Traceability System Research Articles

Who should adopt blockchain? The interplay between blockchain adoption and online channel under competition

With the frequent occurrence of product quality and product safety problems, traditional supply chain traceability systems have become increasingly untrustworthy to consumers due to their centralization, opacity, and vulnerable to tampering. Blockchain technology, as an emerging information technology, can help to increase consumer trust and resolve these issues. This paper investigates a competitive market with two rival supply chains that manufacture and sell two substitutable products. We establish a game model to analyze the equilibrium strategy in the implementation of blockchain technology and online channel, under the scenarios of blockchain adoption by the manufacturer and the retailer, and further explore the effects of blockchain technology on supply chain efficiency and consumer surplus. Additionally, we compare various blockchain technology adoption scenarios and determine the optimal candidate for blockchain adoption. The following results are shown. First, the equilibrium strategies for applying blockchain technology and online channel depend on the entry cost, the net surplus of substitute product, and the deployment cost of blockchain technology. Second, blockchain technology can only influence online channel decisions when the entry cost is moderate, and may encourage (discourage) the manufacturer to establish an online channel when it is utilized by the manufacturer (retailer). Thirdly, blockchain technology is certain to expand the market share of the product but is likely to detriment the retailer and the consumers when the manufacturer utilizes it. If blockchain technology is adopted by the retailer, the market share and consumer surplus may decrease, but the manufacturer will be unharmed. Lastly, the manufacturer has greater flexibility in adoption decisions when blockchain technology can be implemented by both the manufacturer and the retailer.

Research on agricultural product quality traceability system based on blockchain technology

From the planting base to the consumer’s table, agricultural products must go through multiple links such as planting, processing, transportation, warehousing, and sales. The quality and safety of agricultural products have received extensive attention from all walks of life. Based on the block chain technology, this paper will build a traceability system for the quality and safety of agricultural products, refine the research objects, and design solutions from the aspects of overall structure, role authority, operating process, and functional modules according to the characteristics of planted agricultural products, so as to realize the whole process of agricultural product supply chain tracking, traceability to ensure the quality and safety of agricultural products.

An Analysis of the Goat Value Chain from Lao PDR to Vietnam and a Socio-Economic Sustainable Development Perspective

Goats are produced in Laos on a small scale and most of them are exported to Vietnam, where they receive a price approximately 30% higher than Vietnamese crossbred goats. In 2021, Laos exported 2.2 million dollars in sheep and goats, mostly to Vietnam (2.19 million dollars). Vietnam was also the fastest-growing export market for sheep and goats of Laos between 2020 and 2021, comprising 66.7% of the total exports. This study aims to analyze the goat value chain from Laos to Vietnam and, based on its characteristics, to suggest policy interventions for the socio-economic sustainable development of the chain. This research analyzes a sample of 400 survey interviews of goat chain actors collected during the second and third quarters of 2022, with the support of CommCare software version 2.53.1. The results show that the Lao goat chain has four main functions implemented by four prominent actors: goat-rearing farmers, traders, abattoir owners, and restaurant owners. However, the role of input suppliers is unclear in this chain. Support to the stakeholders has been provided by local authorities and the government, projects and NGOs, technical supporters, and license supporters. There was not any clear evidence of the goat processing industry. Vertical and horizontal linkages between stakeholders exist, but agreements are primarily oral. There is no declaration of leading actors, and a traceability system has yet to be implemented. The increase in Lao goat exports to the Vietnamese market is driven by the high demand from Vietnamese consumers. The commercialization of goats’ yields provides a positive net income in Lao, where all actors benefit, especially traders and restaurant owners. The chain also creates job opportunities and income that improve living standards, especially for disadvantaged groups, such as women, middle-aged people, people with low literacy, and those living in rural areas. For the sustainable development of the chain, this research recommends that the Lao and Vietnamese governments work together to develop more favorable conditions for goat trading, to improve the traceability across the goat chain, to promote goat husbandry and feeding practices, and to foster goat farmer collaboration by sharing goat-rearing experiences.

