A pH-sensitive dye-based freshness indicator has been developed to monitor the quality status of pork neck through distinct color transitions, addressing a crucial need for improved food safety and real-time monitoring within the food industry. This system aims to boost consumer confidence and improve shelf-life estimates by offering transparent and immediate quality indicators. Aerobically packaged pork neck samples underwent accelerated testing at 25 °C for 36 h, followed by refrigeration experiments at typical distribution temperatures of 4 and 8 °C over 10 days. Measured pork neck quality parameters included total bacterial count (TBC), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), and pH levels. Visual observation and colorimetric analysis were used to assess the chromatic variations of the freshness indicator, which showed a significant shift from orange to green in response to the presence of TVB-N in the headspace of the pork packaging. The chromatic parameters of the freshness indicator exhibited a significant correlation with the pork quality values throughout the storage periods. The results highlight the ability of the freshness indicator to effectively convey quality information about pork through noticeable colorimetric changes.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and validate methylene blue migration from printed time–temperature indicators (TTIs) into food. It also highlights the importance of establishing regulatory measures and safety standards for food packaging, suggesting that this can contribute to improving food packaging safety. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to quantify methylene blue migration in various food simulant and food matrix samples. The results show that the level of methylene blue migration varies significantly depending on the chemical properties of the food mimetic and the composition of the food matrix. The established method demonstrated a high sensitivity, with limits of detection (LODs) of 0.0019–0.0706 μg/L (kg) and limits of quantification (LOQs) of 0.0057–0.2138 μg/L (kg). This study highlights the need for a regulatory framework to mitigate the health risks associated with methylene blue in intelligent packaging systems and argues that regulatory thresholds should be set to ensure food safety and quality.

In this study, we developed and validated an analytical method to evaluate the heavy metal elution from an active packaging material’s oxygen absorber to a food simulant. Using water, 4% acetic acid, n-heptane, 20% ethanol, and 50% ethanol as food simulants, we quantified cobalt, copper, platinum, and iron with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The method was thoroughly validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, LOD, and LOQ through inter-day and intra-day analysis repetitions. R² values ranged from 0.9986 to 1.0000, indicating excellent linearity. The LOD values ranged from 0.00002 to 0.2190 mg/kg, and the LOQ values ranged from 0.00007 to 0.6636 mg/kg. The method’s accuracy was 95.14% to 101.98%, with the precision ranging from 0.58% to 10.37%. Our results confirmed the method’s compliance with CODEX standards. Monitoring the oxygen absorber revealed undissolved platinum, cobalt levels from 0.10 to 19.29 μg/kg, copper levels from 0.30 to 976.14 μg/kg, and iron levels from 0.06 to 53.08 mg/kg. This study established a robust analytical approach for evaluating the heavy metal elution from oxygen absorbers, ensuring safety in the food industry.

This study investigated the levels of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (BaA, CHR, BbF, and BaP) in 11 types of 100 commercially available tea products using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and also evaluated potential dietary risks, toxic equivalency (TEQ), and margin of exposure (MOE). Method validation demonstrated strong linearity of the calibration curves for all four PAHs (R² > 0.99) over a concentration range of 1–20 μg/kg. The LOD for the four PAHs ranged from 0.0610 to 0.1534 μg/kg in the solid matrix and from 0.0035 to 0.0064 μg/kg in the liquid matrix, with corresponding LOQ ranging from 0.1849 to 0.4648 μg/kg in the solid matrix and from 0.0107 to 0.0194 μg/kg in the liquid matrix. All recovery rates were within the acceptable range, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and both intraday and interday accuracy and precision were within acceptable limits, meeting international validation criteria. Among the samples, yerba mate tea (33.58 μg/kg), herbal tea (24.05 μg/kg), and oolong tea (23.21 μg/kg) showed the highest Σ4PAH concentrations. Based on these results, TEQ_BaP and MOE values were calculated for the positive samples. All three teas with detectable PAHs exhibited MOE values above 10,000, indicating a low level of potential carcinogenic risk. However, the presence of PAHs in certain tea types highlights the importance of ongoing monitoring, regulatory oversight, and risk communication to ensure consumer safety.