The Latest Tech Advancements In Food Safety You Should Know About

Much like the rest of the industries out there, the food and beverage sector is undergoing a digital transformation.

In recent years there’s been an ever-increasing number of tech solutions aimed at streamlining processes and lessening the workload for employees. Nowadays, food safety is higher than ever before, and this has improved the overall life-quality of the population. However, developments are still underway, and as science progresses, we’re bound to see an ever-increasing number of devices and software entering the market.

Their applications, once futuristic sounding, are becoming more and more of a reality, let’s take a closer look at the most relevant tech changing the food manufacturing industry right as you’re reading this.

Robotics

Perhaps the most visible development is that in robotics. The biggest advantage of using robots is reduced contamination during production and packaging. While proper sanitation is of course still necessary, so the robots still have to be cleaned and managed by human workers, the advent of robotic grippers has revolutionized the world of food production as we know it. Not only is it safer from a bacteriological point of view, it’s also more secure for the workers. Handling certain food items can be challenging, such as in the case of extremely large and heavy cuts of meat. Robots can handle that weight and as such keep employees safe as well. They also ensure there’s less food that goes to waste, such as in the deboning process, thereby minimizing food waste.

And while automated packaging is an important aspect of production for many companies and enterprises, other businesses have taken it a step further and introduced automated cooking and baking. Such is the case for many pizza producers, for instance, who use gadgets to deliver large quantities of fully baked pizzas in as few as five minutes.

Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy, or, more accurately, the practical application of spectrophotometry, has many applications in real life. From helping catch felons, to discovering new life forms (and searching for them in outer space), to, you guessed it, performing food analysis. This examination is performed using spectrometers, instruments that can measure the variations of a physical characteristic within a predetermined range. As such, the process can be used to determine the components, adulterants, and contaminants present in a certain food item.

So, if you’ve been wondering what is a spectrometer, you know now that it’s a device in the absence of your food, and, by extension, your health, would be much less protected. However, via the help of spectroscopy, food quality standards are easier to maintain.

Third-party labs

Third-party testing is helpful for manufacturers because it reduces the workload on their own companies. Following the pandemic, there’s been a shortage of employees in the workforce, so managers don’t want to place a further strain on their businesses by demanding the performance of additional tasks. Turning to third-party lab testing helps maximize output and increase productivity.

It is also very important for food testing, as laboratories often possess more advanced technology. They are likely to be able to perform confirmation tests that would have been impossible on-site. And while the process of transporting goods around from one location to another may have been time-consuming in the past, this is no longer the case as advances in tech have made transportation easier, faster, and safer.

Sensors

Automated processes are good news for businesses everywhere, but they’re not foolproof. For this reason, sensors have proved to be a saving grace in many instances. They monitor the production process, from the incipient manufacturing stages all the way to distribution, ensuring unbroken visibility of the entire supply chain.

Another important aspect of sensors is ensuring adequate storage standards are maintained so that freshness levels are optimal at all times. Imagine that a shipment of meat or veggies isn’t kept at the right temperature. Upon arrival at their destination, most or even all products have spoiled and cannot be used anymore. This is a huge waste of resources, given how much water, power, space, and labor go into producing food. Moreover, with the increased scrutiny of the general public towards sustainable practices, throwing away massive quantities of food would be certain to cause a stir. Luckily, technology has the solution to this problem, packed in compact sensors that alert employees about drops in temperature or air quality.

Modernization

The food industry has existed for a long time, and throughout its history more and more developments have entered the scene. However, as technology has progressed, they’ve mostly become obsolete. This doesn’t mean that they’ve outlived their usefulness, only that the processes through which they’re achieved were in dire need of an upgrade that would ensure they deliver safer foodstuffs to the plates of consumers.

Fermentation is an example of such a process. Centuries-old, it has been used throughout time to preserve foods. In recent years, technology has evolved to make large-batch fermentation easier and safer by using temperature controls and advanced analysis. There are also analysis protocols that ensure there’s no overgrowth of harmful bacteria which can be hazardous for human consumption.

Temperature monitoring

A lot of foodborne illness results from consuming food that hasn’t been stored under the proper conditions. When they are exposed to extreme variations in temperature and humidity, food items lose their molecular integrity and are vulnerable to spoilage. There’s a very simple solution to avoiding the millions of cases of disease that occur yearly as a result of inadequately preserved food: ensuring food is kept at the right temperature.

Devices monitoring temperature are important throughout all stages of food manufacturing, as ingredients that go bad cannot be used to create a safe frozen dish for example. Many producers can follow the processes in real-time and monitor temperature quality at all times from personal electronic devices via apps.

Food safety has come a long way since the birth of the advent of the industry. Nowadays most people don’t have to worry about foodborne pathogens, as the incidence of illness caused by nourishment has drastically reduced compared to as little as twenty or thirty years ago. And there are still many more developments on the way.