Traceability of meat products with incorporated functional ingredients

The demand for natural and functional food products is constantly increasing, driving the research on new ingredients and technologies to enhance the quality and safety of meat products. This literature review focuses on the application of new functional ingredients and traceability of meat products to ensure their quality. The study examines the surface treatment of meat with bioactive substances such as dihydroquercetin from Larix sibirica Ledeb, rosemary extract (Rosmarinus officinalis), and distilled rose petal extract (Rosa damescena Mill.). Additionally, the inclusion of functional ingredients such as dried goji berries (Lycium barbarum) and pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) in meat matrices is discussed. The research highlights the potential benefits of these functional ingredients in inhibiting lipid oxidation, preserving color, and improving the taste qualities of meat products. The inclusion of natural antioxidants and bioactive compounds derived from plants presents a promising alternative to synthetic additives. Furthermore, the reduction of potentially harmful substances, such as nitrites, in meat products is achieved through the inclusion of functional ingredients. To ensure the quality and safety of these functionally processed meat products, a traceability system is proposed. This system includes documentation of ingredient origin, production processes, and packaging information. Implementing a traceability system enables the tracking of product movement and distribution throughout the supply chain, thereby confirming the positive effects of the ingredients and ensuring consumer trust. The aim of this article is to integrate new functional ingredients and implement a traceability system to enhance the quality, safety, and acceptability of meat products by consumers. These approaches align with the growing demand for natural and high-quality food products, opening opportunities for innovation in the meat industry. Funding information: The materials were prepared within the framework of the "Zhas Galym" project within the scientific and technical program AP15473123 "Digitalization of the traceability system of meat products to improve the quality of semi-smoked sausages during long-term storage" of the budget program 217 "Development of Science" subprogram 102 "Grant financing of scientific research" of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2022-2024.

Guiding Digital Transformation and Collaborative Knowledge Creation in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Through Action Research

Digital transformation initiatives in supply chain require a sector-level approach, involving multiple stakeholders. This implies the development of new models for successful implementation that move beyond the dyadic relationship level and that fosters collaboration mechanisms in multi-stakeholder and multi-level systems. This study applies an insider action research approach to the implementation of the EU system for product traceability in the pharmaceutical supply chain, the EU falsified medicines directive, focusing on stakeholder orientation's alignment. The study identifies how to overcome obstacles to the effective governance of multi-stakeholder digital transformation in supply chains. It proposes new pre-cycle and monitoring mechanisms to use in AR, highlighting the importance of formal structures to foster informal governance and relationships among different stakeholders and introducing the notion of deliberative capacity. Practical implications for managers of companies and organizations at different levels of the supply chain are discussed, illustrating the practical outcomes of the pan-European project.

Blockchain-Based Traceability for Agricultural Products: A Systematic Literature Review

In recent years, with the frequent crises of trust in the food industry, food safety issues have become an issue of particular concern to consumers. The traditional agricultural food logistics and transportation model can no longer guarantee the traceability of food safety information, and it is particularly important to establish an effective traceability system. Therefore, a traceability system is applied as a tool to assist in the assurance of food safety and quality, as well as to achieve consumer confidence. Blockchain is a new decentralized infrastructure and distributed computing paradigm that has gradually emerged. Blockchain has the characteristics of decentralization, immutable information and trustworthiness. When blockchain is applied to the traceability system of agricultural products, the quality of agricultural products will be well guaranteed. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of the recent research efforts on traceability in agricultural products based on blockchain technology. First, the method of content analysis used in this article to sort out the papers is introduced. Second, the background concepts of blockchain and the key technologies are presented. Thirdly, the traceability applications based on blockchain technology for agricultural products are described in detail. Finally, we expand on the current trends and provide new perspectives pertaining to this exciting application of this field.

