused by the consumption of contaminated food along with food-borne pathogens. The spoilage of meat is accelerated by microbial growth by the consumption of oxygen (O2) and release of carbon di-oxide (CO2) as a by-product. Among the freshness analyzing parameters, O2 and CO2 are considered as the important parameters as they directly influence microbial growth. Hence, smart devices are needed to confirm the freshness of meat without any delay, by investigating the amount of O2 consumed and CO2 released by the food-borne pathogens. These devices are equipped with non-invasive techniques which mimic the sensory organs of human beings in the form of electronic nose, electronic tongue and computer vision. The aim of the present research is to design and develop an opto-chemi nose to monitor the freshness of the meat. newline