Wireless Sensor for Meat Freshness Assessment Based on Radio Frequency Communication

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Food Science

Background:

• Radio frequency (RF) technologies are crucial for wireless communication in wearable electronics.
• Chemiresistive materials and chemically actuated resonant devices (CARDs) offer potential for sensing applications.
• Accurate and accessible methods for monitoring food freshness are in high demand.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple and cost-effective wireless sensing system for monitoring meat freshness.
• To integrate a novel chemiresistive composite into RF tags to create CARDs.
• To establish a correlation between the sensor's electrical response and RF signal attenuation for freshness assessment.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of RF antennas on flexible substrates using lithography and conductive tape.
• Incorporation of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)/MoS2/In2O3 chemiresistive composite into RF tags.
• Characterization of RF signal parameters (amplitude, resonant frequency) and correlation with sensor response to volatile amines from seafood samples.

Main Results:

• The developed RF tags successfully functioned as CARDs for wireless sensing.
• A correlation was established between the chemiresistive sensor's response and RF signal attenuation (reflection coefficient).
• The wireless tags effectively monitored seafood freshness by detecting cumulative amine exposure, indicated by a decrease in RF signals.

Conclusions:

• The integrated RF tags offer a versatile, scalable, affordable, and portable solution for wireless chemical sensing.
• This technology shows significant potential for real-time food quality monitoring and reducing food waste.
• The study highlights the efficacy of combining RF tag technology with chemiresistive sensors for practical applications.