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CheckPoint® III Labels CheckPoint®
III labels redefine the category of TTI labels. They are
inexpensive">
Return to Main
Page | Contact Us | Sales Information CheckPoint®
III labels redefine the category of TTI labels. They are
inexpensive, can be applied at the highest speed in food and
pharmaceutical packaging lines, and perform with extreme reliability and
fidelity to the underlying time-temperature tolerance of the product
they protect. Basically, the
CheckPoint® III label begins its activity when the two labels that make up
a working final TTI are simply pressed together during the label
application stage of packaging. Base label and
"Activator Label" joined by machinery form a single, simple adhesive
label that is a highly competent TTI. The reaction is based on a
controlled and calibrated diffusion of pH shifting chemicals from the
"Activator Label" into the matrix of the color dot that is printed on
the base label. The initial color is a
deep amber. This color is present even before the "Activator
Label" has been applied. The "Activator Label" initiates the TTI
reaction, and a slow color change begins. This color change and
its endpoint are highly reproducible and react to time and temperature
conditions that can be very exactly matched to the time-temperature
tolerance of the monitored product. Surveys show that users
describe the definitive endpoint color as "pink". The initial
appearance of this color represents the time-temperature endpoint for
the label, and represents expiration of the product.
The color change is
simple and dramatic. Users remark on the simplicity of the
system and the ease of color judgment when a word advisory "pink" is
used as the primary trigger information provided to the end user.
Labels are judged
"ACTIVE" by the message that is printed at the base of the
"Activator Label". In the above images, you can clearly see
the difference between an un-activated label and and active label.
The message appears at the bottom of the CheckPoint target ring. CheckPoint® I Labels CheckPoint® I labels are very
inexpensive monitoring devices which are flat like a label, and can be placed with
temperature sensitive containers to track their possible exposure to damaging,
out-of-range, high temperature conditions. It doesn't just tell you if
you had a brief, non-damaging high temperature, but tracks time as well as
temperature, so that the result is a true indication of the temperature
exposure.
The label must be activated to start temperature monitoring. Activation is
quite distinctive: pressure creates a "popping action" that feels like breaking
air pockets in bubble-pack packaging. Activation is done by hand instruments or
automated machinery. The labels are configured so that color
producing dots are visible on the face of the label.
Activation gives a orange-red (yellow in
some label types) color to the dots
Each dot is a window on one of two
"paired" pouches--the initial condition is one in which there is a green and
white solution. By breaking the barrier between the pouches and
"squishing" the liquids back and forth, the contents mix to form a combined
lighter green solution. Mixing the solutions starts a chemical enzyme reaction,
which when exposed to temperature over time will result in a color change from the
starting green color to a final "end point" yellow color. A three dot
label is one which has three
pairs of pouches, all activated at once by the mechanism described above. The three dots turn color
Processors and distributors attach the
labels
to cartons before shipping. The successive color changes in dots 1, 2 and 3 are set up to
indicate stages in remaining shelf life or are set up to indicate progressive conditions
relative to food safety. A single
dot label can be used for warning of an impending loss of wholesomeness of
a food product--this is especially useful for consumer packages of food. The labels come in a wide variety of types
which are "tuned" for monitoring different perishable types (examples:
several types for ground beef, one type for whole milk, several types for salad mixtures).
Many ranges are available: chill or frozen, 1 day to 120 days. Typical
applications
involve chilled and frozen meat, seafood of all types, salad mixes, poultry, dairy
products, highly processed food, chemicals and non-CRT drugs. In the U.S., the governmental regulations
regarding food safety, especially HACCP, will require labels like the
CheckPoint®
TTI.
Call us for any type of
applications. We can email documents that will explain specialized
applications, studies showing the effectiveness of CheckPoint®
for specific food types, and background information for a deeper
understanding of the technology. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
by popping open internal pouches with
fluids which mix to form an initial green color. The following diagram shows how the
internal mechanism works. 
in succession, and show if the temperatures went over safe limits
during shipment and/or subsequent storage. The time for this