E-R and UML Diagrams and Their Applications in Fresh-Cut Fruit Chain

Traceability in the food chain refers to the capacity to track the movement of food products and their ingredients through all stages of production, processing, and distribution, both forwards and backwards. This involves recording and connecting the various stages of the food production, processing, and distribution chain. In this study the principles of traceability were applied to the citrus fruit supply chains by exploiting the Entity-Relationship (E-R) and Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagram capabilities. After analysing the processes in the citrus fruit supply chains, it was deemed possible to implement a Computerised Information System (CIS) that implements the traceability procedures for fresh-cut citrus fruits. The aim of the system is to manage data on the origin and history of citrus fruits, to trace areas, food industries and possibly further characteristics related to the marketed products. The methodology provides for adding attributes for entities with meaningful names in such a way that they can be easily understood. In the fresh-cut fruit chain five macro-entities (received, selected, prepared, processed, packaged) and three entities (Travel documents, Products, Providers) useful for product traceability were identified. The E-R diagram has also been customised for the application to multiple fruit sectors through specific variations.