Cereal Supply Chain Research Articles

Cereals market: a focus on Italian import and price volatility in a war period

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia raises several questions and uncertainty about the cereal supply chain and market trends. This international crisis and other factors influencing the market, such as the environmental and climate ones, have placed greater attention on Italy’s dependence on foreign countries for some important products for our agri-food industry, including cereals and feed for the livestock sector. The Italian pasta industry, as well as bakery products, need a constant and large supply of wheat, which often comes from foreign markets. This also applies to the livestock sector, with relevant imports of raw materials from abroad for the feed sector. International events also affected Italian cereal imports, although Italy does not strongly depend on the Black Sea for these products. This article provides an analysis of the Italian import of cereals in the recent period when market instability linked to the conflict and other factors emerged. The study also focuses on the forecast for the future and on the role of price dynamics.

EXPLORING THE POTENTIALS OF CEREAL FOOD WASTE IN ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

Cereal food waste makes up a significant part of municipal solid waste, and its proper treatment has become an urgent issue due to its increasing generation. In Nigeria, where around 50% of municipal waste is organic, this study focuses on the need for effective waste management. It highlights the negative environmental and economic impacts of improper disposal methods. The study examines the potential of using cereal food waste in anaerobic digestion for biogas production. Cereal food waste was collected from student hostels at the College of Nursing and Midwifery Malumfashi, sorted, and converted into a composite for anaerobic digestion. An anaerobic digester was constructed using a 25-litre plastic container designed for batch loading. The anaerobic digestion process was carried out for 30 days. The results show that a total biogas volume of 14,634 mL was produced during this time. The daily biogas yields varied, reaching its highest point on the 5th day. This finding underscores the importance of addressing food waste in the cereal supply chain to ensure sustainable food production and consumption. The results demonstrate that cereal food waste has significant potential for biogas production, which can contribute to sustainable waste management and help address environmental challenges linked to food waste. Based on these findings, the study recommends promoting the use of biogas technology to improve food waste management, thus enhancing environmental sustainability and supporting economic development.

Influence of Strategic Supply Chain Management Practices on Performance of Cereal Businesses in Dagahaley Camp Market, Kenya

Purpose: The cereal supply chain within the wholesale and retail trade has been recognized to be below the market demand expectations. The cereals supply chain in Kenya has been dealing with serious issues of poor supplier management for a long time, with instances of malpractice reported, owing to distrust and commitment in the relationship, which has influenced the performance of cereal businesses. With this in focus, this research study was conducted to analyze the Influence of Strategic supply chain management Practices on Performance of Cereal businesses in Dagahaley camp market, Kenya.
 Methodology: A descriptive research design was adopted to assist achieve the study's objectives. The study sample size was 111 registered traders engaged in Distribution, retail and wholesale cereals trade from the Dagahaley market. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Textual analysis was used to analyze qualitative data, while quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Cronbach alpha test with a coefficient of 0.7 was used to ascertain and test the reliability of the data collection instrument.
 Results: The results indicated that Supply chain structure, Inventory control policy, and environment uncertainty had a positive and statistically significant effect on performance of cereals supply chain in Dagahaley market, directly affecting the performance of the cereals Businesses in Dagahaley market.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study therefore recommends that cereal businesses should continually implement the inventory control policies established in Dagahaley Market in order to cushion against excess/stock outs.

Agriculture in Marginal Areas: Reintroduction of Rye and Wheat Varieties for Breadmaking in the Antrona Valley

In marginal lands, cereal landraces continue to be important in agricultural production, whereas hybrids lose their competitive advantage. In this context, selection for adaptation to each environment is particularly important in crops grown under unfavourable conditions, e.g., mountain areas. In this work, from a panel of traditional and modern varieties, mixtures and evolutionary populations, a randomised block experiment was established to select the most productive and suitable wheat and rye varieties specific for the Antrona Valley. The nutritional analysis of each flour was carried out. The results obtained in two years of varietal comparison suggested that rye is more suitable than wheat for growing in this environment: Alpina rye showed the highest yield/m2 and the highest ash content (1.87% ± 0.03%; p < 0.05) compared to other varieties, indicating it as suitable for the baking process. Among wheats, San Pastore showed the highest number of ears/m2 (411 and 350; p < 0.05) compared to others. However, in a context of climate change, the cultivation of Solibam could ensure yield stability, thanks to the high variability within the evolutionary population. Overall, our results demonstrated the possible reintroduction of the cereal supply chain in the Valley and the resumption of the historic rye bread production.

