Sensory Labels vs. Food and Medicine Waste

Improving the safety of medicine storage and ensuring proper conditions for food warehousing are just some of the benefits of using sensory labels, a technology currently being developed by researchers led by Dr. Bartłomiej Potaniec from the Advanced Materials Synthesis Group from Łukasiewicz – PORT (AdMat Group – team Leader: Dr. hab. Joanna Cybińska). The project team also includes Dr. Franz Steppeler, Weronika Zając, Dr. Łukasz Duda, and Maria Zdończyk.

The project, titled Dyes in Innovative Sensory Labels for Monitoring Storage Conditions (SensiMat), received funding of one million PLN under the Science for Society II program, enabling the continuation of research previously conducted within the AdMat Group. The solution proposed by Dr. Potaniec is designed to be simple and cost-effective, making broad application a real possibility.

– Between 10% and 20% of food is discarded due to expired best-before dates – says Dr. Potaniec. – We hope our labels will help reduce such waste. Stickers, tags, or printed labels will provide information about storage conditions – temperature, humidity, and time, allowing consumers to better assess whether a product is still safe to use. – The labels incorporate thermochromic dyes, whose safety for human use has been confirmed.

Discussions are also underway with pharmaceutical companies interested in adopting the technology. Proper storage of medications, such as insulin or vaccines, is critical for patient health, particularly since the supply chain is often long and exposed to varying conditions.

Researchers are also working to extend the temperature range that the labels can monitor. – At present, we’ve achieved a monitoring range of approximately +50°C to -30°C  – explains Dr. Potaniec. – However, the biggest challenge is reaching -80°C –  a temperature at which sensitive materials such as tissues, reagents, and enzymes are stored, often on dry ice, for transportation. Biological samples from hospitals, for example, are sent to the Łukasiewicz – PORT Biobank. These labels could verify whether samples were transported under required conditions and if any damage occurred in transit.

The solution developed by the Wrocław-based researchers is innovative – there are currently no dyes on the market that operate effectively at such low temperatures. Moreover, label activation is quick and easy. While end users show significant interest in the technology, convincing manufacturers to adopt it will be key to widespread implementation.

Additionally, the humidity-monitoring labels being developed could be useful in the electronics industry, where moisture contact can lead to significant financial losses. These sensory labels would enable more precise documentation of storage and transportation conditions, helping to identify the source of potential damage.