Recent advancement in flexible gas sensing system for monitoring fruit ripeness in the cold chain storage and transportation

Abstract

Fruits need to be sold at different times depending on their ripeness. However, even after harvest, fruits continue to ripen due to microenvironmental gases during cold chain storage and transportation. Gas sensing, as one of the key technologies in flexible sensing technology that enables nondestructive monitoring, realizes the dynamic monitoring of fruit ripening. By summarizing and discussing reported flexible gas sensing technologies, this paper reviews the application of flexible gas sensing systems in fruit cold chain storage and transportation. It highlights how sensors can analyze data by monitoring gas concentrations to determine the ripening status of fruits. This review covers various types of flexible gas sensors, self-powered technologies, wireless transmission technology, and gas-ripeness coupling models. These models are essential for predicting fruit ripeness in real time, providing managers with more accurate and reliable support. In addition, this paper discusses the materials used to make high-performance sensors, including substrates, conductive materials, and gas-sensitive materials. It also highlights methods to improve the gas sensing performance and reliability of these sensors. Ultimately, by linking gas data to fruit ripeness, these sensors improve the accuracy of ripeness determination, which is critical for optimizing fruit marketing and storage.