Development of a Mobile App for Real-Time Food Freshness Monitoring Using IoT Sensors

Thesis Abstract

The deterioration of food freshness during storage and transportation poses significant challenges to food safety, quality assurance, and waste reduction in the modern supply chain, necessitating innovative solutions to enable real-time monitoring and timely decision-making. This study aims to develop a mobile application integrated with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to facilitate real-time assessment and monitoring of food freshness, thereby addressing gaps in existing manual and static inventory management systems. The primary objectives include designing a user-friendly mobile app interface, establishing a reliable IoT sensor network for continuous data collection on temperature, humidity, and volatile compound levels, and evaluating the system’s effectiveness in enhancing storage management and reducing food spoilage. A mixed-method research design was adopted, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to ensure comprehensive system development and assessment. The study population comprised 200 food storage facilities, including supermarkets, cold storage units, and logistics companies operating within the metropolitan region. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to select 150 facilities, ensuring representation across different storage environments. Data collection instruments included IoT sensor hardware prototypes, survey questionnaires targeting storage facility operators, and semi-structured interview guides. These instruments were validated through expert review and pilot testing, achieving reliability coefficients above 0.8 using Cronbach’s alpha. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics to characterize the sample, regression analysis to examine relationships between sensor data and perceived food quality, and thematic analysis of qualitative interview transcripts to uncover contextual insights. The system prototype demonstrated high accuracy in detecting deviations from optimal storage conditions, with sensor readings correlated strongly (r > 0.85, p < 0.01) with laboratory-based freshness indicators such as microbiological counts and chemical markers. The app’s usability evaluation, employing the System Usability Scale (SUS), yielded a score of 82, indicating high user acceptance. Additionally, data-driven insights from the sensor network enabled timely alerts to storage operators, promoting proactive interventions that extended food shelf life by an average of 1.5 days compared to traditional manual monitoring approaches. The findings validate the hypothesis that IoT-enabled mobile monitoring systems significantly improve the management of food freshness, with potential reductions in food waste and economic losses. This research contributes to knowledge by integrating IoT sensor technology with mobile application development tailored for food safety management, thus providing a scalable framework applicable to diverse food logistics contexts. It advances existing literature on digital food supply chain solutions by offering empirical evidence of real-time monitoring efficacy and user-centered design considerations. The study also tests the applicability of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), indicating that perceived ease of use and usefulness significantly influence user adoption intentions within food storage environments. The study concludes that deploying IoT-enhanced mobile applications is a viable strategy for improving food freshness monitoring, with substantial benefits in operational efficiency and food quality assurance. Recommendations include wider adoption of IoT sensor networks across different food sectors, investment in sensor durability to withstand harsh storage conditions, and enhancement of the app’s warning algorithms. Future research should explore the integration of machine learning algorithms for predictive freshness forecasting and the development of multilingual interfaces to support diverse user populations. Policymakers and industry stakeholders are encouraged to consider these technological advancements as part of comprehensive food safety and sustainability initiatives.