A systematic scoping review of environmental, food security and health impacts of food system plastics

Wet oxidation technology can significantly reduce both microplastics and nanoplastics

For the resource recovery of biomass waste, it is a challenge to simultaneously remove micro-/nano-plastics pollution but preserve organic resources. Wet oxidation is a promising technology for valorization of organic wastes through thermal hydrolysis and oxidation. This might in turn result in the degradation of microplastics in the presence of oxygen and high temperatures. Based on this hypothesis, this study quantified both microplastics and nanoplastics in an industrial-scale wet oxidation reactor from a full-size coverage perspective. Wet oxidation significantly reduced the size and mass of individual microplastics, and decreased total mass concentration of microplastics and nanoplastics by 94.8 % to 98.6 %. This technology also reduced the micro- and nanoplastic shapes and polymer types, resulting in a complete removal of fibers, clusters, polypropylene (PP) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The present study confirms that wet oxidation technology is effective in removing microplastics and nanoplastics while recovering organic waste.

A near-infrared fluorescent molecular rotor for viscosity detection in biosystem and fluid beverages

Viscosity is closely associated with physiological and pathological processes, as well as food quality. Herein, a novel fluorescent molecular rotor, BMCY-V, was presented and applied for detection of viscosity. BMCY-V contained a benzoindole unit as electron donor and a malononitrile group as acceptor. In low-viscous solvents, the rotor can freely rotate, leading to dissipation of excited-state energy. In high-viscous media, however, the free rotation of the rotor is severely restricted, thus reducing non-radiative transition and resulting in significantly enhanced fluorescence intensity. BMCY-V is extremely sensitive to viscosity, showing about 3968 times increase of fluorescence intensity at 728 nm from water to 95 % glycerol. Due to the excellent photophysical property such as near-infrared emission, BMCY-V was successfully used to visualize viscosity in live cells and in liver tissues. In addition, BMCY-V can also evaluate the thickening effect of various thickeners and visualize the changes of viscosity during deterioration of fluid drinks.

Tracking chemical feature releases from plastic food packaging to humans

Humankind are being exposed to a cocktail of chemicals, such as chemicals released from plastic food packaging. It is of great importance to evaluate the prevalence of plastic food packaging-derived chemicals pollution along the flow of food-human. We developed a robust and practical database of 2101 chemical features associated with plastic food packaging that combined data from three sources, 925 of which were acquired from non-target screening of chemical extracts from eight commonly used plastic food packaging materials. In this database, 625 features, especially half of the non-targets, were potential migrants who likely entered our bodies through dietary intake. Biomonitoring analysis of plastic chemical features in foodstuffs or human serum samples showed that approximately 78 % of the 2101 features were detectable and approximately half were non-targets. Of these, 17 plastic chemicals with high detection frequencies (DFs) in the human serum were confirmed to be functional chemical additives. Together, our work indicates that the number of plastic chemicals in our bodies could be far greater than previously recognized, and human exposure to plastic chemicals might pose a potential health risk.

Effects of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on androgen- and estrogen receptor activity and steroidogenesis in vitro

While many plastic additives show endocrine disrupting properties, this has not been studied for micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) particles despite their ubiquitous presence in humans. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of various sizes and concentrations of polystyrene (PS)-MNPs (50-10,000 nm, 0.01-100 μg/mL) on estrogen- and androgen receptor (ER and AR) activity and steroidogenesis in vitro. Fluorescent (F)PS-MNPs of ≤1000 nm were internalized in VM7 and H295R cells and FPS-MNPs ≤200 nm in AR-ecoscreen cells. H295R cells displayed the highest uptake and particles were closer to the nucleus than other cell types. None of the sizes and concentrations PS-MNPs tested affected ER or AR activity. In H295R cells, PS-MNPs caused some statistically significant changes in hormone levels, though these showed no apparent concentration or size-dependent patterns. Additionally, PS-MNPs caused a decrease in estriol (E3) with a maximum of 37.5 % (100 μg/mL, 50 nm) and an increase in gene expression of oxidative stress markers GPX1 (1.26-fold) and SOD1 (1.23-fold). Taken together, our data show limited endocrine-disrupting properties of PS-MNPs in vitro. Nevertheless the importance of E3 in the placenta warrants further studies in the potential effects of MNPs during pregnancy.

Environmental Sustainability of Food Environments: Development and Application of a Framework in 4 cities in South Asia

Background

Food environments, where people directly engage with broader food systems, may be an important contributor to the environmental sustainability of food systems.

Objectives

The primary objectives of this study were to establish a new food environment framework that considers environmental indicators and to assess data availability and gaps using data previously collected as part of a food systems survey in 4 South Asian cities.

Methods

The framework was developed by conducting a structured literature review of previous food environment frameworks and in-depth interviews with content experts (n = 6). The framework and indicators were then mapped to data collected by consumer and vendor surveys using the Urban Food Systems Assessment Tool (UFSAT) in Ahmedabad (India), Pune (India), Kathmandu (Nepal), and Pokhara (Nepal).

Results

We have expanded the sustainability domain within food environments to include consumer travel to food vendors, the presence of food delivery services, policies related to sustainability, vendor food waste, vendor plastic use, vendor utility usage, vendor recycling and waste management practices, and food packaging. Mapping the framework to existing data from 4 cities in South Asia, we found variations in food environment sustainability indicators, particularly regarding consumer transportation to food vendors, the presence of delivery services, and food waste.

Conclusions

Although the majority of food environment research focuses on the availability and affordability of healthy foods, there is an urgent need to understand better how aspects of food environments contribute to environmental goals. When mapping the framework to existing food systems data, we found gaps in data on environmental sustainability in food environments and variation in indicators across settings.

