Temperature tracking using RFID in the pineapple supply chain
The global pineapple market requires highly effective temperature-controlled supply chains that w... more The global pineapple market requires highly effective temperature-controlled supply chains that will prolong the product's shelf life while avoiding its chilling injury. Current temperature tracking systems lack the accuracy and simplicity demanded by the real conditions of a fast-paced produce supply chain. In recent years, radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has been suggested to be an enhanced method for temperature tracking because of its many benefits, such as using very little instrumentation, offering the quick readings necessary for real-time decision making, and allowing the capture of long-duration temperature profiles. Still, its limitation lies in its failure to provide accurate temperature readings on the critical points of the pallet. Our research presents a solution to this problem by developing and applying heat transfer software able to predict temperatures at different locations in the pallet, based on RFID temperature readings obtained on the exte...
First Strike Rations (FSR) military meals are shelf-stable products able to withstand a wide rang... more First Strike Rations (FSR) military meals are shelf-stable products able to withstand a wide range of temperatures along their supply chain. Nonetheless, once their temperature thresholds have been surpassed, their expected shelf-life is reduced considerably. If inadequate temperature management of FSR loads is not detected, its consumption could diminish the nutritional status of the military forces deployed and pose a food safety thread for them. Therefore, a reliable temperature tracking system must be in place during combat feeding logistic operations. RFID temperature tracking presents superior performance than conventional monitoring methods in food supply chains; however, cost-efficiency and consistent readings must be obtained. This is achieved by minimizing the number of sensors employed, monitoring only thermally relevant locations and by surpassing the interactions between the systems' radio frequency waves and the product and its environment. The objective of this re...
Sensing and Instrumentation for Food Quality and Safety, 2009
Current temperature tracking systems lack the convenience and accuracy demanded by the real condi... more Current temperature tracking systems lack the convenience and accuracy demanded by the real conditions of a fast-paced produce supply chain. In recent years RFID technology has been suggested to be an enhanced method for temperature tracking because of its many benefits, such as using little instrumentation, offering the quick readings necessary for real-time decision making, and allowing the capture of long-duration temperature profiles. However its limitation lies in that probeless systems fail to provide accurate temperature readings in some of the critical points of the pallet and the load. The objective of this work was to study the use of RFID in temperature monitoring by comparing the performance of RFID temperature tags versus conventional temperature tracking methods, as well as RFID temperature tags with probe versus RFID temperature tags without probes and their utilization along the supply chain. Therefore, the temperature mapping of a shipping trial comprising pallets of crownless pineapples instrumented using different RFID temperature dataloggers and traditional temperature dataloggers and packed in two kinds of packages (corrugated boxes and reusable plastic containers) inside a container was performed. The results showed that RFID temperature tags are analogous with regards to accuracy to the conventional methods, but have a superior performance because they allow quick instrumentation and data recovery, and the possibility of accessing the sensor program and data at any point of the supply chain without line of sight. In addition, the use of RFID tags with probe was justified by its role in determining the efficiency of the pre-cooling operations and low temperature abuse tracking during transportation and refrigerated storage; while the RFID tags without probe proved useful for high temperature abuse monitoring during transportation and refrigerated storage. The creation of a RFID sensor with a probe, able to record both ambient and pulp temperatures simultaneously is suggested.
First Strike Rations (FSR) military meals are shelf-stable products able to withstand a wide rang... more First Strike Rations (FSR) military meals are shelf-stable products able to withstand a wide range of temperatures along their supply chain. Nonetheless, once their temperature thresholds have been surpassed, their expected shelf-life is reduced considerably. If inadequate temperature management of FSR loads is not detected, its consumption could diminish the nutritional status of the military forces deployed and pose a food safety thread for them. Therefore, a reliable temperature tracking system must be in place during combat feeding logistic operations. RFID temperature tracking presents superior performance than conventional monitoring methods in food supply chains; however, cost-efficiency and consistent readings must be obtained. This is achieved by minimizing the number of sensors employed, monitoring only thermally relevant locations and by surpassing the interactions between the systems' radio frequency waves and the product and its environment. The objective of this r...
Radio frequency identification (RFID) offers a way to satisfy the current needs of the produce in... more Radio frequency identification (RFID) offers a way to satisfy the current needs of the produce industry for product identification and cool chain preservation. The main challenges for RFID temperature tracking in produce cool chain monitoring are the produce's high-water content and the cost. Water absorbs radio frequency energy decreasing read range and limiting sensor placement. Whereas cost limits the number of sensors that may be used in a viable system. Therefore, the minimal number of sensor placements that maximize the representation of the temperatures of the product in pallets of high-water content produce must be determined. The objectives of the research presented in this paper were: To identify a location able to represent 85% of the temperatures present in a pallet of bottled water mimicking produce when subjected to heating and cooling conditions similar to the loading-unloading process. And second, to assess the readability and read range of a commercially available RFID battery assisted passive tag in this thermally relevant position so as to determine whether it would be read at the required distance for the supply chain. A single location representing 85% of the temperatures in the pallet was not found; consequently, it was suggested using a location with a temperature that would be the middle point of an interval that gathers the temperature readings of approximately 85% of the measured locations. In addition, results indicate that tag readability and read range in this position vary depending on the configuration of the side of the pallet facing the antennas and the amount of air in the surroundings of the RFID tag.
