Traceability in Food Science and Technology

Dear Colleagues,

The main purpose of traceability is food safety, offering a guarantee of transparency and security to consumers who are demanding healthier products with higher quality and the best nutritional characteristics. Moreover, transparency concerning the origin and history of food products is essential for the formal identification of the responsibilities of all subjects included in the supply chain. There is a need for legislation that requires records of the origin of the raw materials, the manufacturing processes, the storage, and the marketing phase, through adequate certification. In this context, research must provide the tools to safeguard the integrity and functionality of the entire traceability system, contributing to the protection, safeguard, and implementation of control systems, preventing fraud and unfair competition between producers. The strategy is to develop legislative protocols that can track the complete supply chain, as well as assess all quality attributes from the raw matter up to the finished product. In this sense, intelligent systems of monitoring, such as RFID (radio frequency identification) technology, can contribute to traceability by recording information concerning the processing, displacement, and storage of food. Controlling the authenticity of food products can also improve traceability systems in the food industry, through the individuation and identification of specific markers at a molecular level. Different analytical strategies have been proposed and used to trace foods through conventional and high-resolution techniques of the omic sciences. Therefore, all tracking and/or tracing methodologies can raise awareness of the safety, authenticity, and quality of food products for both the food industry and consumers.

Prof. Dr. Aldo Di Luccia
Guest Editor

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• Food traceability
• Traceability system
• Product identification
• Legislative and/or analytical applications
• Food science
• Food processing
• Supply chain monitoring
• Detection of food deceit