Abstract

The objective of this work was to study 1) the applicability of two selected time and temperature integrators (TTIs) and 2) the quality effects of different pre-treatments and packaging of fresh cod in a simulated e-commerce cold chain of 16 days. TTIs enables consumers to evaluate the product quality based on its time and temperature history. The first 6 days, the fish was either stored as gutted or gutted and filleted, representing “from business to business” (B2B), while the remaining days “from business to consumer” (B2C) value chain, the fish was packaged and stored at 4 °C in modified atmosphere (MA) or in air. One TTI recorded the temperature, and the other TTI was based on an enzymatic reaction. In B2B, the product core temperature was app. −0.5 °C. In the B2C, shelf life of 7–10 and 5–7 days for MA- and air-packaged products were obtained, respectively. Time for filleting, 1 or 6 days post-mortem for the MA products, did not influence the shelf life in the B2C. The TTI recording the temperature showed a good coherence with the reference temperature, while the reaction based TTI was inconsistent with the actual shelf life. To ensure consistency, the TTI could have been activated earlier. From a consumer's point of view, the information generated by the TTIs is beneficial to avoid the purchase of products of poor sensory quality.

Highlights

  • Traditional food systems are experiencing changes due to the expansion of e-commerce

  • The reason for the differences between the countries has not been explored, but there are indications of skepticism related to poor fish quality bought online (Norwegian Seafood Council, 2021)

  • The Tag sensor measured the ambient temperature in the cold chain from day 1–16

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Summary

Introduction

Traditional food systems are experiencing changes due to the expansion of e-commerce. This poses a transformation in how we buy, sell, and distribute food (Gee, Heard, Webber & Miller, 2020). Successful development in fresh seafood e-commerce has been observed in China (Zhong & Zhao, 2020). Seafood is an important segment of this fresh food market in China, where 46% of respondents in a study stated that they often or very often buy seafood online (Nor­ wegian Seafood Council, 2021). The reason for the differences between the countries has not been explored, but there are indications of skepticism related to poor fish quality bought online (Norwegian Seafood Council, 2021)

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