How can sensor technologies and artificial intelligence help us better understand food freshness?
September 14, 2026
Serenade Project: Rethinking Food Freshness
October 5, 2026
On 11 September 2026, the SERENADE consortium held its third External Advisory Board (EAB) meeting, bringing together project partners and external experts to review progress and discuss the final stage of the project. The meeting was held online and focused on the integration and validation of the technologies developed throughout the project.
After nearly three years of research and development, SERENADE is now moving from individual technology development towards joint validation activities combining its three innovation pillars:
- Food quality assessment and shelf-life modelling.
- Advanced sensing technologies for food freshness monitoring.
- Sustainable bio-based and recycled food-contact materials.
These technologies will now be integrated and tested together under realistic application scenarios to demonstrate their potential for reducing food waste and supporting more sustainable food storage solutions.
During the meeting, doctoral candidates and supervisors presented the latest results achieved across the project.
Highlights included:
- Progress in AI-assisted sensor systems capable of assessing food freshness and predicting spoilage.
- Development of a compact mini-GC-MOS platform and a portable impedance analyser for food quality monitoring.
- Successful development of bio-based PLA materials with high thermal resistance suitable for reusable food containers.
- Advances in recycled plastic purification technologies for future food-packaging applications.
- Completion of extensive food validation campaigns supporting shelf-life prediction models and sensor training.
A significant milestone discussed during the meeting is the ongoing joint secondment programme currently taking place at BSH in Spain, followed by a second training and validation period at VITO in Belgium. These activities are designed to support technology integration, sustainability assessments and interdisciplinary training of the doctoral candidates.
The External Advisory Board acknowledged the strong scientific and technical progress achieved by the consortium and encouraged the project to further enhance its outreach towards industrial stakeholders and the general public, complementing its already extensive scientific dissemination activities.
As SERENADE approaches its final phase, the consortium will focus on demonstrating integrated smart food storage solutions capable of contributing to food-waste reduction and a more circular economy.
