The intelligent sensor developed by researchers at the University of Granada in Spain determines the freshness of fish by detecting the concentration of ammonia inside the packaging. When fish decay, the concentration of ammonia increases, and natural compounds such as turmeric and purple cabbage pigment contained in the sensor will undergo color changes due to ammonia. The darker the color, the higher the degree of fish decay. The sensor is biocompatible and non-toxic, and can directly come into contact with food. In the future, it is planned to be integrated into fish packaging trays and paired with mobile applications to facilitate consumers' real-time understanding of product freshness.
On the other hand, Xibei Restaurant has become embroiled in a public opinion vortex due to issues with pre made dishes. Luo Yonghao complained that most of the Xibei dishes are prefabricated dishes, which has attracted wide attention. Jia Guolong, the founder of Xibei, initially responded that "there are no pre made dishes", but was questioned by netizens. Although there is still controversy over the definition of pre made meals, and Xibei has been working hard to adjust its pre made meal strategy, consumers still have many concerns about pre made meals. Consumers are not only concerned about "technology and liveliness", but also about the decrease in experience caused by the "fast food" trend in Chinese cuisine. When high consumption contrasts with simple and reheated pre made dishes, a sense of value imbalance arises. Although there have been attempts at pre packaged food retail on Xibei Online Mall before, it is now also reducing its scale.
The pre packaged food industry has developed rapidly in recent years, with the market size of pre packaged food in China reaching 516.5 billion yuan by 2023. However, there are also chaos in the industry such as product scope generalization, inadequate technology, and inconsistent production standards. The State Administration for Market Regulation has explicitly required the high-quality development of pre packaged dishes, which do not allow the addition of preservatives and strictly comply with freezing and refrigeration requirements throughout the process. This also means that cold chain technology has become the key to ensuring the safety and quality of pre made dishes, such as liquid nitrogen quick freezing and freshness locking technology, which can preserve the taste, flavor, and nutrition of food to the maximum extent during the rapid cooling process.
Sensor technology has shown great potential in ensuring the quality of fresh food, providing the food industry with more accurate and efficient freshness detection methods. In the process of development, the pre packaged food industry needs to pay more attention to consumer experience and quality improvement while meeting convenience needs, and rebuild consumer trust through strict standards and supervision. The future of the food industry may lie in how to cleverly balance the convenience brought by technology with people's traditional pursuit of fresh and delicious food.