NSRF Project Smartsoutis
Project Information
Title: Ανάπτυξη καινοτόμου συστήματος παρακολούθησης εχθρών υγειονομικής σημασίας σε αποθήκες τροφίμων με τη χρήση ασύρματου δικτύου αισθητήρων
English title: Development of an innovative system for monitoring pests of sanitary importance in food warehouses using a wireless sensor network
Acronym: Smartsoutis
Project ID: ΚΜΡ6-0082293
Start Date: 21 October 2021
End Date: 21 March 2025
Funded under: European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Programme of the Region of Central Macedonia 2014-2020, “INNOVATION RESEARCH PROJECTS”
Total cost: € 391.874,65
Coordinated by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Overview of the Project
Stored grain and food products are exposed to contamination from storage insects and from the secondary fungal infestations that follow, causing both quantitative losses and a fall in quality. Smartsoutis proposes integrated and innovative solutions for every stage of that food management chain.
The project developed a “smart” warehouse monitoring system based on a wireless sensor network, together with the Sinon software application, so that infestation is detected early and treated with the right countermeasure rather than with routine blanket applications.
Objectives
- Create a monitoring mechanism for warehouse conditions in retail food stores, tracking infestation and storage problems.
- Develop a decision-support system that alerts warehouse managers by email or online, with recommended countermeasures according to the type of infestation.
- Differentiate the retail service by responding to customer demand for safe food and better environmental performance.
- Build competitive advantage on trust rather than on price, supported by the use of new “green” technologies.
- Document and analyse consumer perceptions of the new food safety mechanisms.
Consortium
The project was coordinated by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and carried out together with Diamantis Masoutis S.A., one of the largest retail chains in Northern Greece, whose stores provided the operational environment for the system.
Our role
The Agricultural Economics and Consumer Behaviour Lab contributed the consumer dimension of the project: how shoppers perceive food safety mechanisms in retail, what shapes their trust in them, and how far the use of new “green” technologies can differentiate a retail service without competing on price alone.
Recognition
Smartsoutis received two distinctions at the Business Innovation Awards in 2023, and its results were presented at international conferences including HAICTA 2024 and ETAGRO 2023.
This research has been co-financed by the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Programme of the Region of Central Macedonia 2014-2020, under the call “INNOVATION RESEARCH PROJECTS” (project code ΚΜΡ6-0082293).