Freshness indicator

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Freshness indicators are indicators that provide information about the current state of freshness of a food product. The freshness is indicated by a color gradient.

function

The principle of these color indicators is based on a direct interaction between food and indicator. The changes that take place in the food and ultimately directly influence the freshness status can be caused by microbiological growth and metabolic processes. Freshness indicators are usually based on the detection of metabolic products such as B. carbon dioxide , sulfur dioxide , ammonia , ethanol , toxins and organic acids. Compared to time-temperature indicators , which indirectly indicate the freshness of a food, the freshness indicator has a direct reaction between the indicator and the food or volatile metabolites that can occur in the product during the growth of undesirable microorganisms.

Use

The use of such indicators to monitor food quality has numerous advantages: Suppliers have the opportunity to demonstrate the quality of the product directly to the respective customer. In the incoming goods inspection , the indicators provide supplementary information in order to assess the freshness and quality or the remaining shelf life of the delivered goods based on the color of the indicator. Appropriate shelf life models can support this. This means that the FIFO principle (First In, First Out) of warehousing can be replaced by the LSFO principle (Least Shelf Life, First out). Freshness indicators continue to be a valuable aid to consumers in order to be able to assess the freshness of the product. The indicators can also be used as a specific aid for monitoring certain temperature-dependent processes in the context of HACCP concepts.

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