Optimizing the Environmental Profile of Fresh-Cut Produce: Life Cycle Assessment of Novel Decontamination and Sanitation Techniques

Miguel Vigil,Henar Moran-Palacios,Jv Alvarez Cabal,Maria Pedrosa Laza

doi:10.3390/su12093674

Abstract

Fresh-cut vegetables, namely those that undergo processes such as washing, sorting, or chopping while keeping their fresh state, constitute an important market element nowadays. Among those operations, the washing step becomes really important due both to the extensive use of water resources and to the utilization of controversial water sanitizing agents, such as chlorine. To ideally eliminate those chlorinated compounds while decreasing water consumption, four novel filtrating technologies (pulsed corona discharge combined with nanofiltration, NF-PCD; classical ultrafiltration, UF; nanofiltration membranes integrating silver nanoparticles, NF-AgNP; and microfiltration with cellulose acetate membranes containing chitin nanocrystals, ChCA) have been proposed to eliminate any contaminating agent in recirculated water. Here, we performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental effects of introducing these new solutions and to compare those impacts with the burden derived from the current strategy. The novel technologies showed a decreased environmental burden, mainly due to the enhanced water recirculation and the subsequent decrease in energy consumption for pumping and cooling the water stream. The environmental gain would be maintained even if a certain amount of chlorine was still needed. This analysis could serve as an aid to decision-making while evaluating the introduction of new sanitizing techniques.

Highlights

In order to benefit from the well-known properties of fresh fruits and vegetables, many customers tend to favor the consumption of “fresh-cut” (FC) products, defined as “those fruits and vegetables that may have undergone procedures such as washing, sorting, trimming, peeling, slicing or chopping that do not affect their fresh life quality” [1]
The impact scores for each of the 12 ReCiPe midpoint categories calculated according to our referTenhceeimscpenaacrtisocoarreespfroerseenatcehdoinf tFhiegu1r2eR4e.CIniPaelmmoidstpaolilntthceacteognosirdieesrecdalccautleagteodrieasc,cmoradjoinrgimtopaocutrs rwefeerreednucee stocetnhaereionearrgeypcroensesuntmedptiinonF,ifgoullroew4.edInbaylmthoescthalollrtinhaetcioonnspirdoecreesds caantdegwoarsietesw, mataejrortriematpmaecntst wasertheedpureintocitphaeleennevrigryoncmonesnutmallpytidoanm, faogllionwg ecdombypothneenchtsl.orination process and wastewater treatment as the principal environmentally damaging components
The inclusion of filtering membranes as washing water sanitizing techniques appears to be clearly convenient from an environmental point of view

Summary

Introduction

In order to benefit from the well-known properties of fresh fruits and vegetables, many customers tend to favor the consumption of “fresh-cut” (FC) products, defined as “those fruits and vegetables that may have undergone procedures such as washing, sorting, trimming, peeling, slicing or chopping that do not affect their fresh life quality” [1]. These products play an important role in the present days, when the time allocated to cooking processes is in a clear decrease [2]. These operations consist of trimming, slicing and shredding, washing, draining, weighing, and packing [4,5]

Results

Discussion

Conclusion