Rourkela: In a breakthrough for food quality control, researchers at National Institute of Technology, Rourkela (NIT-R) have developed an IoT-enabled smart device that monitors the quality of ingredients in processed food. The innovative colorimeter tracks colour and temperature changes in real-time, particularly useful for studying oleogels – healthier fat alternatives in processed foods.
Led by Prof. Kunal Pal from the department of biotechnology and medical engineering, the research team collaborated with Floirendo Flores from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Their findings have been published in the Journal of Food Engineering, and the technology has secured a patent.
The device addresses a crucial challenge in the food industry. While processed foods traditionally rely on solid fats that contain unhealthy trans and saturated fats, healthier alternatives like oleogels face stability issues. Conventional methods to assess oleogel stability require expensive equipment and skilled technicians, making quality control challenging for small manufacturers.
“This smart device has the potential to significantly improve food safety and quality control processes,” says Pal. “Beyond oleogels, it can monitor various food products where colour and temperature are crucial indicators of quality and stability, including dairy products, bakery items, confectionery, and plant-based meat substitutes,” he added.
The cost-effective device, estimated at Rs 50,000 at the laboratory scale, offers several advantages over existing solutions. It includes real-time monitoring of colour changes during crystallization, IoT integration for remote monitoring and data logging, automated analysis capabilities and accessibility for small-scale manufacturers.
The research team is now working to integrate artificial intelligence into the device for early detection of food spoilage, aiming to minimize waste. This innovation promises to enhance food science research and enable better quality control practices at lower costs, potentially benefiting food manufacturers and consumers worldwide. The development team includes researchers like Deblu Sahu (PhD scholar), Sirsendu Sekhar Ray from North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, and professors Sivaraman Jayaraman and Bala Chakravarthy from NIT Rourkela.