Modelling Processes and Products in the Cereal Chain.

In recent years, modelling techniques have become more frequently adopted in the field of food processing, especially for cereal-based products, which are among the most consumed foods in the world. Predictive models and simulations make it possible to explore new approaches and optimize proceedings, potentially helping companies reduce costs and limit carbon emissions. Nevertheless, as the different phases of the food processing chain are highly specialized, advances in modelling are often unknown outside of a single domain, and models rarely take into account more than one step. This paper introduces the first high-level overview of modelling techniques employed in different parts of the cereal supply chain, from farming to storage, from drying to milling, from processing to consumption. This review, issued from a networking project including researchers from over 30 different countries, aims at presenting the current state of the art in each domain, showing common trends and synergies, to finally suggest promising future venues for research.

Market structure and supply chain strategies in the global agricultural commodity industry: a comparison between EU and USA

Agriculture is peculiar among other industries because supply risk, either through weather or perishability, challenges vertical coordination between independent farmer suppliers and commodity buyers. Moreover, production of agricultural commodities is strictly focused in some regions while there are others who rely mainly on commodities imports. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the commodity market structure and how its features impact the supply chain organisation and companies' strategies. Specifically, the main sources of risks relative to wheat, corn and soybean commodities markets are investigated and related to international trade and supply chain relationships. Furthermore, attention is given to strategies and capabilities that companies working in this market implement to hedge their risks. The evidence provided is based on the case studies of two intermediaries operating in the cereal supply chain, based in USA and Europe.

Pre-harvest measures against Fusarium spp. infection and related mycotoxins implemented by Dutch wheat farmers

Fusarium spp. are one of the most widespread mycotoxin-producing fungi in small-grain cereals like wheat. Their rate of infection and production of mycotoxins is mainly influenced by weather and pre-harvest agronomic measures. Consequently, farmers' prevention and control of mycotoxins are imperative since it is difficult to remove mycotoxins further down the cereal supply chain. This study aimed to (i) identify which pre-harvest preventive and control measures Dutch wheat farmers currently apply against Fusarium spp. infection and mycotoxin contamination and to (ii) examine which farm and farmer characteristics explain the implementation of these measures. Field data on pre-harvest measures, like the selection of resistant varieties, fungicide use, and crop rotation, along with farm and farmer characteristics were collected from Dutch wheat farmers via an online questionnaire. Probit models were applied to examine farm and farmer characteristics that explain the implementation of pre-harvest measures. Results showed that most farmers applied six or more different measures against Fusarium spp. infection and mycotoxin contamination in wheat and that the use of pre-harvest measures is related to at least one other measure. However, results indicated that about 44% of farmers could become more effective if they implemented a benchmark approach consisting of a combination of fungicide use during flowering, selection of a Fusarium resistant wheat variety, and plowing or crop rotation. Five out of the ten evaluated farm and farmer characteristics significantly (p < 0.05) explained the implementation of at least one of the eight pre-harvest control measures. These five farm and farmer characteristics include wheat as main income crop, the use of a decision support system, the education level of the farmer, the farmer's knowledge about mycotoxins, and the farmer's level of risk aversion. Insight into relevant characteristics can be used by farmer cooperatives, processing industries and government agencies to improve the overall mycotoxin management of wheat farmers.

Cereal supply chain waste in the context of circular economy

Taking into consideration the circular economy context, from cereal production and processing result by-products and residues which can be transformed into the new raw materials. Straw, husks, brans, flours, bread waste, confectionary waste, so on, can be re-used using different processes such as: extraction, fermentation, microorganism cultivation, for obtaining added value products. These new products obtained can be: biofuels, enzymes, biodegradable material food contact, single cell protein, bio-adsorbent, nanoparticles, bio alcohol, bioactive compounds like fibres, phytochemicals, minerals, so on. This paper is a short review regarding sharing knowledge and good practices in implementing circular economy within food systems, specifically, cereal supply chain.

