Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IISmioty® is a wireless transmission technology with a wide range of applications. As part of the “coffee series,” René Dünkler from Fraunhofer IIS and Reiner Sulzer from the coffee roasting company Espressone provide insights into how mioty® could be used in the various coffee manufacturing steps to ensure high quality.
© Fraunhofer IIS/Valentin Havenstein-Schilling
How the use of mioty® can benefit coffee production
February xx, 2023 | Interview with technology expert René Dünkler and Reiner Sulzer from Espressone
What is mioty® and what can it do?
mioty® is a wireless transmission technology – more precisely, a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technology. This means that it can wirelessly query and transmit sensor information over a large area using very little energy. »What’s special about mioty® is that it can query a large number of sensors without interference«, explains mioty® marketing expert René Dünkler. Moreover, it can do this with different kinds of sensors – for example, ones that measure temperature, humidity, pressure, movement and more. With these properties, the fields of application are incredibly diverse. Today, mioty® is already being used in industry, agriculture and the smart city, so it’s no surprise that the transmission technology also offers numerous possibilities for coffee production.
mioty® helps meet the quality requirements of coffee
Throughout the coffee production process, there are a number of environmental factors that determine the quality of the end product. However, it is often difficult to trace the influences to which the beans have been exposed on their journey, especially when they are being transported from distant countries. “Tracking the quality during cultivation is something we can do relatively well. But when it comes to the conditions the coffee is subjected to during transport, it becomes more difficult. It’s often hard to determine after the fact whether the coffee was transported in containers at a sunny 40 degrees Celsius or if the weather was cold and wet. However, temperature and humidity are critical factors that affect the quality of the coffee,” says Reiner Sulzer, managing director of the Espressone coffee roasting company.
By using mioty®, the transport can be tracked permanently.
The sensor data can be read out at the destination and provide information about the conditions during transport.
»It would be possible to solve this problem by using mioty®«, Dünkler says. For example, sensors could be placed near or on the bags of coffee beans, or in the warehouses to constantly monitor temperature or humidity and then transmit the data for analysis. The recorded data could make it possible to determine the conditions during transport or storage and thus provide meaningful information about the quality of the beans. mioty® is designed for stationary use in a defined area, but through temporary storage of the sensor data, the technology could in principle record data on the move. In addition, mioty® could also be employed in other areas of the manufacturing process; for example, the monitoring of roasting machines.
mioty® – An option for luxury goods?
When considering the various possible applications of mioty® in coffee quality assurance, some questions naturally arise: Why is this important? Does a technological solution like mioty® make any sense at all in this field of application? Coffee is clearly no mere foodstuff; like wine, it is a consumer good for which people have very exacting demands regarding taste – especially in the higher-quality, high-end pricing segment. As Sulzer of Espressone explains: »Customers have high expectations when it comes to the taste and quality of coffee. To meet those expectations, precise quality control is essential. mioty® offers the potential to optimize quality control, especially in transport.«
Lastly, continuous monitoring of environmental influences is not only a question of quality, but also of ecology. For example, mioty® could be used in coffee cultivation as well. The technology could enable more precise control of environmental factors important for cultivation, such as soil moisture. By monitoring quality parameters from cultivation to roasting, it would be possible to conserve resources and reduce crop failures as well as rejections of defective batches. This ultimately also means a gain for profitability in production. Let’s drink a coffee to that!
The experts
René Dünkler, mioty® marketing expert from the Positioning and Networks division
»I used to hardly ever drink coffee. When I started working from home, I – like half the world, probably – got myself a new coffee machine. More precisely, a fully automatic coffee machine. Since then, my coffee consumption has gone up massively. I often have a double espresso first thing in the morning, then switch to Americano, and then have another cappuccino or latte macchiato in the afternoon.«
Technology expert René Dünkler from the Positioning and Networks division
Reiner Sulzer, managing director of the Espressone coffee roasting company
Reiner Sulzer, managing director of the Espressone coffee roasting company in Cadolzburg, Germany
»I don’t know – is twelve espressos a day a lot? If so, then I think it’s safe to say that my coffee consumption is rather high. I prefer to drink coffee with other people, like my wife or my co-workers. Wonderful conversations always ensue over coffee, and a lot of problems can easily be solved, which makes it a very peaceful experience every time.«