Seeing Cattle like a State: Sedentist Assumptions of the Namibian Livestock Identification and Traceability System

Abstract Livestock identification and traceability systems (LITS) are an increasingly prominent component of national livestock development policies around the world. In theory, LITS allow governments to track and respond to disease and livestock theft efficiently. However, this paper argues that LITS are suffused with sedentist assumptions that are at odds with the livestock management practices of pastoralist communities. Drawing on qualitative interviews with implementing bureaucrats and affected pastoralist communities as well as one author's experience of growing up and managing cattle in a pastoralist community, we review the sedentist assumptions that animate the Namibian Livestock Identification and Traceability System (NamLITS) and describe how pastoralists in north-western Namibia perceive that NamLITS has affected their economic, social and political lives. We then show the strategies that pastoralists use to comply and circumvent NamLITS, and conclude with lessons for governments and development practitioners considering livestock tracing systems and mobile communities affected by them.

Key technologies research and application of green power traceability based on blockchain

Green power traceability is a crucial link to ensure the green power transactions’ authenticity, effectiveness and credibility. It’s an essential means to promote the large-scale development of green power. However, there are many links in the whole chain of green power. The data involves multiple departments and institutions. So it is not easy to trace the authenticity. This paper first introduces the entire chain of green power traceability and critical information. Secondly, it proposes the green power traceability scheme and key technologies. Then, it designs the system and functional architecture of green power traceability based on blockchain. Finally, it analyses the application effect of the system in green power trading and the Winter Olympics. This research provides the technical reference for the authenticity and traceability of green power. It helps the green-low-carbon transformation of energy consumption structure.

BC driven IoT-based food quality traceability system for dairy product using deep learning model

BC driven IoT-based food quality traceability system for dairy product using deep learning model

Predictive Analysis to Prevent Fraud and Reduce Risk for Preserved Food Processing Industry

Abstract: This paper presents a blockchain-based traceability system for storing and retrieving product information in the agricultural supply chain, aiming to address issues such as centralized management, lack of transparency, untrustworthy data, and fragmented information. By leveraging blockchain technology's decentralized, tamper-proof, and traceable nature, the system enhances the transparency and credibility of traceability information. To alleviate the burden on the blockchain and enable efficient information retrieval, a dual storage structure comprising both an on-chain and off-chain component is employed to store traceability data. Moreover, the combination of blockchain technology and cryptography ensures the secure sharing of private information within the blockchain network. A reputation-based smart contract is devised to incentivize network nodes to contribute traceability data. The system's performance analysis and practical application demonstrate its ability to enhance query efficiency, safeguard private information, ensure data authenticity and reliability in supply chain management, and meet real-world application requirements.

Inventory Management System for a General Items Warehouse of the Textile Industry

This research is based on Inventory Management System for a General Items Warehouse of the Textile Industry. The overall inventory is managed by applying classification tools such as ABC, FSN & HML that categorize inventory based on consumption value, issuance rate and unit price respectively. Also, it helps to appropriately position the items on the desired rack and position. The optimized layout is designed that reduces the retrieval time, uplift the storage capacity, and have cross aisles that reduce the retrieval time of any item from the warehouse. The system for proper traceability & tracking of the items is also studied that is based on the 1D Barcode. This whole study improves the overall operation of the Supply Chain.

A Blockchain-Based Traceability Model for Grain and Oil Food Supply Chain.