Impacts associated with the plastic polymers polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and polybutadiene across their life cycle: A review

Polymers are the main building blocks of plastic, with the annual global production volume of fossil carbon-based polymers reaching over 457 million metric tons in 2019 and this figure is anticipated to triple by 2060. There is potential for environmental harm and adverse human health impacts associated with plastic, its constituent polymers and the chemicals therein, at all stages of the plastic life cycle, from extraction of raw materials, production and manufacturing, consumption, through to ultimate disposal and waste management. While there have been considerable research and policy efforts in identifying and mitigating the impacts associated with problematic plastic products such as single-use plastics and hazardous chemicals in plastics, with national and/or international regulations to phase out their use, plastic polymers are often overlooked. In this review, the polymer dimension of the current knowledge on environmental release, human exposure and health impacts of plastic is discussed across the plastic life cycle, including chemicals used in production and additives commonly used to achieve the properties needed for applications for which the polymers are generally used. This review focuses on polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and polybutadiene, four common plastic polymers made from the hazardous monomers, bisphenol, styrene, vinyl chloride and 1,3-butadiene, respectively. Potential alternative polymers, chemicals, and products are considered. Our findings emphasise the need for a whole system approach to be undertaken for effective regulation of plastics whereby the impacts of plastics are assessed with respect to their constituent polymers, chemicals, and applications and across their entire life cycle.

The Known and Unknown: Investigating the Carcinogenic Potential of Plastic Additives

Microplastics are routinely ingested and inhaled by humans and other organisms. Despite the frequency of plastic exposure, little is known about its health consequences. Of particular concern are plastic additives─chemical compounds that are intentionally or unintentionally added to plastics to improve functionality or as residual components of plastic production. Additives are often loosely bound to the plastic polymer and may be released during plastic exposures. To better understand the health effects of plastic additives, we performed a comprehensive literature search to compile a list of 2,712 known plastic additives. Then, we performed an integrated toxicogenomic analysis of these additives, utilizing cancer classifications and carcinogenic expression pathways as a primary focus. Screening these substances across two chemical databases revealed two key observations: (1) over 150 plastic additives have known carcinogenicity and (2) the majority (∼90%) of plastic additives lack data on carcinogenic end points. Analyses of additive usage patterns pinpointed specific polymers, functions, and products in which carcinogenic additives reside. Based on published chemical-gene interactions, both carcinogenic additives and additives with unknown carcinogenicity impacted similar biological pathways. The predominant pathways involved DNA damage, apoptosis, the immune response, viral diseases, and cancer. This study underscores the urgent need for a systematic and comprehensive carcinogenicity assessment of plastic additives and regulatory responses to mitigate the potential health risks of plastic exposure.

Quantitative detecting low concentration polystyrene nanoplastics in aquatic environments via an Ag/Nb2CTx (MXene) SERS substrate

In this study, the plasmonic Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were uniformly anchored on the high conductivity Nb2CTx (MXene) nanosheets to construct an Ag/Nb2CTx substrate for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection of polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics. The KI addition (0.15 mol/L), the volume ratio between substrate colloid and nanoplastic suspension (2:1), and the mass ratio of Nb2CTx in substrate (14%) on SERS performance were optimized. The EM hot spots of Ag/Nb2CTx are significantly enlarged and enhanced, elucidated by FDFD simulation. Then, the linear relationship between the PS nanoplastics concentration with three different sizes (50, 300, and 500 nm) and the SERS intensity was obtained (R2 > 0.976), wherein, the detection limit was as low as 10-4 mg/mL for PS nanoplastic. Owing to the fingerprint feature, the Ag/Nb2CTx-14% substrate successfully discerns the mixtures from two-component nanoplastics. Meanwhile, it exhibits excellent stability of PS nanoplastics on different detection sites. The recovery rates of PS nanoplastics with different sizes in lake water ranged from 94.74% to 107.29%, with the relative standard deviation (RSD) ranging from 2.88% to 8.30%. Based on this method, the expanded polystyrene (EPS) decomposition behavior was evaluated, and the PS concentrations in four water environments were analyzed. This work will pave the way for the accurate quantitative detection of low concentration of nanoplastics in aquatic environments.

Influence of chitosan protonation degree in nanofibrillated cellulose/chitosan composite films and their morphological, mechanical, and surface properties

Composite films of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and chitosan (CS) were prepared by spray deposition method, and the influence of polymers ratio and protonation degree (α) of chitosan was evaluated. Films were characterized using morphological, mechanical, and surface techniques. Higher NFC content increased Young's modulus of film composites and reduced air permeability, while higher CS content increased water contact angle. Variations in the degree of protonation of chitosan from non-protonated (α = 0) to fully protonated (α = 1) in the NFC/CS composite film with a fixed composition allowed to modulate surface, mechanical, and structural properties, such as water contact angle (31.3-109.2°), Young's modulus (1.7-5.3 GPa), elongation at break (3.1-1.2 %), oxygen transmission rate (9.0-5.5 cm3/m2day) and air permeability (2074-426 s). Highly protonated chitosan composite films showed similar contact angles to pure chitosan films, while low protonated chitosan composite films presented contact angles similar to pure NFC films, suggesting a possible coating effect of NFC by CS through electrostatic interactions, evidenced by microscopy and spectroscopy analysis. By mixing both polymers and adjusting composition and protonation degree it was possible to enhance their properties, making pH adjustment a useful tool for NFC/CS composite films formation.

Chemometrics-assisted excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy for real-time migration monitoring of multiple polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from plastic products to food simulants

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as a class of organic pollutants that have attracted much attention, are likely to be formed with the production and processing of plastic products, and they may migrate from contaminated plastic products to food, causing the risk of poisoning or cancer. In this study, migration tests were carried out on disposable plastic products for food contact, and a novel strategy that combines excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy with the advanced second-order calibration method based on the three-direction resection alternating trilinear decomposition (TDR-ATLD) algorithm was used to monitor the migration of three PAHs anthracene (ANT), pyrene (PYR), and phenanthrene (PHE) from the plastic products to food simulants in real-time. With the "second-order advantage", even if the fluorescence spectra of the target analytes overlapped seriously, and other unknown substances migrated from the plastic products to food simulants, accurate qualitative and quantitative results were still obtained by the proposed method. In the static system, the coefficient of determination (R2) of the three PAHs within the calibration range were all greater than 0.99, and the average spiked recoveries were 99.5-107.1%, with the standard deviation lower than 8.9%. The figures of merit (FOMs) and intra- or inter-day precision also showed good feasibility and reliability of the method. In the simulation study of the migration kinetic process, three PAHs can be quantified in real-time in complex matrix, then the related migration equations were established. The results indicate that the proposed method can be used for real-time migration quantitative monitoring of PAHs, providing a potential and available method for the study of the migration kinetics of hazardous substances from food contact materials to food or food simulants.

