Dynamic Best Before Date Calculation for Packaged Food
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining the best-before date of packaged foods and sensitive goods often result in unnecessarily short expiration dates, leading to economic losses and resource waste, as they do not account for varying production and packaging parameters, and do not consider the specific conditions experienced during transport and storage.
Innovation Solution
A method that measures packaging-specific parameters such as gas composition, production conditions, and storage conditions to calculate a customized best-before date, using sensors and mobile devices to non-destructively assess the gas phase composition and adjust the date accordingly, allowing for real-time confirmation or correction of the best-before date throughout the supply chain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a uniform best-before date is specified for an entire batch based on microbiological findings and experience, then product safety and quality consistency are guaranteed, but many products are unnecessarily withdrawn from circulation prematurely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the batch into individual packages and further segments the shelf life determination into multiple parameters (oxygen concentration, temperature history, production parameters). Each package's best-before date is calculated independently based on its specific conditions rather than applying a uniform date to the entire batch.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes from a single uniform time parameter (batch-level best-before date) to multiple variable parameters (oxygen concentration, temperature history, production parameters) that are measured and used to calculate package-specific shelf life. This allows the best-before date to be dynamically adjusted based on actual conditions.
2Reliability
If short best-before dates are specified for the entire batch, then product quality and safety are ensured, but economic losses and resource waste occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the best-before date from a conservative fixed value to a dynamic calculated value based on measured parameters including oxygen concentration, temperature history, and production parameters. This allows extension of shelf life for products that actually maintain quality longer, reducing waste while ensuring safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by measuring actual conditions (oxygen concentration, temperature) and using this information to calculate and adjust the best-before date. This feedback loop ensures that shelf life is extended only when quality and safety are actually maintained, preventing both waste and quality issues.
3Ease of manufacture
If the best-before date is determined without considering individual packaging parameters and storage conditions, then the determination process is simple, but the accuracy of shelf life prediction is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary measurements of oxygen concentration, temperature history, and production parameters during packaging and storage. These measurements are taken in advance to calculate the best-before date before the product reaches the consumer, ensuring accurate prediction without complicating the final determination process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sensors and measurement devices as intermediaries to automatically collect data on oxygen concentration, temperature, and production parameters. These intermediaries bridge the gap between complex measurements and the final best-before date calculation, maintaining simplicity in the determination process while improving accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach extends the shelf life of packaged goods by accurately determining the best-before date based on individual packaging parameters, reducing waste and economic losses by ensuring products are sold or consumed only when quality is maintained and safety is guaranteed.
Implementation Method 1
at least one parameter that influences the shelf life (best before date/use by date/freezing date) of the food/packaged product is determined, in that at least one parameter is determined individually for each packaging, in that the concentration of at least one component of the gas phase of the packaging is measured, preferably non-destructively
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing and/or packaging food or other sensitive items to be packaged into packages, wherein a parameter is measured and an individual best before date (MHD) is determined therefrom.