The designation TTI stands for Time-Temperature Integrator">

Return to Main Page | Contact Us | Sales Information                                                                       Return to Main Page | Contact Us | Sales Information     CheckPoint® FAQ       Comparison of a TTI with a Limit Indicator What is a "TTI"? The designation TTI stands for Time-Temperature Integrator, which is a brief description of the label system for perishables. TTI labels have the capability to sense a combination of time and temperature as they affect product shelf life, quality and safety for human consumption. Compare different label functional types.   A TTI is not a limit indicator - it does not just tell if the temperature has exceeded a certain limit. How does the CheckPoint® I indicator work? Two solutions are mixed at the start of the recording episode. They react with each other in a gradual way—faster at high temperatures, slower at low temperatures. The end result is a color change from an initial green color to a final yellow color. The rate of the reaction and the temperature sensitivity of the solution mix is matched to the reaction rate and temperature sensitivity of what is happening with the perishable product. How is the CheckPoint® I triggered? The two solutions are stored separately in two small pouches (shown at right with size comparison). The green pouch contains a mixture of the enzyme and special indicator dye. The other pouch contains the substrate suspension, which consists of the materials which the enzyme works on. The red line represents the breakable barrier between the solutions. Pressure on either pouch breaks the barrier, and the two solutions are free to mix. This is when the reaction starts. The reaction ends by the dye changing color from green to yellow—this indicates that the enzyme has broken down a sufficient amount of the substrate for the dye to react. This color change happens very rapidly, so that there is a definite end point. Automated machinery will do this job in typical applications. How does the CheckPoint® III indicator work? In a CheckPoint® III label, pH changing chemicals are incorporated into the "Activator Label" which--when positioned over the target area on the base label, causes a gradual pH shif to take place in the underlying color dot. How is the CheckPoint® III triggered? It is just a matter of using manual or machine methods to press the "Activator Label" in place. Once the label is attached, the TTI monitoring has started. How can a TTI track product safety? Thermal abuse (improper refrigeration or heat exposure during transfer) affects product safety. This is typically due to the significant growth of microbial pathogens as a result of higher temperature conditions in storage or transport. CheckPoint® TTI labels mimic the process of pathogen growth almost exactly (given accurate information about starting bacterial concentration). So, CheckPoint® can be set to change color when a critical safety risk point is reached. How can a TTI track product quality? In a way which is similar to the processes which affect product safety, product quality can be affected by thermal abuse. This may be the result of either microbial activity or other thermally enhanced processes. CheckPoint® TTI labels also mimic this process of quality decline almost exactly and can be set to change color when a particular point in remaining shelf life has been reached or when a change in product grading or pricing would be appropriate. Are CheckPoint® TTI labels just for sensing thermal abuse? No. They can also be used as a very effective stock rotation tool which is superior to date stamping. In many instances, the system of stock rotation by date stamping is ineffective due to variations in the "thermal history" of a particular carton of product. If the carton has a multiple TTI indicator strip attached, stock rotation can be based on the exact shelf life condition of the product. Date stamping always presupposes completely constant conditions (a rarity) and tells you nothing of the actual product shelf life status.  Click here for a full treatment of TTI's vs. date stamping. How can I know if a CheckPoint® TTI will track my particular product? CheckPoint® TTI labels are a "semi custom" product. If the usage is great enough, it will be possible to develop data on your particular product. This data can then be used to tailor the chemical characteristics so that there is an exact match to your requirements. For example, if you know that your optimum storage conditions for achieving maximum shelf life is 6 days at 38° F, the CheckPoint® TTI will turn (from green to red) at exactly that elapsed time, as indicated in example A.   If some temperature abuse has occurred, the indicator will shorten the time to indication, as shown in example B. The "time shortening" will reflect your product’s thermal abuse characteristics which are specifically selected (these characteristics vary considerably for different products). Basically, the TTI can be set to match the "acceleration factor" for a given amount of temperature abuse. These "acceleration factors" are unique for each food type. CheckPoint® TTI can mark time at ideal temperature and also appropriately reflect the shortening of product life for each type of perishable when ideal temperatures are exceeded. This "integrating" characteristic of the technology is ideal for giving distinct answers regarding product safety and shelf life because quantitative criteria can be "built in" to the indicator. Although the process is complex and specifically fitted to each food type, the answer is still a clear "YES/NO" type of indication. Some people call the CheckPoint® TTI a "chemical computer" for this ability to respond to temperature changes just as the perishable product will respond. Does it cost more to have a custom TTI configured? No. Not if the particular characteristics are within the normal range of food and pharmaceutical products. The two solutions which are mixed in a functional TTI are the enzyme and the substrate. Substrate formulations come in four basic types and the concentration of the enzyme solution can be varied over a wide range. By adjusting the substrate type and enzyme concentration, we can create a TTI which will match almost any known thermal sensitivity characteristic of perishable products.    How can CheckPoint® TTI labels save me money? When the labels are used as a stock rotation management tool, the labels can tell you if a product still has good shelf life when the date stamping shows that shelf life has expired. For a retail operation, this is like money in the bank, because product which might have been discarded can be sold with confidence.  Click here for more information on shelf life applications. Can CheckPoint® TTI labels be used in HACCP programs? Absolutely. In fact, they are the most appropriate type of product for HACCP designs. HACCP is a system for decision making at critical points in food processing and handling. The CheckPoint® TTI labels are ideal decision making tools—they give you a clear yes or no answer which is quantifiable and reproducible. Other monitoring tools gather data which must then be interpreted. CheckPoint® TTI labels have the critical point decision built in. HACCP experts who have seen the operation of the system agree that it is the ideal critical control point indicator for food storage and handling.. What about CheckPoint® TTI labels used inside a carton and outside a carton? There is not a significant difference in label response. Check out a research paper on this issue (in printable and viewable Adobe Acrobat® format): PDF/V508.pdf

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