Development and evaluation of an intelligent traceability system for frozen tilapia fillet processing

Area of Science:

• Aquaculture
• Food Science
• Industrial Engineering

Background:

• China is a leading global tilapia producer, with significant exports to North American and European markets.
• Tilapia's market growth is driven by consistent quality, availability, and competitive pricing.
• A substantial portion of China's tilapia production is dedicated to value-added processing for international demand.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an intelligent traceability system (ITS-TF) for tilapia fillet processing.
• To integrate statistical process control (SPC) and fault tree analysis (FTA) into a unified traceability framework.
• To enhance food safety management in the aquatic product supply chain.

Main Methods:

• System requirements and knowledge acquisition through observations, literature reviews, and expert questionnaires.
• Development of the intelligent traceability system (ITS-TF).
• Scenario simulation for performance evaluation and validation of ITS-TF.

Main Results:

• ITS-TF was successfully developed and evaluated for tilapia fillet processing.
• The system integrates SPC and FTA to provide early warning and process management functions.
• Traceability requirements have shifted from a reactive to a proactive food safety model.

Conclusions:

• ITS-TF enhances process management capacity for food safety.
• The system's integration of SPC and FTA enables proactive food safety measures.
• Future optimization should include automatic data acquisition and communication technologies for improved performance.