Sustainable time-temperature integrator for perishable fresh foods based on polymer/graphene blends
8 affiliations
- 1Department of Physics, Informatics and Mathematics, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, via Campi 213/a, Modena, Italy, 41125
- 2Department of Life Sciences, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, via Campi 103, Modena, Italy, 41125
- 3Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
- 4Agricultural University of Athens
- 5Department of Biotechnology
- 6Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Università di Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 17/19, Ferrara, Italy, 44121
- 7Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (CTNSC, Via Fossato di Mortara 17-19, Ferrara, Italy, 44121
- 8Georgiou Flexible Packaging SA,
Abstract
Monitoring the thermal history of perishable food products along the cold chain is critical to guarantee quality and safety for consumers. Time-temperature integrators (TTIs) offer solutions to guarantee cold chain efficiency, improve safety, and reduce food waste. Here, we present a sustainable TTI device based on the irreversible dehydration of a hydrogel, made of reduced graphene oxide and PEDOT:PSS, when exposed to varying environmental conditions. Dehydration kinetics of the hydrogel are investigated over a range of temperatures and relative humidity relevant to food-storage applications. The TTI response is quantified by the mass loss evolution which is interpreted by means of a kinetic model leveraging the initial hydrogel mass, the temperature and the relative humidity. The Arrhenius-like energy barrier is greater than the water binding enthalpy within the hydrogel, and the dehydration rate of the TTI device is finely tuned through the initial mass to mimic the microbial growth curve on fresh sea bream fillet. Deviations of the TTI from its evolution upon optimum conditions reveal the occurrence of a breach in the cold chain. We demonstrate that it is possible to translate the TTI assessment on a smartphone by imaging the evolution of shrinking of the projected area.
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BibTeX
@misc{bosi2026sustainable,
title = {{Sustainable time-temperature integrator for perishable fresh foods based on polymer/graphene blends}},
author = {Mattia Bosi and Matteo Sensi and Alessandro Paradisi and Marcello Berto and Evgenia Basdeki and Emmanouil Flemetakis and Pierpaolo Greco and Dimitros Sabanis and Carlo Augusto Bortolotti and Theofania Tsironi and Fabio Biscarini},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15008963/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008963/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Sustainable time-temperature integrator for perishable fresh foods based on polymer/graphene blends
AU - Mattia Bosi
AU - Matteo Sensi
AU - Alessandro Paradisi
AU - Marcello Berto
AU - Evgenia Basdeki
AU - Emmanouil Flemetakis
AU - Pierpaolo Greco
AU - Dimitros Sabanis
AU - Carlo Augusto Bortolotti
AU - Theofania Tsironi
AU - Fabio Biscarini
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15008963/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008963/v1
AB - Monitoring the thermal history of perishable food products along the cold chain is critical to guarantee quality and safety for consumers. Time-temperature integrators (TTIs) offer solutions to guarantee cold chain efficiency, improve safety, and reduce food waste. Here, we present a sustainable TTI device based on the irreversible dehydration of a hydrogel, made of reduced graphene oxide and PEDOT:PSS, when exposed to varying environmental conditions. Dehydration kinetics of the hydrogel are investigated over a range of temperatures and relative humidity relevant to food-storage applications. The TTI response is quantified by the mass loss evolution which is interpreted by means of a kinetic model leveraging the initial hydrogel mass, the temperature and the relative humidity. The Arrhenius-like energy barrier is greater than the water binding enthalpy within the hydrogel, and the dehydration rate of the TTI device is finely tuned through the initial mass to mimic the microbial growth curve on fresh sea bream fillet. Deviations of the TTI from its evolution upon optimum conditions reveal the occurrence of a breach in the cold chain. We demonstrate that it is possible to translate the TTI assessment on a smartphone by imaging the evolution of shrinking of the projected area.
ER -