Temperature tracking using RFID in the pineapple supply chain
The global pineapple market requires highly effective temperature-controlled supply chains that w... more The global pineapple market requires highly effective temperature-controlled supply chains that will prolong the product's shelf life while avoiding its chilling injury. Current temperature tracking systems lack the accuracy and simplicity demanded by the real conditions of a fast-paced produce supply chain. In recent years, radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has been suggested to be an enhanced method for temperature tracking because of its many benefits, such as using very little instrumentation, offering the quick readings necessary for real-time decision making, and allowing the capture of long-duration temperature profiles. Still, its limitation lies in its failure to provide accurate temperature readings on the critical points of the pallet. Our research presents a solution to this problem by developing and applying heat transfer software able to predict temperatures at different locations in the pallet, based on RFID temperature readings obtained on the exte...
First Strike Rations (FSR) military meals are shelf-stable products able to withstand a wide rang... more First Strike Rations (FSR) military meals are shelf-stable products able to withstand a wide range of temperatures along their supply chain. Nonetheless, once their temperature thresholds have been surpassed, their expected shelf-life is reduced considerably. If inadequate temperature management of FSR loads is not detected, its consumption could diminish the nutritional status of the military forces deployed and pose a food safety thread for them. Therefore, a reliable temperature tracking system must be in place during combat feeding logistic operations. RFID temperature tracking presents superior performance than conventional monitoring methods in food supply chains; however, cost-efficiency and consistent readings must be obtained. This is achieved by minimizing the number of sensors employed, monitoring only thermally relevant locations and by surpassing the interactions between the systems' radio frequency waves and the product and its environment. The objective of this re...
Sensing and Instrumentation for Food Quality and Safety, 2009
Current temperature tracking systems lack the convenience and accuracy demanded by the real condi... more Current temperature tracking systems lack the convenience and accuracy demanded by the real conditions of a fast-paced produce supply chain. In recent years RFID technology has been suggested to be an enhanced method for temperature tracking because of its many benefits, such as using little instrumentation, offering the quick readings necessary for real-time decision making, and allowing the capture of long-duration temperature profiles. However its limitation lies in that probeless systems fail to provide accurate temperature readings in some of the critical points of the pallet and the load. The objective of this work was to study the use of RFID in temperature monitoring by comparing the performance of RFID temperature tags versus conventional temperature tracking methods, as well as RFID temperature tags with probe versus RFID temperature tags without probes and their utilization along the supply chain. Therefore, the temperature mapping of a shipping trial comprising pallets of crownless pineapples instrumented using different RFID temperature dataloggers and traditional temperature dataloggers and packed in two kinds of packages (corrugated boxes and reusable plastic containers) inside a container was performed. The results showed that RFID temperature tags are analogous with regards to accuracy to the conventional methods, but have a superior performance because they allow quick instrumentation and data recovery, and the possibility of accessing the sensor program and data at any point of the supply chain without line of sight. In addition, the use of RFID tags with probe was justified by its role in determining the efficiency of the pre-cooling operations and low temperature abuse tracking during transportation and refrigerated storage; while the RFID tags without probe proved useful for high temperature abuse monitoring during transportation and refrigerated storage. The creation of a RFID sensor with a probe, able to record both ambient and pulp temperatures simultaneously is suggested.
First Strike Rations (FSR) military meals are shelf-stable products able to withstand a wide rang... more First Strike Rations (FSR) military meals are shelf-stable products able to withstand a wide range of temperatures along their supply chain. Nonetheless, once their temperature thresholds have been surpassed, their expected shelf-life is reduced considerably. If inadequate temperature management of FSR loads is not detected, its consumption could diminish the nutritional status of the military forces deployed and pose a food safety thread for them. Therefore, a reliable temperature tracking system must be in place during combat feeding logistic operations. RFID temperature tracking presents superior performance than conventional monitoring methods in food supply chains; however, cost-efficiency and consistent readings must be obtained. This is achieved by minimizing the number of sensors employed, monitoring only thermally relevant locations and by surpassing the interactions between the systems' radio frequency waves and the product and its environment. The objective of this r...
Radio frequency identification (RFID) offers a way to satisfy the current needs of the produce in... more Radio frequency identification (RFID) offers a way to satisfy the current needs of the produce industry for product identification and cool chain preservation. The main challenges for RFID temperature tracking in produce cool chain monitoring are the produce's high-water content and the cost. Water absorbs radio frequency energy decreasing read range and limiting sensor placement. Whereas cost limits the number of sensors that may be used in a viable system. Therefore, the minimal number of sensor placements that maximize the representation of the temperatures of the product in pallets of high-water content produce must be determined. The objectives of the research presented in this paper were: To identify a location able to represent 85% of the temperatures present in a pallet of bottled water mimicking produce when subjected to heating and cooling conditions similar to the loading-unloading process. And second, to assess the readability and read range of a commercially available RFID battery assisted passive tag in this thermally relevant position so as to determine whether it would be read at the required distance for the supply chain. A single location representing 85% of the temperatures in the pallet was not found; consequently, it was suggested using a location with a temperature that would be the middle point of an interval that gathers the temperature readings of approximately 85% of the measured locations. In addition, results indicate that tag readability and read range in this position vary depending on the configuration of the side of the pallet facing the antennas and the amount of air in the surroundings of the RFID tag.
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Papers by Cecilia Amador