Life cycle assessment of apricot puree concentrate production

Abstract

The key factors influencing the ecological impact of the food industry include intensive components such as waste management, logistics, energy consumption, and raw material usage. Holistically, these also offer a range of environmentally friendly improvement opportunities. The fruit juice industry needs the Life Cycle Assessment for sustainable improvements, especially for concentrated juice that requires high-energy evaporation. The study aims to conduct a cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment of apricot puree concentrate production in Sultanhisar, Turkey. Open-access Agribalyse database and OpenLCA software and the ReCiPe impact assessment method have been used. The functional unit is chosen as 1 kg concentrated apricot puree transported to the retail center. The research results indicate that apricot production is the primary contributor, followed by harvested apricot transportation as the secondary factor, and evaporation as the tertiary factor to all environmental impacts approximately. Sensitivity, uncertainty, and scenario analyses are carried out. Sustainable improvement scenarios, in terms of photovoltaic utilization, result in a minor reduction in Global Warming Potential, ranging from 0.82% to 1.65%. On the contrary, logistics adjustments emphasize a significant hotspot with a reduction impact of 16.71%–19.67%.