Infection conditions of Fusarium graminearum in barley are variety specific and different from those in wheat

Fusarium head blight is one of the most noxious cereal diseases. Worldwide, F. graminearum (FG) and the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most dominant species/mycotoxin in barley and wheat. Barley is often produced as on farm feed and thus routine mycotoxin analyses similar to those of cereals for human consumption are not performed. Hence, an early prediction of mycotoxin levels is important for farmers to minimise the risk of contaminated feed but also of contaminated cereals entering the cereal supply chain. Therefore, climate chamber experiments with artificial FG infection of barley investigating the influence of different temperatures (10 °C, 15 °C, 20 °C) and durations (4 h, 8 h, 12 h) at 99% relative humidity were conducted to accumulate data to develop a forecasting system. An up to three times higher DON contamination in the 15 °C treatments for the feed barley variety Ascona was detected compared with the 10 °C and 20 °C treatments. For the malting barley variety Concerto, the prolonged humidity durations had a stronger effect under all tested temperatures and resulted in up to two times higher DON contaminations. In addition, field experiments where spore deposition during anthesis as well as disease incidence, fungal amount and mycotoxins were observed, showed that the overwintered straw treatment resulted, depending on the year, in a three times higher FG incidence and DON content compared with the control and freshly inoculated straw treatment.

Environmental Pressures Embodied in the French Cereals Supply Chain

SummaryFrance is the second largest exporter of cereals in the world. Although the cereal supply chain is an asset to the country's economy and employment, it is at the same time responsible for a number of pressures on the local and global environment including greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and stresses on water quality and quantity. This article aims at evaluating this situation from an environmental point of view by linking production occurring in French regions with consumption occurring in France and abroad. Based on previous work on material flow analysis, we use an absorbing Markov chain model to study the fate of French cereals and link worldwide consumption to environmental pressures along the supply chain, that is, induced by production, transformation, or transport. The model is based on physical supply and use tables and distinguishes between 21 industries, 22 products, 38 regions of various spatial resolution (22 French regions, ten countries, six continents), and four modes of transport. Energy use, GHG emissions, land use, use of pesticides, and blue water footprint are studied. Illustrative examples are given in order to demonstrate the versatility of the results produced, for instance: Where and in what form does local production end up? How do regions compare relative to their production and consumption footprints? These results are designed to be a first step toward scenario analysis for decision‐aiding that would also include socio‐economic indicators. Examples of such scenarios are discussed in the conclusion.

Downscaling material flow analysis: The case of the cereal supply chain in France

The spatial reconstruction of the production, trade, transformation and consumption flows of a specific material, can become an important decision-help tool for improving resource management and for studying environmental pressures from the producer's to the consumer's viewpoint. One of the obstacles preventing its actual use in the decision-making process is that building such studies at various geographical scales proves to be costly both in time and manpower. In this article, we propose a semi-automatic methodology to overcome this issue: we describe our multi-scalar model and its data-reconciliation component and apply it to cereal flows. Namely, using official databases (Insee, Agreste, FranceAgriMer, SitraM) as well as corporate sources, we reconstructed the supply chain flows of the 22 French regions as well as the flows of four nested territories: France, the Rhône-Alpes region, the Isère department and the territory of the SCoT of Grenoble. We display the results using Sankey diagrams and discuss the intervals of confidence of the model's outputs. We conclude on the perspectives of coupling this model with economic, social and environmental aspects that would provide key information to decision-makers.

Exploring agency, knowledge and power in an Australian bulk cereal supply chain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how information sharing practices influenced inter-firm relationships. This was done specifically in relation to bulk commodity supply chains, due to the pre-existing power asymmetries in the system. Design/methodology/approach – This research was conducted using an interpretivist, inductive approach. The intention was to gather a wide range of data and then explore the data to see which themes emerged, rather than focusing on collecting data relevant only to specific themes. Findings – The key findings of this research focused around the difference between creating situations of compliance or collaboration in a supply chain context. This suggests that by understanding the relationships that exist between organisations, those in procurement and supply chain management roles will be able to better understand and manage the nuances of their supplier relationships. Research limitations/implications – The study is focused on a supply network specifically configured to facilitate sourcing and distribution of bulk grain. As such the findings need to be understood within the constraints of this context. Practical implications – Reliance on coercive power in an institutional change process is shown in our study to create a situation of compliance rather than of collaboration. Reliance on a different type of power, such as referent power, would be more successful in creating a situation of collaboration. Social implications – The sourcing and distribution of bulk grain is fundamental to food distribution in a developed economy. Our study provides a set of propositions indicating where managers can focus to more effectively manage these flows. Originality/value – The definition of the “agent” also provided an interesting point of comparison. This research found that the ultimate definition of the “agent” changes and can be linked to the institutional differences in ownership within a supply chain. This suggests the potential to redefine the way that Agency theory is discussed. The notion that the “agent” is dynamic and is likely to be the “agent”, “caretaker” and more at the same time suggests the potential for the traditional definition of the agent to be challenged.

