IoT-Based Fumigation for Insect Repellent in Food Storages: Breaking the Trade-Off between Efficiency and Safety

Abstract

Insect infestation in food can cause various health risks when ingested by humans, as well as damage to food itself. To tackle this, food safety can be secured by fumigating the food storage, using specific materials containing pesticides. However, because most fumigation is toxic to human health, there is a trade-off relationship between insect repellency and safety assurance. In this paper, to overcome this problem, first, organic fumigation is proposed, in which a relatively low-risk pyrethrin oil is developed. Second, a novel system which can remotely monitor and control fumigation using IoT is proposed for mitigating the fact that pyrethrin can also be dangerous when inhaled directly. Third, an insect repellent LED lamp system, which can replace insecticide through direct fumigation and ensure safety, has been proposed. Fourth, a camera-based human access detection system is developed for more efficient and safe controls during the fumigation. The performance of the proposed system has been verified through implemented test-bed, and it is revealed that the trade-off relationship between efficiency and safety can be overcome. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.