Smart packaging is a new technology in food packaging. This technology has great potential to improve safety, quality of food products and convenience for consumers. One of the technologies in smart packaging systems is time-temperature indicator.
At the 2021 FPTK Pilmapres, a selection for outstanding students, Muhammad Oka Ramadhan as an outstanding student from Agro-industrial Technology Education study program, presented his ideas on smart packaging: Time-Temperature Indicator Film from Anthocyanin of Telang Flowers and Cassava Peels Waste as Smart Packaging for Fish Products.
Oka hopes that smart packaging he initiated can provide actual information on the level of freshness and safety of fish products during their distribution from post-harvest to consumers. In principle, change in pH during fish spoilage can be detected by natural indicators such as anthocyanin.
One of local plants that is rich in anthocyanins is the flower telang (Clitoria ternatea L.) which is commonly found in Indonesia, especially in Java, Sumatra, Maluku and Sulawesi. Anthocyanin binding requires a solid polymer matrix as a buffer and film. Starch from cassava peels can meet this need.
Time-temperature indicator films of telang flowers and cassava peels as smart packaging for fish products can improve food product safety, utilize local resources, as well as reduce food waste in Indonesia.