Abstract
The global pineapple market requires highly effective temperature-controlled supply chains that will prolong the product's shelf life while avoiding its chilling injury. Current temperature tracking systems lack the accuracy and simplicity demanded by the real conditions of a fast-paced produce supply chain. In recent years, radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has been suggested to be an enhanced method for temperature tracking because of its many benefits, such as using very little instrumentation, offering the quick readings necessary for real-time decision making, and allowing the capture of long-duration temperature profiles. Still, its limitation lies in its failure to provide accurate temperature readings on the critical points of the pallet. Our research presents a solution to this problem by developing and applying heat transfer software able to predict temperatures at different locations in the pallet, based on RFID temperature readings obtained on the exterior of it. In order to do so, the creation of a customized temperature tracking system is proposed. This involves three steps: a cold chain analysis, the creation of the software, and the model validation.