Starch-based antibacterial food packaging with ZnO nanoparticle

Starch-based biofilms with embedded nanoparticles (NPs) are used to wrap food in biodegradable packaging system that has high antibacterial action against a variety of microorganisms. In this study, ZnO NPs were synthesised using both a green synthesis approach utilising Azadirachta indica (Neem) and a chemical synthesis approach using the sol-gel technique. The structural and morphological properties of all synthesized NPs were characterized through XRD, UV-VIS, UV-DRS, FTIR, and FESEM analysis. Further, these NPs were employed in the development of starch-based biodegradable films. A meticulous comparative analysis was performed to evaluate the functional properties of the nanocomposites, encompassing crucial parameters such as film thickness, moisture content, swelling index, opacity, solubility, water vapor permeability, and tensile strength. In comparison to films embedded with chemically synthesised NPs (F1), nanocomposite with green synthesised NPs (F2) showed 15.27% greater inhibition against Escherichia coli growth and 22.05% stronger inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus bacterial strains. Based on the biodegradability analysis, the nanocomposite film-F2 showed a 53.33% faster degradation rate compared to the film-F1. The developed films were utilized to assess the quality of both wrapped and unwrapped grapes, leading to the generalization of the research for the development of starch-based antibacterial and environmentally friendly food packaging material.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05834-9.

Microplastic transport during desertification in drylands: Abundance and characterization of soil microplastics in the Amu Darya-Aral Sea basin, Central Asia

Desertification and microplastic pollution are major environmental issues that impact the function of the ecosystem and human well-being of drylands. Land desertification may influence soil microplastics' abundance, transport, and distribution, but their distribution in the dryland deserts of Central Asia's Amu Darya-Aral Sea basin is unknown. Here, we investigated the abundance and distribution of microplastics in dryland desert soils from the Amu Darya River to the Aral Sea basin in Central Asia at a spatial scale of 1000 km and soil depths ranging from 0 to 50 cm. Microplastics were found in soils from all sample locations, with abundances ranging from 182 to 17841 items kg-1 and a median of 3369. Twenty-four polymers were identified, with polyurethane (PU, 37.3%), silicone resin (SR, 17.0%), and chlorinated polyethylene (CPE, 9.8%) accounting for 64.1% of all polymer types. The abundance of microplastics was significantly higher in deep (20-50 cm) soils than in surface (0-5, 5-20 cm) soils. The main morphological characteristics of the observed microplastics were small size (20-50 μm) and irregular particles with no round edges (mean eccentricity 0.65). The abundance was significantly and positively related to soil EC and TP. According to the findings, desertification processes increase the abundance of microplastic particles in soils and promote migration to deeper soil layers. Human activities, mainly grazing, may be the region's primary cause of desertification and microplastic pollution. Our findings provide new information on the diffusion of microplastics in drylands during desertification; these findings are critical for understanding and promoting dryland plastic pollution prevention and control.

Exposure to irregular microplastic shed from baby bottles activates the ROS/NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling pathway, causing intestinal inflammation

Irregularly shaped microplastics (MPs) released from infant feeding bottles (PP-IFBs) may exhibit increased cytotoxicity, in contrast to the commonly studied spherical MPs. This study presents an initial analysis of the thermal-oxidative aging process of plastic shedding from feeding bottles, and investigates the inflammatory response induced by these atypical MPs in human intestinal cells (Caco-2). The PP-IFBs' surface displayed non-uniform white patches and increased roughness, revealing substantial structural alteration and shedding, especially during actions such as shaking, boiling water disinfection, and microwave heating. FT-IR and 2D-COS analyses revealed that oxygen targeted the C-H and C-C bonds of polypropylene molecular chain, producing RO· and ·OH, thereby hastening polypropylene degradation. When human intestinal cells were exposed to MPs from PP-IFBs, oxidative stress was triggered, resulting in lowered glutathione levels, augmented reactive oxygen species (ROS), and heightened lipid peroxidation. Elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNFα) signified an active inflammatory process. The inflammatory response was notably more intense when exposed to MPs released through boiling water disinfection and microwave heating treatments, primarily due to the larger quantity of MPs released and their higher proportion of smaller particles. Furthermore, the NLRP3 inflammasome was identified as critical in initiating this inflammatory chain reaction due to the mitochondrial ROS surge caused by MPs exposure. This was further validated by inhibitor studies, emphasizing the role of the ROS/NLRP3/Caspase-1/IL-1β signaling pathway in in promoting intestinal inflammation. Therefore, swift actions are recommended to protect infants against the potential health effects of MPs exposure.

The plastic health map: A systematic evidence map of human health studies on plastic-associated chemicals

BACKGROUND

The global production and use of plastic materials has increased dramatically since the 1960s and there is increasing evidence of human health impacts related to exposure to plastic-associated chemicals. There is, however, no comprehensive, regulatory, post-market monitoring for human health effects of plastic-associated chemicals or particles and it is unclear how many of these have been investigated for effects in humans, and therefore what the knowledge gaps are.

OBJECTIVE

To create a systematic evidence map of peer-reviewed human studies investigating the potential effects of exposure to plastic-associated particles/chemicals on health to identify research gaps and provide recommendations for future research and regulation policy.

METHODS

Medline and Embase databases were used to identify peer-reviewed primary human studies published in English from Jan 1960 - Jan 2022 that investigated relationships between exposures to included plastic-associated particles/chemicals measured and detected in bio-samples and human health outcomes. Plastic-associated particles/chemicals included are: micro and nanoplastics, due to their widespread occurrence and potential for human exposure; polymers, the main building blocks of plastic; plasticizers and flame retardants, the two most common types of plastic additives with the highest concentration ranges in plastic materials; and bisphenols and per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, two chemical classes of known health concern that are common in plastics. We extracted metadata on the population and study characteristics (country, intergenerational, sex, age, general/special exposure risk status, study design), exposure (plastic-associated particle/chemical, multiple exposures), and health outcome measures (biochemical, physiological, and/or clinical), from which we produced the interactive database 'Plastic Health Map' and a narrative summary.

RESULTS

We identified 100,949 unique articles, of which 3,587 met our inclusion criteria and were used to create a systematic evidence map. The Plastic Health Map with extracted metadata from included studies are freely available at https://osf.io/fhw7d/ and summary tables, plots and overall observations are included in this report.

