CIFT develops new tech to assess the freshness of packed fish

KOCHI: The ICAR-CIFT has come up with a Smart Paper-based Freshness Indicator which shows the freshness of packed fish and shellfish. The product was released by Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, in Delhi the other day. 

The paper-based indicator disc will react with the volatile compounds produced by the fish and shellfish and gives a colour change, which can be read by the consumers to confirm the freshness of the fish.“Fish, being highly perishable, undergoes spoilage leading to the formation of various chemicals (oxidation products and amines) which may affect the health of the consumer. The fish quality is either ensured by sensory attributes or by analytical methods.

However, analytical methods are time-consuming, costly and are not real time in nature. This has resulted in relying on sensory quality assessment to judge the quality of fish being marketed.However, sensory quality analysis is qualitative and it can be biased and hence, quality control requires rapid methods for measuring fish freshness in real time. Smart packaging technology will be beneficial for this purpose,” said a release issued by CIFT. The freshness indicator strips / discs are developed using locally available indigenous materials like filter paper and dyes. The indicator is cheap and available at 40 paise per pack. It is simple and easy to use. These indicators are also useful for the manufacturers, fish processing industry and for retail markets as they can use it to monitor the extent of quality loss.