Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to Assess the Efficacy of Cold Chain Technologies for Safeguarding the Quality of Temperature-Sensitive Products

Cold Chain logistics (CCL) refers to the meticulous handling of food items that are temperature-sensitive from the point of production to the point of consumption. Furthermore, the CCL services ensure that the perishable items are stored and transported at predetermined temperatures to prevent microbial growth and to preserve the freshness/quality of the items. Conversely, ineffective and inefficient management of CCL services, might lead to safety and quality problems, such as pathogenic contamination, dehydration, excessive ripening, and discoloration, reducing the shelf life and appeal of the food items. Moreover, within today's landscape characterized by globalization, increased food miles, and ever evolving consumer needs to taste non-local foods, the CCL services are further obligated to safeguard the quality, towards providing healthy, and nutritious food to customers across the globe. In this pursuit, Cold Chain technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Block Chain (BCT) Systems, Integrated BCT and IoT systems, Intelligent Packaging (IP) Systems, Hyperspectral Imaging Systems (HIS), Digital Twin (DT) technologies etc., play a crucial role in optimally handling the food items from source to sink. However, the selection of the appropriate technology to safeguard the quality of food depends on diverse criteria. Consequently, research has been undertaken to identify the vital criteria for technological deployment within CCL's operating within developing nations. In this context, a few studies also concentrated on defining the selection criteria for each of the technological solutions. Nonetheless, a dearth of research is observed with regards to identifying a comprehensive list of criteria to comparatively assess the efficacy of the cold chain logistics technologies for safeguarding the quality of temperature-sensitive products within developing nations. Hence, this study aims at employing a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach for estimating the criteria weights in order to compare and evaluate the viability of cold chain technological alternatives for sustaining food quality.