CONCLUSIONS

We present the first evidence map compiling human health research on a wide range of plastic-associated chemicals from several different chemical classes, in order to provide stakeholders, including researchers, regulators, and concerned individuals, with an efficient way to access published literature on the matter and determine knowledge gaps. We also provide examples of data clusters to facilitate systematic reviews and research gaps to help direct future research efforts. Extensive gaps are identified in the breadth of populations, exposures and outcomes addressed in studies of potential human health effects of plastic-associated chemicals. No studies of the human health effects of micro and/or nanoplastics were found, and no studies were found for 26/1,202 additives included in our search that are of known hazard concern and confirmed to be in active production. Few studies have addressed recent "substitution" chemicals for restricted additives such as organophosphate flame retardants, phthalate substitutes, and bisphenol analogues. We call for a paradigm shift in chemical regulation whereby new plastic chemicals are rigorously tested for safety before being introduced in consumer products, with ongoing post-introduction biomonitoring of their levels in humans and health effects throughout individuals' life span, including in old age and across generations.

N- and S-codoped carbon quantum dots for enhancing fluorescence sensing of trace Hg2

Carbon-quantum-dot-based fluorescence sensing of Hg2+ is a well-known cost-effective tactic with fast response and high sensitivity, while rationally constructing heteroatom-doped carbon quantum dots with improved fluorescence sensing performances through tuning the electronic and chemical structures of the reactive site still remains a challenging project for monitoring trace Hg2+ in aquatic ecosystems to avoid harm resulting from its high toxicity, nonbiodegradabilty and accumulative effects on human health. Herein, intriguing N,S-codoped carbon quantum dots were synthesized via a facile one-step hydrothermal procedure. As an admirable fluorescent probe with plentiful heteroatom-related functional groups, these N,S-codoped carbon quantum dots can exhibit an absolute fluorescence quantum yield as high as 11.6%, excellent solubility and stability over three months, remarkable sensitivity for Hg2+ detection with an attractive detection limit of 0.27 μg L-1 and admirable selectivity for Hg2+ against thirteen other metal ions. Density functional theory calculations reveal that electron-enriched meta-S of the unique graphitic N with homocyclic meta-thiophene sulfur structure can regulate this N site to have more electrons and preferable affinity towards Hg, hence achieving enhanced fluorescence quenching due to greater charge transfer from N to Hg after the coordination interaction. This strategy provides a promising avenue for precisely designing purpose-made quantum dots with the dedicated fluorescence sensing applications.

Generation of Simulated "Natural" Nanoplastics from Polypropylene Food Packaging as the Experimental Standard

Current toxicology research on nanoplastics (NPs) generally uses commercial spherical NPs. However, the physicochemical characteristics of commercial NPs are significantly different from those of NPs formed under natural conditions, possibly affecting the validity of the results. In analytical chemistry, a reference sample is selected such that its physicochemical properties are as similar as possible to the target. Therefore, a simulated "natural" NP synthesized in the laboratory that closely resembles naturally derived NPs would be used as an authentic standard. Here, we established the assay of scanning electron microscope (SEM)-particle size distribution analyzer (PSDA)-surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to detect NPs and prepared simulated "natural" NPs from polypropylene food packaging material using a method that mimics natural conditions. Nanofiltration was used to isolate three sets of simulated NPs with particle sizes ranging from 50-100 nm, 100-200 nm, and 200-400 nm. These simulated "natural" NPs were more similar to naturally occurring counterparts when compared with commercial NPs. These new standard NPs, which should be scalable for large-scale use, will improve the accuracy, reliability, and translatability of toxicological studies of NPs.

Simulation and Characterization of Nanoplastic Dissolution under Different Food Consumption Scenarios

Understanding of the potential leaching of plastic particles, particularly nanoplastics (NPs), from food packaging is crucial in assessing the safety of the packaging materials. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate potential exposure risks by simulating the release of NPs from various plastic packaging materials, including polypropylene (PP), general casting polypropylene (GCPP) or metalized casting polypropylene (MCPP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyphenylene sulfone (PPSU), under corresponding food consumption scenarios. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized to identify and characterize the NPs leached from plastic packaging. The presence of separated NPs was observed in PP groups subjected to 100 °C hot water, GCPP plastic sterilized at a high temperature (121 °C), and PE plastic soaked in 100 °C hot water, exhibited a distorted morphology and susceptibility to aggregation. The findings suggest that the frequent consumption of takeaway food, hot beverages served in disposable paper cups, and foods packaged with GCPP materials may elevate the risk of ingestion of NPs. This reminds us that food packaging can serve as an important avenue for human exposure to NPs, and the results can offer valuable insights for food safety management and the development of food packaging materials.

Country-specific riverine contributions to marine plastic pollution

Marine plastic debris are mainly derived from land-based sources, and the transport of plastics via global rivers is of great concern. Ample efforts have been made in estimating the land-based contributions of plastic to the global oceans, but quantifying country-specific (and per capita) riverine outflows is an important step toward the development of a globally integrated framework to mitigate marine plastic pollution. To estimate the country-specific riverine contributions to global marine plastic pollution, we built a River-to-Ocean model framework. In 2016, the median annual country-specific riverine plastic outflows and related per capita values for 161 countries varied between 0.76 and 103,000 metric tons (MT) and 0.83-248 g, respectively. India, China, and Indonesia were the top three contributors to riverine plastic outflows, whereas Guatemala, Philippines, and Colombia had the highest per capita riverine plastic outflows. The total riverine plastic outflow from 161 countries was in the range of 0.15-0.53 million MT annually, accounting for 0.4 %-1.3 % of the 40 million MT plastic waste generated yearly by more than seven billion humans. Population, plastic waste generation, and Human Development Index are the dominant factors influencing riverine plastic outflows to global oceans from individual countries. Our findings provide an important basis for launching effective plastic pollution management and control measures in global countries.

Why understanding food choice is crucial to transform food systems for human and planetary health

What, how and why people eat has long been understood to be important for human health, but until recently, has not been recognised as an essential facet of climate change and its effects on planetary health. The global climate change and diet-related health crises occurring are connected to food systems, food environments and consumer food choices. Calls to transform food systems for human and planetary health highlight the importance of understanding individual food choice. Understanding what, how and why people eat the way they do is crucial to successful food systems transformations that achieve both human and planetary health goals. Little is known about how food choice relates to climate. To clarify potential paths for action, we propose that individual food choice relates to climate change through three key mechanisms. First, the sum of individual food choices influences the supply and demand of foods produced and sold in the marketplace. Second, individual food decisions affect type and quantity of food waste at the retail and household level. Third, individual food choices serve as a symbolic expression of concern for human and planetary health, which can individually and collectively stimulate social movements and behaviour change. To meet the dietary needs of the 2050 global population projection of 10 billion, food systems must transform. Understanding what, how and why people eat the way they do, as well as the mechanisms by which these choices affect climate change, is essential for designing actions conducive to the protection of both human and planetary health.

Using colloidal AFM probe technique and XDLVO theory to predict the transport of nanoplastics in porous media

The plastic concentration in terrestrial systems is orders of magnitude higher than that found in marine ecosystems, which has raised global concerns about their potential risk to agricultural sustainability. Previous research on the transport of nanoplastics in soil relied heavily on the qualitative prediction of the mean-field extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory (XDLVO), but direct and quantitative measurements of the interfacial forces between single nanoplastics and porous media are lacking. In this study, we conducted multiscale investigations ranging from column transport experiments to single particle measurements. The maximum effluent concentration (C/C0) of amino-modified nanoplastics (PS-NH₂) was 0.94, whereas that of the carboxyl-modified nanoplastics (PS-COOH) was only 0.33, indicating PS-NH₂ were more mobile than PS-COOH at different ionic strengths (1-50 mM) and pH values (5-9). This phenomenon was mainly attributed to the homogeneous aggregation of PS-COOH. In addition, the transport of PS-NH₂ in the quartz sand column was inhibited with the increase of ionic strength and pH, and pH was the major factor governing their mobility. The transport of PS-COOH was inhibited with increasing ionic strength and decreasing pH. Hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity-mediated interactions and particle heterogeneity strongly interfered with interfacial forces, leading to the qualitative prediction of XDLVO, contrary to experimental observations. Through the combination of XDLVO and colloidal atomic force microscopy, accurate and quantitative interfacial forces can provide compelling insight into the fate of nanoparticles in the soil environment.

Integrating a Chemicals Perspective into the Global Plastic Treaty

Driven by the growing concern about plastic pollution, countries have agreed to establish a global plastic treaty addressing the full life cycle of plastics. However, while plastics are complex materials consisting of mixtures of chemicals such as additives, processing aids, and nonintentionally added substances, it is at risk that the chemical aspects of plastics may be overlooked in the forthcoming treaty. This is highly concerning because a large variety of over 10,000 chemical substances may have been used in plastic production, and many of them are known to be hazardous to human health and the environment. In this Global Perspective, we further highlight an additional, generally overlooked, but critical aspect that many chemicals in plastics hamper the technological solutions envisioned to solve some of the major plastic issues: mechanical recycling, waste-to-energy, chemical recycling, biobased plastics, biodegradable plastics, and durable plastics. Building on existing success stories, we outline three concrete recommendations on how the chemical aspects can be integrated into the global plastic treaty to ensure its effectiveness: (1) reducing the complexity of chemicals in plastics, (2) ensuring the transparency of chemicals in plastics, and (3) aligning the right incentives for a systematic transition.

Recent advances in the application of nanotechnology to create antioxidant active food packaging materials

Nanotechnology is being used to create innovative food packaging systems that can inhibit the oxidation of foods, thereby improving their quality, safety, and shelf life. These nano-enabled antioxidant packaging materials may therefore increase the healthiness and sustainability of the food supply chain. Recent progress in the application of nanotechnology to create antioxidant packaging materials is reviewed in this paper. The utilization of nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanocrystals, and nanoemulsions to incorporate antioxidants into these packaging materials is highlighted. The application of nano-enabled antioxidant packaging materials to preserve meat, seafood, fruit, vegetable, and other foods is then discussed. Finally, future directions and challenges in the development of this kind of active packaging material are highlighted to stimulate new areas of future research. Nanotechnology has already been used to create antioxidant packaging materials that inhibit oxidative deterioration reactions in foods, thereby prolonging their shelf life and reducing food waste. However, the safety, cost, efficacy, and scale-up of this technology still needs to be established before it will be commercially viable for many applications.

Identification of Trace Polystyrene Nanoplastics Down to 50 nm by the Hyphenated Method of Filtration and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Based on Silver Nanowire Membranes

Nanoplastics are emerging pollutants that pose potential threats to the environment and organisms. However, in-depth research on nanoplastics has been hindered by the absence of feasible and reliable analytical methods, particularly for trace nanoplastics. Herein, we propose a hyphenated method involving membrane filtration and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to analyze trace nanoplastics in water. In this method, a bifunctional Ag nanowire membrane was employed to enrich nanoplastics and enhance their Raman spectra in situ, which omitted sample transfer and avoided losing smaller nanoplastics. Good retention rates (86.7% for 50 nm and approximately 95.0% for 100-1000 nm) and high sensitivity (down to 10^-7 g/L for 50-1000 nm and up to 10⁵ SERS enhancement factor) of standard polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics were achieved using the proposed method. PS nanoplastics with concentrations from 10^-1 to 10^-7 g/L and sizes ranging from 50 to 1000 nm were successfully detected by Raman mapping. Moreover, PS micro- and nanoplastics in environmental water samples collected from the seafood market were also detected at the μg/L level. Consequently, the proposed method provides more possibilities for analyzing low-concentration nanoplastics in aquatic environments with high enrichment efficiency, minimal sample loss, and high sensitivity.

Microencapsulation of High-Content Actives Using Biodegradable Silk Materials

There is a compelling need across several industries to substitute non-degradable, intentionally added microplastics with biodegradable alternatives. Nonetheless, stringent performance criteria in actives' controlled release and manufacturing at scale of emerging materials hinder the replacement of polymers used for microplastics fabrication with circular ones. Here, the authors demonstrate that active microencapsulation in a structural protein such as silk fibroin can be achieved by modulating protein protonation and chain relaxation at the point of material assembly. Silk fibroin micelles' size is tuned from several to hundreds of nanometers, enabling the manufacturing-by retrofitting spray drying and spray freeze drying techniques-of microcapsules with tunable morphology and structure, that is, hollow-spongy, hollow-smooth, hollow crumpled matrices, and hollow crumpled multi-domain. Microcapsules degradation kinetics and sustained release of soluble and insoluble payloads typically used in cosmetic and agriculture applications are controlled by modulating fibroin's beta-sheet content from 20% to near 40%. Ultraviolet-visible studies indicate that burst release of a commonly used herbicide (i.e., saflufenacil) significantly decreases from 25% to 0.8% via silk fibroin microencapsulation. As a proof-of-concept for agrochemicals applications, a 6-day greenhouse trial demonstrates that saflufenacil delivered on corn plants via silk microcapsules reduces crop injury when compared to the non-encapsulated version.

Diagnosing the performance of food systems to increase accountability toward healthy diets and environmental sustainability

To reorient food systems to ensure they deliver healthy diets that protect against multiple forms of malnutrition and diet-related disease and safeguard the environment, ecosystems, and natural resources, there is a need for better governance and accountability. However, decision-makers are often in the dark on how to navigate their food systems to achieve these multiple outcomes. Even where there is sufficient data to describe various elements, drivers, and outcomes of food systems, there is a lack of tools to assess how food systems are performing. This paper presents a diagnostic methodology for 39 indicators representing food supply, food environments, nutrition outcomes, and environmental outcomes that offer cutoffs to assess performance of national food systems. For each indicator, thresholds are presented for unlikely, potential, or likely challenge areas. This information can be used to generate actions and decisions on where and how to intervene in food systems to improve human and planetary health. A global assessment and two country case studies-Greece and Tanzania-illustrate how the diagnostics could spur decision options available to countries.

Is There Evidence of Health Risks From Exposure to Micro- and Nanoplastics in Foods?

The human health impact of exposure to micro (MP) and nanoplastics (NP) from food remains unknown. There are several gaps in knowledge that prevent a complete risk assessment of them. First, the fact that some plastics may be chemically harmful, either directly toxic themselves or because they absorb and carry other components, which makes these particles may possess 3 types of hazards, physical, chemical and biological. In addition, the levels at which toxic effects may occur are unknown and there is a lack of studies to estimate the levels to which we are exposed. Plastic particles can induce physical stress and damage, apoptosis, necrosis, inflammation, oxidative stress and immune responses, which could contribute to the development of diseases such as cancer, metabolic disorders, and neurodevelopmental conditions, among others. In addition, they may have effects on other pathologies that have not yet been studied, such as food allergy, where they could act modifying the digestibility of food allergens, increasing intestinal permeability, promoting an intestinal inflammatory environment or causing intestinal dysbiosis, which could promote food allergen sensitization. However, given the limited information on the presence of MP and especially NP in food, further research is needed to estimate whether they could amplify the risk of allergic sensitization to food proteins and to elucidate the risk to human health.

Promoting sustainable packaging applications in the circular economy by exploring and advancing molded pulp materials for food products: a review

Packaging ensures the safe handling and distribution of fresh and processed food products via diverse supply chains, and has become an indispensable component of the food industry. However, the rapidly expanding use of plastics, especially single-use plastics, as packaging material leads to inadequate waste management, littering, and consequently serious environmental damage, which predominantly affects marine and freshwater sources. Thus, the use of plastics for packaging purposes has become a major public concern and hence a concern among global policymakers. Notably, 26% of the total volume of global plastic production is primarily used for packaging, of which single-use plastics account for 50%, resulting in pollution that may last hundreds of years. This review provides an overview of the manner in which molded pulp products can be utilized to improve sustainability of food packaging applications, by highlighting the manufacturing processes, signifying characteristics features of recyclable molded pulp, and coupling circularity with eco-friendly and safe food product packaging. In this regard, current concepts advocate the implementation of a dynamic and sustainable approach using molded pulp products. This approach encompasses the design and production of eco-friendly packaging, distribution and consumption of packaged products, and collection and recycling of used packaging for subsequent reuse.

Activatable molecular rotor based on bithiophene quinolinium toward viscosity detection in liquids

The development of non-invasive and effective viscosity inspection methods during the liquid deterioration process is urgently needed since viscosity is one of the most important physical parameters of liquids. Methods featuring rapid detection, high sensitivity, cheap equipment, and fast result output are greatly desired. In this study, a viscosity-sensitive molecular rotor (BTPEQ) with a large Stokes shift (187 nm), and long emission wavelength (648 nm) has been developed. The rotor is comprised of a bithiophene donor and quinolinium acceptor, and displays a typical twisted intramolecular-charge transfer (TICT) feature, with good photostability, selectivity, and universality in various commercial liquids. With the aid of BTPEQ, the thickening effects of liquid thickeners can be determined. More importantly, BTPEQ was explored to visualize the viscosity variations in liquids at different metamorphic stages, and it was found that the viscosity level in microenvironments is highly dependent on the liquid food metamorphic period. It is worth noting that this approach can facilitate the continued perfection of fluorescent analytical methods for food quality and safety inspection.

Systematic evidence on migrating and extractable food contact chemicals: Most chemicals detected in food contact materials are not listed for use

Food packaging is important for today's globalized food system, but food contact materials (FCMs) can also be a source of hazardous chemicals migrating into foodstuffs. Assessing the impacts of FCMs on human health requires a comprehensive identification of the chemicals they contain, the food contact chemicals (FCCs). We systematically compiled the "database on migrating and extractable food contact chemicals" (FCCmigex) using information from 1210 studies. We found that to date 2881 FCCs have been detected, in a total of six FCM groups (Plastics, Paper & Board, Metal, Multi-materials, Glass & Ceramic, and Other FCMs). 65% of these detected FCCs were previously not known to be used in FCMs. Conversely, of the more than 12'000 FCCs known to be used, only 1013 are included in the FCCmigex database. Plastic is the most studied FCM with 1975 FCCs detected. Our findings expand the universe of known FCCs to 14,153 chemicals. This knowledge contributes to developing non-hazardous FCMs that lead to safer food and support a circular economy.

