Time-temperature indicators

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Time-temperature indicators (Engl. Time Temperature Indicators, short TTI) are intelligent indicators related to food are mounted packaging and end of life are to represent the food visually. The benefit lies in the fact that interruptions in the cold chain and the risk of negative influences can be made visible.

Working principle

The principle of the indicators is based on temperature- and time-dependent photochromic, enzymatic, physical or microbiological reactions. The reaction behavior is indicated by color changes or color gradients. High temperatures cause rapid changes, while low temperatures lead to slower changes.

See also: Freshness indicator

Use

The use of TTIs in the packaging of food has numerous advantages: Suppliers offer TTIS the opportunity to demonstrate to the respective customers the correct handling of the delivered product with regard to the storage and transport temperature. In the incoming goods inspection, TTIs provide additional information to assess the freshness and quality or the remaining shelf life of the delivered goods based on the color. Appropriate shelf life models can support this. This means that the FIFO (First In, First Out) principle of warehousing can be replaced by the LSFO (Least Shelf Life, First out) principle. TTIs are also a valuable aid for consumers to assess the freshness of the product. The indicators can also be used as a specific aid for monitoring certain temperature-dependent processes within the framework of HACCP concepts.

Consumer protection

The color of the time-temperature indicator is intended to let the end user see how long the remaining shelf life of the products they want to buy in retail outlets really is , and how long they can store them before the risk of spoilage arises.

Reduction of waste

In the UK , according to the WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Program) figures, more than 30% of all food is destroyed every year without being consumed. A large part of these losses can be attributed to interruptions in the cold chain. The improvement associated with the introduction of time-temperature indicators is expected to lead to a significant reduction in this proportion.

Disease reduction

According to the World Health Organization, 725,000 people in the United States develop foodborne illnesses every year, and more than 5,000 of them die. One of the reasons for these diseases is the consumption of food that would have been edible according to the best before date , but had already spoiled due to temperature abuse. The use of time-temperature indicators can prevent spoiled food from being consumed, as the consumer can see directly, on the basis of the visual indication, whether a product is still fresh.

Legal basis

In most countries, the best-before date and the use-by date are the most important instruments when it comes to displaying the shelf life of foods. In the USA there are legal regulations by the FDA (Federal Drug and Food Administration) that prescribe the use of time-temperature indicators on certain fish products and seafood.

Scientific basis

Time-temperature indicators are extensively researched scientifically, including in a completed EU project called "Freshlabel", in which various partners have participated (Cold Chain Management Group, University of Bonn , Institute VTT, ttz Bremerhaven , Federal Association of the German Meat Industry and various other partners).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. BBC News (PDF; 1.5 MB).
  2. World Health Organization: Food safety and foodborne illness ( Memento of October 20, 2012 in the Internet Archive ).
  3. Federal Drug and Food Administration: Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations ( Memento of January 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ).