Sustainable Food Systems in Fruits and Vegetables Food Supply Chains

Food Additives Derived from Fruits and Vegetables for Sustainable Animal Production and Their Impact in Latin America: An Alternative to the Use of Antibiotics

The production of healthy animal-derived food entails the effective control of foodborne pathogens and strategies to mitigate microbial threats during rearing. Antibiotics have been traditionally employed in animal farming to manage bacterial infections. However, the prohibition of antibiotic growth promoters in livestock farming has brought significant changes in animal production practices. Although antibiotics are now restricted to treating and preventing bacterial infections, their overuse has caused serious public health issues, including antibiotic resistance and the presence of antibiotic residues in food and wastewater. Therefore, sustainable animal production is crucial in reducing the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Annually, 40-50% of fruit and vegetable production is discarded worldwide. These discards present significant potential for extracting value-added ingredients, which can reduce costs, decrease waste, and enhance the food economy. This review highlights the negative impacts of antibiotic use in livestock farming and stresses the importance of analyzing the challenges and safety concerns of extracting value-added ingredients from fruit and vegetable co-products at an industrial scale. It also explores the current trends in reducing antibiotic use in livestock, with a focus on Latin American contexts. Finally, the suitability of using value-added ingredients derived from fruit and vegetable co-products for animal feeds is also discussed.

A comprehensive review of current approaches on food waste reduction strategies

Food waste is a serious worldwide issue that has an impact on the environment, society, and economy. This comprehensive review provides a detailed description of methods and approaches for reducing food waste, emphasizing the necessity of comprehensive strategies to tackle its intricate relationship with environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic prosperity. By scrutinizing the extent and impact of food waste, from initial production stages to final disposal, this comprehensive review underlines the urgent need for integrated solutions that include technological advancements, behavioral interventions, regulatory frameworks, and collaborative endeavors. Environmental assessments highlight the significant contribution of food waste to greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation, water scarcity, and energy inefficiency, thereby emphasizing the importance of curtailing its environmental impact. Concurrently, the social and economic consequences of food waste, such as food insecurity, economic losses, and disparities in food access, underscore the imperative for coordinated action across multiple sectors. Food waste can also be effectively reduced by various innovative approaches, such as technological waste reduction solutions, supply chain optimization strategies, consumer behavior-focused initiatives, and waste recovery and recycling techniques. Furthermore, in order to foster an environment that encourages the reduction of food waste and facilitates the transition to a circular economy, legislative changes and regulatory actions are essential. By embracing these multifaceted strategies and approaches, stakeholders can unite to confront the global food waste crisis, thereby fostering resilience, sustainability, and social equity within our food systems.

Sustainable Food Systems and Food Market

Within the realms of sustainability, it is well-established that food systems increasingly appear through the components of consumption, production, and processing of (food) products [...].

A Comprehensive Analytical Review of Polyphenols: Evaluating Neuroprotection in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease (AD), a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, is the primary cause of dementia. Despite significant advancements in neuroscience, a definitive cure or treatment for this debilitating disease remains elusive. A notable characteristic of AD is oxidative stress, which has been identified as a potential therapeutic target. Polyphenols, secondary metabolites of plant origin, have attracted attention due to their potent antioxidant properties. Epidemiological studies suggest a correlation between the consumption of polyphenol-rich foods and the prevention of chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, which underscores the potential of polyphenols as a therapeutic strategy in AD management. Hence, this comprehensive review focuses on the diverse roles of polyphenols in AD, with a particular emphasis on neuroprotective potential. Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were used as leading databases for study selection, from 2018 to late March 2024. Analytical chemistry serves as a crucial tool for characterizing polyphenols, with a nuanced exploration of their extraction methods from various sources, often employing chemometric techniques for a holistic interpretation of the advances in this field. Moreover, this review examines current in vitro and in vivo research, aiming to enhance the understanding of polyphenols' role in AD, and providing valuable insights for forthcoming approaches in this context.

Nexus of food waste and climate change framework: Unravelling the links between impacts, projections, and emissions

This communication explores the intricate relationship between food waste and climate change, considering aspects such as impacts, projections, and emissions. It focuses on the pressing issue of waste generation and its potential consequences if current trends persist, and emphasises the importance of efficient solid waste management in improving environmental quality and fostering economic development. It also highlights the challenges faced by developing countries in waste collection and disposal, drawing comparisons with the waste utilisation methods used by developed nations. The review delves into the link between food waste and climate change, noting the paradoxical situation of food wastage against the backdrop of global hunger and malnutrition. It underscores the scientific evidence connecting food waste to climate change and its implications for food security and climate systems. Additionally, it examines the environmental burden imposed by food waste, including its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and the depletion of resources such as energy, water, and land. Besides environmental concerns, this communication also highlights the ethical and socioeconomic dimensions of food waste, discussing its influence on Sustainable Development Goals, poverty, and social inequality. The communication concludes by advocating for collective action and the development of successful mitigation strategies, technological solutions, and policy interventions to address food waste and its climate impacts. It emphasises the need for collaboration, awareness, and informed decision-making to ensure a more sustainable and equitable future.

Nanocellulose-based antimicrobial aerogels with humidity-triggered release of cinnamaldehyde

Active food packaging with controlled release behavior of volatile antimicrobials is highly desirable for enhancing the quality of fresh produce. In this study, humidity-responsive antimicrobial aerogels were developed using chitosan and dialdehyde nanocellulose, loading with cyclodextrin-cinnamaldehyde inclusion complexes (ICs) for achieving humidity-triggered release of the encapsulated antimicrobial agent. Results showed that the prepared aerogels had capable water absorption ability, which could be served as absorbent pads to take in excessive exudate from packaged fresh produce. More importantly, the accumulative release rate of cinnamaldehyde from the antimicrobial aerogels was significantly improved at RH 98 % compared to that at RH 70 %, which accordingly inactivated all the inoculated Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Botrytis cinerea. Additionally, strawberries packaged with the antimicrobial aerogels remained in good conditions after 5 d of storage at 22 ± 1 °C. The prepared composite aerogels had the potential to extend the shelf life of fresh strawberries.

Nanoemulsion based edible coatings for quality retention of fruits and vegetables-decoding the basics and advancements in last decade

Fruits and vegetables (F&V) are highly perishable and have important contributions to nutritional and economic sustainability. Although the developing nations have shown an immense increase in the production of horticultural commodities, the post-harvest losses are significant and have an adverse impact on the resources, economy, and environment as well. Nanoemulsion-based carriers are recognized for their diversity, natural origin, and immense potential to restrict losses while boosting the functional attributes of produce. The recent findings attest to nanoemulsions potential for extending the shelf life, managing quality, and reducing the losses of the perishables for sustainable livelihood of the farmers. However, further studies are required to evaluate the biological fate, safety, or potential toxicity of the nanoemulsion-based edible coatings. This review precisely focuses on various matrices used in the production of nanoemulsions, fabrication methods, characterization techniques, and the use of natural emulsifiers instead of chemicals. The future research focus stresses on developing low-cost fabrication techniques for nanoemulsion, improvement of the transmission properties i. e gas transmission rate (GTR), water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), and enhancing the performance of monolayer, bilayer, and other composite nanoemulsion base films. This beyond reducing the postharvest losses shall also restrict burden of the food waste management and related environmental issues at the same time.

An innovative way to treat cash crop wastes: The fermentation characteristics and functional microbial community using different substrates to produce Agricultural Jiaosu

With the increase of global demand for cash crops, a large of cash crop waste was produced and caused severe environmental issues. To produce Agricultural Jiaosu (AJ) using these wastes is a sustainable waste disposal method. However, the fermentation mechanism, metabolites, and microbial characteristics of AJ fermented with different substrates remain unclear. In this study, the effects of different substrates (fruit and vegetable waste and Chinese herbal medicine waste) on the fermentation characteristics of AJ, including metabolites and microbial community properties, were investigated. The results revealed that AJ fermentation was a process of converting organic matter into organic acids and other metabolites, mainly including hydrolysis, acidogenesis, and maturation stages. At the genus level, Lactobacillus, Acetobacter, Hydrogenibacillus, Halomonas, and Prevotella_1 were the dominant bacteria in the fermentation system. The bacterial diversity of composite substrate AJ was higher than that of single substrate AJ. The organic acids and secondary metabolites concentration and the composition of key microorganisms depended on the substrate type. Furthermore, AJ's potential functional genes were mainly concentrated in cofactors and vitamin, carbohydrate, and amino acid metabolism. The findings of this study indicated that AJ is an innovative eco-friendly technology that can convert cash crop wastes into sustainable eco-products, and that its characteristics depend on the substrate type. Therefore, the substrate used to produce AJ should be carefully selected according to the application field.

Assessing the per Capita Food Supply Trends of 38 OECD Countries between 2000 and 2019-A Joinpoint Regression Analysis

Food supply has an impact on the prevalence of diet-related non-communicable diseases. We aimed to analyze the protein, fat (g/capita/day) and calorie (kcal/capita/day) supply from 2000 to 2019 as derived from the OECD Health Statistics database. A joinpoint regression was used to examine the number and location of breakpoints in the time series. The annual percent change (APC) was calculated using Joinpoint 4.9.0.0. The per capita daily kcal per nutrient was calculated for each country and the resulting percentage distributions were compared to the acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges. Protein, fat and calorie supplies have increased significantly between 2000 and 2019. Each started to show a much steeper, positive change between 2012 and 2014 (APC_fat: 1.0; 95%CI: 0.8-1.1; APC_protein: 0.5; 95%CI: 0.3-0.6; APC_kcal: 0.4; 95%CI: 0.3-0.5). In terms of the composition of the daily calorie intake per capita, the overall share of fat (+4.9%) and protein (+1.0%) increased between 2000 and 2019. We found significant differences among countries and also an increasing and optimal proportion of consumed protein per total calorie in all countries over the last two decades. We concluded that several countries have access to fat availability above the optimal level, which deserves particular attention from health policy makers in the fight against obesity and diet-related diseases.

Interaction between Dietary Fibre and Bioactive Compounds in Plant By-Products: Impact on Bioaccessibility and Bioavailability

In Europe, around 31 million tonnes of food by-products are generated during primary production and trade. The management of these by-products may cause a negative impact, both at the economic and environmental levels, for both industry and society. In this regard, taking into consideration that these by-products retain the dietary fibre compositions and the bioactive compounds of the starting materials, plant food agro-industries have an interest in taking advantage of them, from a nutritional point of view. Therefore, this review evaluates the role of dietary fibre and bioactive compounds in these by-products as well as the potential interactions of both components and their implications for health, since the bioactive compounds associated with fibre may reach the colon, where they can be metabolised into postbiotic compounds, providing important health benefits (prebiotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, etc.). Consequently, this aspect, on which there are few studies, is very relevant and must be considered in the revaluation of by-products to obtain new ingredients for food processing with improved nutritional and technological properties.

Circular Economy Research in the COVID-19 Era: a Review and the Road Ahead

The onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a major crisis that has severely impacted numerous economic, environmental, and social aspects of human life. During the pandemic, the potential of the circular economy (CE) has gained increasing attention as a prospective remedy for numerous sustainability problems. This systematic literature review charts CE research in the COVID-19 era. To this end, 160 journal articles were selected from the Scopus database. The performance indicators of the literature were determined and described through a bibliometric analysis. Moreover, the conceptual structure of CE research was identified via a keyword co-occurrence network. Based on bibliographic coupling, the focus of CE research in the COVID-19 era revolves mainly around five thematic areas, including: (1) waste management; (2) digitalization and sustainable supply chain management; (3) the impact of COVID-19 on food systems; (4) sustainable development goals, smart cities, and bioeconomy; and (5) closed-loop supply chains. Overall, this review contributes to enriching the literature by determining the main thematic areas and future research directions that can help to advance the transition to the CE and reduce the impact of COVID-19 and similar disasters in the future.

An exploration of what freshness in fruit means to consumers

Perceived freshness is a key determinant of consumers' food choices but remains an imprecisely defined concept. A comprehensive and consumer-centric definition of freshness appears to be lacking, and the present research was situated in this knowledge gap, seeking, in particular, to explore the complexity of freshness in consumers' minds. People from the USA (n = 2092) took part in an online survey and completed a text highlighting task. Herein, participants read a text that described different aspects of freshness and the technologies used to prolong freshness during storage. While reading, they used highlighting functions within the software to indicate text content that they liked/disliked or agreed/disagreed with. The combined results from text highlighting and responses to the open-ended question "Considering the fruit you eat, why is freshness important to you?" confirmed that freshness is a complex construct with multiple dimensions and suggested that the complexity of freshness extends from food in general to specific product categories (in the case of fruit and apples). Further, the findings showed that freshness is desired by consumers because fruit are perceived as healthier and better tasting. The findings revealed negative attitudes towards stored fruit among participants, but also indicated some acceptance of the fact that some storage was unavoidable. Results provide useful insights to the development for communication strategies to increase consumer acceptance of stored apples and fruits in general.

A Comparative Photographic Review on Higher Plants and Macro-Fungi: A Soil Restoration for Sustainable Production of Food and Energy

The Kingdom of Plantae is considered the main source of human food, and includes several edible and medicinal plants, whereas mushrooms belong to the Kingdom of fungi. There are a lot of similar characteristics between mushrooms and higher plants, but there are also many differences among them, especially from the human health point of view. The absences of both chlorophyll content and the ability to form their own food are the main differences between mushrooms and higher plants. The main similar attributes found in both mushrooms and higher plants are represented in their nutritional and medicinal activities. The findings of this review have a number of practical implications. A lot of applications in different fields could be found also for both mushrooms and higher plants, especially in the bioenergy, biorefinery, soil restoration, and pharmaceutical fields, but this study is the first report on a comparative photographic review between them. An implication of the most important findings in this review is that both mushrooms and plants should be taken into account when integrated food and energy are needed. These findings will be of broad use to the scientific and biomedical communities. Further investigation and experimentation into the integration and production of food crops and mushrooms are strongly recommended under different environmental conditions, particularly climate change.