Assessing Chemical Migration from Plastic Food Packaging into Food Simulant by Gas and Liquid Chromatography with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Some components of plastic food packaging can migrate into food, and whereas migration studies of known components are required and relatively straightforward, identification of nonintentionally added substances (NIAS; unknowns) is challenging yet imperative to better characterizing food safety. To this aim, migration was investigated across 24 unique plastic food packaging products including plastic wrap, storage bags, vacuum bags, and meat trays. Gas and liquid chromatography separation systems coupled with Orbitrap mass analyzers were used for comprehensive nontargeted screening of migrants. Tentative identifications of features were assigned by searching commercial databases (e.g., NIST, MZCloud, ChemSpider, Extractables and Leachables) and filtering results based on mass accuracy, retention time indices, and mass spectral patterns. Several migrants showed elevated levels in specific food packaging types, particularly meat trays and plastic wrap, and varying degrees of migration over the 10 days. Eleven putative migrants are listed as substances of potential concern or priority hazardous substances. Additionally, migration amounts of an Irgafos 168 degradation product determined by semiquantitation exceeded proposed theoretical maximum migration values.

Grassroots and Youth-Led Climate Solutions From The Gambia

Climate change and environmental degradation are among the greatest threats to human health. Youth campaigners have very effectively focused global attention on the crisis, however children from the Global South are often under-represented (sometimes deliberately) in the dialogue. In The Gambia, West Africa, the impacts of climate change are already being directly experienced by the population, and this will worsen in coming years. There is strong government and community commitment to adapt to these challenges, as evidenced by The Gambia currently being the only country on target to meet the Paris agreement according to the Nationally Determined Contributions, but again children's voices are often missing-while their views could yield valuable additional insights. Here, we describe a "Climate Change Solutions Festival" that targeted and engaged school children from 13 to 18 years, and is to our knowledge, the first peer-to-peer (and student-to-professional) learning festival on climate change solutions for students in The Gambia. The event gave a unique insight into perceived climate change problems and scalable, affordable and sometimes very creative solutions that could be implemented in the local area. Logistical and practical methods for running the festival are shared, as well as details on all solutions demonstrated in enough detail to be duplicated. We also performed a narrative review of the most popular stalls to explore the scientific basis of these solutions and discuss these in a global context. Overall, we find extremely strong, grass-roots and student engagement in the Gambia and clear evidence of learning about climate change and the impacts of environmental degradation more broadly. Nevertheless, we reflect that in order to enact these proposed local solutions further steps to evaluate acceptability of adoption, feasibility within the communities, cost-benefit analyses and ability to scale solutions are needed. This could be the focus of future experiential learning activities with students and partnering stakeholders.

Future foods: Alternative proteins, food architecture, sustainable packaging, and precision nutrition

There are numerous challenges facing the modern food and agriculture industry that urgently need to be addressed, including feeding a growing global population, mitigating and adapting to climate change, decreasing pollution, waste, and biodiversity loss, and ensuring that people remain healthy. At the same time, foods should be safe, affordable, convenient, and delicious. The latest developments in science and technology are being deployed to address these issues. Some of the most important elements within this modern food design approach are encapsulated by the MATCHING model: Meat-reduced; Automation; Technology-driven; Consumer-centric; Healthy; Intelligent; Novel; and Globalization. In this review article, we focus on four key aspects that will be important for the creation of a new generation of healthier and more sustainable foods: emerging raw materials; structural design principles for creating innovative products; developments in eco-friendly packaging; and precision nutrition and customized production of foods. We also highlight some of the most important new developments in science and technology that are being used to create future foods, including food architecture, synthetic biology, nanoscience, and sensory perception.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2022.2033683.

Computational biotransformation of polyethylene terephthalate by depolymerase: A QM/MM approach

Despite increasing environmental concerns on ever-lasting Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), its global production is continuously growing. Effective strategies that can completely remove PET from environment are urgently desired. Here biotransformation processes of PET by one of the most effective enzymes, leaf-branch compost cutinase (LCC), were systematically explored with Molecular Dynamics and Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics approaches. We found that four concerted steps are required to complete the whole catalytic cycle. The last concerted step, deacylation, was determined as the rate-determining step with Boltzmann-weighted average barrier of 13.6 kcal/mol and arithmetic average of 16.1 ± 2.9 kcal/mol. Interestingly, unprecedented fluctuations of hydrogen bond length during LCC catalyzed transformation process toward PET were found. This fluctuation was also observed in enzyme IsPETase, indicating that it may widely exist in other catalytic triad (Ser-His-Asp) containing enzymes as well. In addition, possible features (bond, angle, dihedral angle and charge) that influence the catalytic reaction were identified and correlations between activation energies and key features were established. Our results present new insights into catalytic mechanism of hydrolases and shed light on the efficient recycling of the ever-lasting PET.

A critical review on microbial degradation of petroleum-based plastics: quantitatively effects of chemical addition in cultivation media on biodegradation efficiency

Petroleum-based plastics (PBP) with different properties have been developed to suit various needs of modern lives. Nevertheless, these well-developed properties also present the double-edged sword effect that significantly threatens the sustainability of the environment. This work focuses on the impact of microbial cultivating conditions (the elementary compositions and temperature) to provide insightful information for the process optimization of microbial degradation. The major elementary compositions in cultivation media and temperature from the literature were radically reviewed and assessed using the constructed supervised machine learning algorithm. Fifty-two literatures were collected as a training dataset to investigate the impact of major chemical elements and cultivation temperature upon PBP biodegradation. Among six singular parameters (NH₄⁺, K⁺, PO₄^3-, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and temperature) and thirty corresponding binary parameters, four singular (NH₄⁺, K⁺, PO₄^3-, and Mg²⁺) and six binary parameters (NH₄⁺/K⁺, NH₄⁺/PO₄^3-, NH₄⁺/Ca²⁺, K⁺/PO₄^3-, PO₄^3-/Mg²⁺, Mg²⁺/Temp) were identified as statistically significant towards microbial degradation through analysis of variance (ANOVA). The binary effect (PO₄^3-/Mg²⁺) is found to be the most statistically significant towards the microbial degradation of PBP. The concentration range, which locates at 0.1-0.6 g/L for Mg²⁺ and 0-2.8 g/L for PO₄^3-, was identified to contribute to the maximum PBP biodegradation. Among all the investigated elements, Mg²⁺ is the only element that is statistically and significantly associated with the variations of cultivation temperature. The optimal preparation conditions within ± 20% uncertainties based upon the range of collected literature reports are recommended. Five representative cultivation elementary compositions (NH₄⁺, K⁺, PO₄^3-, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺) and temperature were reviewed from fifty two different literature reports to investigate their impacts on the microbial degradation of PBP using supervised machine learning algorithm. The optimal cultivation conditions based upon collected literature reports to achieve biodegradation over 80% were identified.

