SuSPack

7th Joint Call: SuSPack

The proposal aims to develop a sustainable and smart food packaging system that not only enhances sustainability but also provides real-time monitoring and traceability of packaged food. SuSPack combines bioplastics, natural pigments, and smart sensors to reduce food waste and improve consumer safety.
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Background

Global food security is increasingly threatened by climate change, population growth, and industrialization. Preventing food waste is a crucial part of addressing this challenge, especially at the consumption stage, where misinterpretation of expiration dates often leads consumers to discard edible products. Traditional packaging does not provide real-time freshness information, leaving consumers reliant solely on expiry labels.

Eco-innovations that use waste and by-products as resources can help mitigate these problems. If packaging could reliably indicate food freshness in real time, it would reduce food waste, enhance consumer safety, and contribute to sustainability.

The project

SuSPack proposes to:

  • Use anthocyanins extracted from grape pomace to create printing inks for smart QR labels that provide both traceability and freshness monitoring.
  • Incorporate ZIF-8 into inkjet indicator inks to enhance colourimetric response and sensitivity to food spoilage.
  • Combine smart QR barcodes with a mobile app, allowing consumers to scan and monitor freshness in real time.
  • Employ bioplastics to fabricate packaging components, enhancing environmental sustainability.
  • Demonstrate a proof-of-concept system that can be scaled to industrial food packaging applications.

The science

SuSPack brings together food engineering, materials science, chemistry, and digital tools. Key research areas include:

  • Development of smart QR barcodes with colourimetric indicators for freshness detection.
  • Integration of smartphone apps with packaging for real-time monitoring.
  • Optimisation of anthocyanin-based inks and enhancement of sensitivity with nanomaterials (ZIF-8).
  • Application of bioplastics in packaging components to reduce environmental impact.
  • Exploration of novel methodologies for scalable, industry-ready smart packaging solutions.

The team

  • Assistant Prof. Leyla Kahyaoglu (Coordinator), Middle East Technical University (METU), Turkey
  • Dr. Anis Khairuddin, University of Malaya, Malaysia
  • Prof. Alberto Romero, University of Sevilla, Spain
  • Dr. Banu Sezer, NANOSENS, Turkey

 

Contact:

Assistant Prof. Leyla Kahyaoglu                          E-Mail: kaleyla@metu.edu.tr 

Tags
SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION