“Artis Kinēns, the leader of the project ”Development of an optical sensor for smart packaging of fresh seafood - FRESHWAVE“ and the senior researcher and associate professor at the University of Latvia (UL), has received the UL Excellence Award in the category ”Innovator of the Year 2025“ for his work on the project.
The LU Excellence Award is a new LU tradition established this year, which is the University's gratitude for the work that contributes to the development of LU and the whole of Latvia. In the category “Innovator of the Year 2025”, Artis Kinēns was honoured for the development of an innovative optical sensor for freshness detection of seafood, which has been implemented in the “BioPhoT” project FRESHWAVE and has already attracted interest from both industry institutions and investors.
The FRESHWAVE project aims to develop a new sensor that shows the freshness of seafood in real time. The project will develop the technology from laboratory level (TRL 3) to a proven prototype (TRL 4). The sensor provides early warning of product spoilage at an early stage of seafood deterioration.
Unlike conventional laboratory tests and simple indicators, the FRESHWAVE sensor is more accurate, easy to read and easy to integrate into food packaging. The project will improve the performance of the sensor, increase the production of the active ingredient and develop a label-like prototype that will be tested on real seafood samples.
FRESHWAVE is helping to tackle a major problem: the high loss of seafood, which is estimated at around 35 % worldwide. The sensor will help reduce food waste, improve product movement and reduce the risk of food-borne diseases, thus improving consumer safety throughout the supply chain.
The project will culminate in a patent application and a clearly defined commercialisation strategy, including the creation of a start-up company to bring the technology to market. The FRESHWAVE solution is in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and the “Field to Table” strategies, contributing to the development of sustainable food systems, food security and more efficient use of resources.
Artis is also one of the principal investigators in another BioPhoT project at the University, where he is developing a solution to detect wind turbine blade damage.
