A Lightweight Accountable Parallel Blockchain Architecture Based on Redactable Blockchain for Agri-Food Traceability

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Computer Science
• Supply Chain Management

Background:

• Agri-food safety is a global concern, with blockchain technology (BCT) enhancing trust in agri-food supply chain traceability systems (AFSCTS).
• The linear data growth in BCT-based AFSCTSs creates storage bottlenecks and increases equipment demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel AFSCTS architecture that reduces storage pressure while maintaining traceability.
• To address the limitations of continuous data growth in traditional blockchain traceability systems.

Main Methods:

• Developed a lightweight accountable parallel blockchain architecture (LAP-chain) integrating redactable blockchain and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS).
• Analyzed key agri-food traceability links and proposed requirements based on data timeliness.
• Offloaded expired agri-food traceability data to IPFS to reduce blockchain storage pressure.

Main Results:

• The proposed architecture achieved a storage capacity of only 52.38% compared to traditional systems after 36 months.
• When expired data is deleted according to regulations, storage capacity reduces from linear to constant levels.
• Evaluated correctness, collision resistance, and storage performance on an Ethereum private chain.

Conclusions:

• The LAP-chain architecture effectively reduces storage pressure in BCT-based AFSCTSs.
• This approach ensures data accountability and has the potential to enhance agri-food safety and quality.
• The system offers a scalable and efficient solution for modern agri-food traceability challenges.