A design of experiments approach to studying deoxynivalenol and deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside evolution throughout industrial production of wholegrain crackers exploiting LC-MS/MS techniques

Fusarium mycotoxins represent a significant problem in the cereal supply chain, with wheat, maize and barley being the main contaminated crops. Among the Fusarium toxins, the trichothecene deoxynivalenol (DON) is considered to be the most important contaminant in wheat due to its widespread occurrence. To protect consumers from unacceptably high trichothecene intakes in their diets, many countries have set maximum trichothecene levels for cereals and related food commodities. Relatively few studies have considered the loss of trichothecenes during industrial processing and focused on how processing steps may influence their degradation or modification. The aim of the present study is to verify how the DON and deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside (DON-3G) concentration in wholegrain crackers can be influenced by changes to the technological parameters employed during the fermentation and baking steps, starting with naturally contaminated bran, using a pilot-scale plant and exploiting the power of the Design of Experiments (DoE) approach. The DON results were then used to generate a preliminary predictive model, suggesting that the baking step represents the most important phase in minimising the native toxin level in crackers.

Perspectives for Geographically Oriented Management of Fusarium Mycotoxins in the Cereal Supply Chain

This article provides an overview of available systems for management of Fusarium mycotoxins in the cereal grain supply chain, with an emphasis on the use of predictive mathematical modeling. From the state of the art, it proposes future developments in modeling and management and their challenges. Mycotoxin contamination in cereal grain-based feed and food products is currently managed and controlled by good agricultural practices, good manufacturing practices, hazard analysis critical control points, and by checking and more recently by notification systems and predictive mathematical models. Most of the predictive models for Fusarium mycotoxins in cereal grains focus on deoxynivalenol in wheat and aim to help growers make decisions about the application of fungicides during cultivation. Future developments in managing Fusarium mycotoxins should include the linkage between predictive mathematical models and geographical information systems, resulting into region-specific predictions for mycotoxin occurrence. The envisioned geographically oriented decision support system may incorporate various underlying models for specific users' demands and regions and various related databases to feed the particular models with (geographically oriented) input data. Depending on the user requirements, the system selects the best fitting model and available input information. Future research areas include organizing data management in the cereal grain supply chain, developing predictive models for other stakeholders (taking into account the period up to harvest), other Fusarium mycotoxins, and cereal grain types, and understanding the underlying effects of the regional component in the models.

Fate of Fusarium mycotoxins in the cereal product supply chain: the deoxynivalenol (DON) case within industrial bread-making technology

Fusarium mycotoxins are a relevant problem in the cereal supply chain at a worldwide level, with wheat, maize and barley being the main contaminated crops. Mould growth can happen in the pre-harvest phase and also during transport and storage due to ineffective drying conditions. Among Fusarium toxins, deoxynivalenol (DON) is considered the most important contaminant in wheat due to its widespread occurrence. In the last years the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Commission have frequently expressed opinions on Fusarium toxins, setting limits, regulations and guidelines in order to reduce their levels in raw materials and food commodities. In particular, European legislation (Reg. 1881/2006) sets the maximum limit for DON in flour and bread as 750 and 500 µg kg−1 respectively. Relatively few studies have taken into account the loss of trichothecenes during processing, focusing on how processing factors may influence their degradation. In particular, the description of DON behaviour during bread-making is very difficult, since complex physico-chemical modifications occur during the transformation of the raw ingredients into the final product. In the present study, we studied how DON concentration may be influenced by modifying bread-making parameters, with a special emphasis on the fermentation and baking stages, starting from a naturally contaminated flour at both pilot and industrial scales. Exploiting the power of a Design of Experiments (DoE) approach to consider the great complexity of the studied system, the obtained model shows satisfying goodness-of-fit and prediction, suggesting that the baking step (time/temperature ranges) is crucial for minimizing native DON level in bread.