Triphenylamine indanedione as an AIE-based molecular sensor with one-step facile synthesis toward viscosity detection of liquids

AIE-based triphenylamine indanedione molecular sensors were synthesized in a one-step facile manner and designed for viscosity detection in liquids.

Naphthalene anhydride triphenylamine as a viscosity-sensitive molecular rotor for liquid safety inspection

Naphthalene anhydride triphenylamine as a viscosity-sensitive rotor was designed for carrying out fluorescence investigations on beverage deterioration.

Visual detection of viscosity through activatable molecular rotor with aggregation-induced emission

Food safety has become one of the urgent affairs in the global public health studies, and irregular viscosity is closely associated with the food spoilage extent. In this study, one kind of activatable molecular rotor (TPA-PBZ) based on triphenylamine derivates has been synthesized via the Schiff base condensation reaction. This rotor is comprised by donor-accepter conjugated structure, with aggregation induced-emission feature and a large Stokes shift of 160 nm in water. The rotation of aromatic rings in TPA-PBZ is restricted in high-viscosity microenvironment, with the gradually increasing fluorescence emission signal at 568 nm. Significantly, this rotor TPA-PBZ has successfully been applied not only in the determination of thickening effects of food gum, but also in the detection of viscosity enhancement during the liquid food spoilage process. This molecular rotor can be utilized as an intelligent monitor platform for food quality and safety inspection in viscosity-related conditions.

Trust and responsibility in food systems transformation. Engaging with Big Food: marriage or mirage?

Concentration of power among transnational 'Big Food' companies has contributed to food systems that are unsustainable, unhealthy and inequitable for people and planet. Given these commercial determinants of health, if 'food systems transformation' is to be authentic-more than a passing narrative-then leveraging Big Food is paramount. To this end, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers are increasingly encouraged to engage with these powerful entities. However, given the conflicts of interest at stake, engagement relies on trust and transparency, that all stakeholders take responsibility for their actions and demonstrate commitment to do no harm. Given Big Food's track record in influencing policy, shifting costs and responsibility for their harms-and while profit primarily drives business decision making-we question whether it is logical to expect trust.This analysis explores concepts of responsibility and trust in relation to food systems transformation involving public-private partnerships. Through short cautionary case studies-looking at the United Nations Food Systems Summit, and Big Food's plastic burden-it argues that unless such companies take responsibility for their cross-cutting effects and earn authentic trust through demonstrably doing no harm, their participation in evidence generation and policy processes should be limited to responding to information requests and adhering to regulation. Any involvement in research agenda-setting or formulating policy solutions introduces conflicts of interest, legitimises corporate irresponsibility and jeopardises scientific integrity. Big Food has dynamism and power to address food system problems, but while it contributes to so many of these problems it should follow-not formulate-transformational evidence, policies and regulations.

Safety of Plastic Food Packaging: The Challenges about Non-Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS) Discovery, Identification and Risk Assessment

Several food contact materials (FCMs) contain non-intentionally added substances (NIAS), and most of the substances that migrate from plastic food packaging are unknown. This review aimed to situate the main challenges involving unknown NIAS in plastic food packaging in terms of identification, migration tests, prediction, sample preparation, determination methods and risk assessment trials. Most studies have identified NIAS in plastic materials as polyurethane adhesives (PU), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyester coatings, polypropylene materials (PP), multilayers materials, plastic films, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), recycled materials, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Degradation products are almost the primary source of NIAS in plastic FCMs, most from antioxidants as Irganox 1010 and Irgafos 168, following by oligomers and side reaction products. The NIAS assessment in plastics FCMs is usually made by migration tests under worst-case conditions using food simulants. For predicted NIAS, targeted analytical methods are applied using GC-MS based methods for volatile NIAS and GC-MS and LC-MS based methods for semi- and non-volatile NIAS; non-targeted methods to analyze unknown NIAS in plastic FCMs are applied using GC and LC techniques combined with QTOF mass spectrometry (HRMS). In terms of NIAS risk assessment and prioritization, the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) concept is the most applied tool for risk assessment. Bioassays with sensitive analytical techniques seem to be an efficient method to identify NIAS and their hazard to human exposure; the combination of genotoxicity testing with analytical chemistry could allow the Cramer class III TTC application to prioritize unknown NIAS. The scientific justification for implementing a molecular weight-based cut-off (<1000 Da) in the risk assessment of FCMs should be reevaluated. Although official guides and opinions are being issued on the subject, the whole chain's alignment is needed, and more specific legislation on the steps to follow to get along with NIAS.

Does Participation in Agricultural Value Chain Activities Influence Smallholder Fruit Grower Production Performance? A Cross-Sectional Study of Apple Farmers in Shandong, China

The value chain comprises several factors and activities useful for strengthening production and distribution by connecting producers with suppliers, intermediaries, and marketplaces and collaboratively creating added value for products or goods. However, the values of agricultural products mostly depend on various factors and actors, which should be linked together for fostering added values. Thus, there may be strong ground for facilitating a smooth transition of the agricultural value chain (AVC) within the prospects of emerging countries. It could be a key means of promoting a profound connection between smallholder farmers and modern agriculture facilities. It could be especially crucial for the highly perishable and high-value product such as fruits. The main aims of the study are to evaluate the factors influencing smallholder apple farmers’ participation in the agricultural value chain and determine whether participation in AVC improves farmers’ production performance. The empirical setup of the study was chosen based on survey data of apple growers in Shandong, China. The propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA) models were employed to craft the study’s outcomes. The main conclusions are as follows. (1) Fruit farmers’ gender, total household expenditure, housing value, planting scale, planting years, degree of specialization, days of family labour input, and total days of employment have significant effects on their participation in AVC activities. (2) Fruit farmers’ usage of improved fertilizers and organization participation supports a higher yield and net income per acre. (3) Participating in two kinds of AVC can significantly improve the yield per acre and net income per acre compared with only using one type of AVC (improved fertilizer). Policy makers should improve the existing policy by eliminating institutional barriers and enhancing human factors for farmers to participate in high-value chain activities. Governments should extend technical support, and enhance training facilities, and comprehensively promote the AVC among smallholder farmers. Finally, farmers’ organizations (e.g., cooperatives and credit organizations) should come forward to help facilitate the effectiveness of AVC.