Effects of antenna position on readability of RFID tags in a refrigerated sea container of frozen bread at 433 and 915 MHz

Perishable foods are frequently exposed to temperature abuse during transportation and distribution. The use of traditional data loggers do not permit the instantaneous data transmission that radio frequency technology offers. Temperature has a major impact on food quality and safety, particularly when long transit times are imposed. Consequently, using radio frequency identification (RFID) to track and monitor temperature in perishable shipments will bring significant benefits to the cold chain. The goal of this study was to determine the optimal RF antenna placement to achieve full RFID tag readability inside a sea container. Testing was made at two different frequencies (915 and 433 MHz) while the refrigeration unit was running at −25 °C and the container was fully loaded with frozen bread. The sea container was instrumented with eight RFID antennas, three of which were tuned for 433 MHz and five for 915 MHz. All antenna wires exited the container via the forward drain holes. The RFID readers were outside the container and connected to their respective antennas, one at a time. Thirty eight RFID tags were evenly distributed onto the pallets of frozen bread. All RFID tags were active tags capable of reading and recording temperature. Results at 915 MHz showed readability levels between 47% and 79%, with an average of 68.4%, whereas 433 MHz demonstrated 100% readability at all antenna positions. In conclusion, the 433 MHz RFID system appears suitable for real time temperature monitoring of frozen bread inside a sea container. This technology could be applied to other food items similar to frozen bread.