The structure of the grain-and-oil-food-supply chain has the characteristics of complexity, cross-regionality, a long cycle, and numerous participants, making it difficult to maintain the safety of supply. In recent years, some phenomena have emerged in the field of grain procurement and sale, such as topping the new with the old, rotating grains, the pressure of grades and prices, and counterfeit oil food, which have seriously threatened grain-and-oil-food security. Blockchain technology has the advantage of decentralization and non-tampering Therefore, this study analyzes the characteristics of traceability data in the grain-and-oil-food-supply chain, and presents a blockchain-based traceability model for the grain-and-oil-food-supply chain. Firstly, a new method combining blockchain and machine learning is proposed to enhance the authenticity and reliability of blockchain source data by constructing anomalous data-processing models. In addition, a lightweight blockchain-storage method and a data-recovery mechanism are proposed to reduce the pressure on supply-chain-data storage and improve fault tolerance. The results indicate that the average query delay of public data is 0.42 s, the average query delay of private data is 0.88 s, and the average data-recovery delay is 1.2 s. Finally, a blockchain-based grain-and-oil-food-supply-chain traceability system is designed and built using Hyperledger Fabric. Compared with the existing grain-and-oil-food-supply chain, the model constructed achieves multi-source heterogeneous data uploading, lightweight storage, data recovery, and traceability in the supply chain, which are of great significance for ensuring the safety of grain-and-oil food in China.

Quality control of Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC. based on value chains and food chain analysis

Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC. has been proposed as a medicine and food homology, thus playing an important role in disease prevention and health promotion, with great potential for research and value in clinical application. We aimed to analyze stakeholders' production behavior and financial performance from a value chain (VC) perspective and provide a basis for improving the quality of P. grandiflorum and the interests of stakeholders. P. grandiflorum collected from different producing areas were chemically analyzed, and the quality of platycodin D was evaluated. Rstudio3.6.0 was used to analyze the correlation between total platycodins (as platycodin D, platycoside E, and platycodin D3) and platycodin D in P. grandiflorum, providing the basis for quality control of P. grandiflorum. In addition, we studied the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities of P. grandiflorum extract under different links. Based on the food chain energy pyramid, the transfer efficiency of active components of P. grandiflorum in different links was studied. Accordingly, 10 different types of VCs were determined in producing P. grandiflorum. Our results show that vertical coordination has led to a more consistent traceability system and strict regulation of supply chains.

Computer vision application for improved product traceability in the granite manufacturing industry

The traceability of granite blocks consists in identifying each block with a finite number of colour bands that represent a numerical code. This code has to be read several times throughout the manufacturing process, but its accuracy is subject to human errors, leading to cause faults in the traceability system. A computer vision system is presented to address this problem through colour detection and the decryption of the associated code. The system developed makes use of colour space transformations and various thresholds for the isolation of the colours. Computer vision methods are implemented, along with contour detection procedures for colour identification. Lastly, the analysis of geometrical features is used to decrypt the colour code captured. The proposed algorithm is trained on a set of 109 pictures taken in different environmental conditions and validated on a set of 21 images. The outcome shows promising results with an accuracy rate of 75.00% in the validation process. Therefore, the application presented can help employees reduce the number of mistakes in product tracking.

Designing and Developing a Meat Traceability System: A Case Study for the Greek Meat Industry

This research paper investigates the importance of traceability in the meat industry. It explains that the global market’s intense competition and consumers’ increased expectations have forced companies to implement electronic traceability systems to improve efficiency, reduce errors, and mitigate incidents and fraud. The meat industry is facing increased consumer awareness and concern about food quality and safety. Consumers are extremely sensitive to food production conditions, and traceability can help companies increase consumers’ trust. This work describes the design and implementation of a customized traceability system, developed using the Agile method, for the local meat industry. For the needs of the project, advanced and innovative information and communication technologies and tools, such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things, were also used. The main problem that this research aims to address is the lack of transparency in three phases: transparency within the industry’s internal processes, transparency in the life of the animal from the moment of its birth, and transparency towards the consumer. The objectives of this research are twofold. First, we aim to digitize the Greek meat industry. Concurrently, we intend to create a traceability system that will generate important data, thereby providing valuable information for all stakeholders.

Traceability in the Indian dairy industry: Concept and practice

The rise in milk adulteration and contamination, fraud incidents and improper handling necessitates effective traceability systems in the Indian dairy industry. Thus, this review investigates current trends, associated challenges, traceability and its fundamental applications to address food safety and quality issues. The paper covers the evolution of milk adulteration and contamination detection techniques from conventional to emerging. Such information and analytical technologies can improve transparency and safety in the dairy industry by implementing effective traceability systems. This review will explore the challenges and future opportunities associated with the current situation in the Indian dairy industry.

Green ambitions: A comprehensive model for enhanced traceability in agricultural product supply chain to ensure quality and safety

The quality and safety traceability in the supply chain of agricultural products can tackle low safety and poor transparency and improve consumer buying experiences. Despite consumer green ambitions, agricultural product quality and safety traceability are still lacking. The commercial development concept of the entire agricultural product industrial chain under “Internet + agriculture” is combined with consumers' green expectations. Using Python programming, the text data from web pages are analyzed to obtain and construct the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model. The paper identifies the factors influencing the quality and safety traceability of the agricultural product industrial chain under consumers’ green demands, improving the existing traceability model. Finally, the study suggests feasible recommendations, including simplifying product packaging, increasing the number of local dealers and sales in the local market, and timely updating authentic and reliable information in the traceability system.

Blockchain Application for Traceability and Olive Oil Production in Brazil

Goal: analyze the use of blockchain as a solution to improve the traceability of olive oil production in Brazil.
 
 Theoretical Reference: The technology blockchain has the potential to store data immutably, eliminating the need for third-party verification. In the food industry, this technology can reduce food losses, control temperature during transport and increase the transparency of food-related processes.
 
 Method: The first part is a bibliographical study that aims to identify the main applications of the technology blockchain in food traceability, with a specific focus on olive oil production, composing the mapping of the production chain.
 
 Results: These results are expected to provide a solid basis for understanding the use of the blockchain in the traceability of olive oil production of olive.
 
 Considerations: In the meantime, it is intended to demonstrate the effectiveness and potential benefits of the traceability system, mainly due to the existence of widespread fraud in the olive oil sector in Brazil, suggesting that the use of blockchain technology may be a promising approach to deal with this problem and protect consumers' interests.

Mechanistic snapshots of rhodium-catalyzed acylnitrene transfer reactions.

Rhodium acylnitrene complexes are widely implicated in catalytic C-H amidation reactions but have eluded isolation and structural characterization. To overcome this challenge, we designed a chromophoric octahedral rhodium complex with a bidentate dioxazolone ligand, in which photoinduced metal-to-ligand charge transfer initiates catalytic C-H amidation. X-ray photocrystallographic analysis of the Rh-dioxazolone complex allowed structural elucidation of the targeted Rh-acylnitrenoid and provided firm evidence that the singlet nitrenoid species is primarily responsible for acylamino transfer reactions. We also monitored in crystallo reaction of a nucleophile with the in situ generated Rh-acylnitrenoid, providing a crystallographically traceable reaction system to capture mechanistic snapshots of nitrenoid transfer.

A Novel Blockchain-Based Model for Agricultural Product Traceability System

At present, the application of blockchain in the traceability system has become a mainstream technology to ensure the quality and safety of agricultural products. However, blockchain is designed to ensure open and transparent data and tamper-proof, and there is a deficiency in the privacy protection of data. In this study, a novel blockchain-based model for agricultural product traceability system is proposed, which has good generality and can protect the privacy of the agricultural product information in the traceability system. First, we designed a multi-channel data collection and uploading architecture, with one channel corresponding to the collection and uploading of information of one type of agricultural product, so as to meet the actual traceability needs of various types of agricultural products. Then, the information of agricultural products uploaded by each channel is encrypted by using the hierarchical encryption algorithm, and the encrypted information is stored in the blockchain to realize the secure sharing of agricultural product information. Finally, we evaluated the system model on the Hyperledger Fabric platform.