Food Product Categories Research Articles

The impact of quality certificates on sustainable food production: An analysis of selected systems in Poland

This study evaluates the influence of quality certificates on sustainable food production in Poland, considering economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Analyzing 25 different certificates, the research explores their criteria, procedures, and costs across various food product categories, including meat, fish, and plant-based products. The study provides a detailed review of certification processes, from initiation to audits and inspections. It identifies both commonalities and differences among certificates, each addressing unique aspects such as environmental impact, worker rights, and product origins. Despite the diversity in standards and procedures, the study underscores the need for standardized international criteria to improve transparency and meet consumer expectations, highlighting the significant role of quality certificates in advancing sustainable food production.

How Do Greeks Feel about Eating Insects? A Study of Consumer Perceptions and Preferences.

Edible insects are considered among the most promising sustainable sources of protein to address the predicted deficiency of conventional food protein. Due to their nutritional and environmental benefits, there is an increasing interest in the ways insects could become part of the Western diet. Little is known about Greek consumers' attitudes toward the habit of consuming insects as food. This study provides insight into Greek consumers' preferences for insect-based food products. The data were collected through an online questionnaire (n = 1531). A two-step cluster analysis and a categorical regression were employed to classify the respondents into discernible clusters and determine the relationship between their socioeconomic characteristics and their willingness to adopt insect-based food products. Feelings of disgust and rejection were the predominant reactions to the concept of insects as food. The acceptance of novel foods derived from edible insects could be potentially enhanced by providing information regarding their positive effects, using familiar food products, and decreasing the insect's degree of visibility by employing processed forms. Finally, the categories of insect protein-enriched food products (bakery, meat, snacks) that Greek consumers are more likely to consume were revealed. Such findings may be useful for promoting strategies regarding consuming insect-based products.

Tribological properties of real foods using extended Stribeck curves and their relationship with nutritional and rheological parameters.

The tribological properties of 19 commercial food products, grouped into six categories (yogurt, dressings, spreads, porridges, emulsified sauces, and syrups) were investigated in relation to their rheological (dynamic oscillatory shear test) and nutritional properties (fat, carbohydrate, and protein). A tribological system (a glass ball and three polydimethylsiloxane pins) generated the extended Stribeck curve, monitoring friction factors (f) over an extended range of sliding speed (v) (10-8 to 100 m/s). Tribological parameters (f, v) at four inflection points dividing the frictional regimes (X1, breakaway point between the static and kinetic regimes; X1-X2, boundary; X2-X3, mixed; X3-X4, hydrodynamic regimes) and the slope between X3 and X4 (s) were subjected to principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering on principal components, using rheological and nutritional parameters as quantitative supplementary variables. Tribological patterns were predominantly influenced by viscosity, viscoelasticity, yield stress, fat content, and the presence of particles (e.g., sugar, proteins, and fibers) and pasting materials (e.g., starches and modified starches). The 19 tribological patterns were classified into 3 clusters: low f and s for fat- and/or viscoelastic-dominant foods (Cluster 1), low f and high s for food emulsions and/or those with low extent of shear-thinning (Cluster 2), and high f at the boundary regime either for the most viscous foods or for those in the presence of particulates (Cluster 3). These results suggest that the compositional and rheological properties have a more profound impact on the classification of complex tribological patterns than the categories of food products.

Salmonellosis in Ukraine: An analysis of food products contamination, Salmonella transmission, and serovar diversity during 2012–2023

A laboratory-based surveillance was conducted to study the transmission of Salmonella infection in Ukraine during the period 2012-2023. The study focused on the different categories of food products, feed, and animals as the main transmission factors and tried to analyze the relationship between them. The serological profile of Salmonella was predominantly observed in samples from objects of veterinary control, including biological/pathological material from animals and biomaterials from poultry within the National Poultry Salmonellosis Control Program. The study found that the most frequently isolated serovars were S. Enteritidis (20.03%), followed by S. Typhimurium (14.76%), S. Pullorum (without biovar identification;10.71%), S. Pullorum biovar Pullorum (10.50%), S. Pullorum var. Gallinarum (6.62%), S. Choleraesuis (5.79%), S. Livingstone (2.53%), and S. Infantis (1.70%). In 2021, an isolate of monophasic S. Typhimurium was identified for the first time in pathological material from pigs. The study also found that the most frequent Salmonella-positive categories of food products in Ukraine were meat and meat products (78.16%), eggs and egg products (11.75%); dairy products (3.319%), fish products (2.71%), ready-to-eat food products (1.96%). The largest specific share of Salmonella isolates from food products and feed was S. Enteritidis, followed by serotypes such as S. Infantis, S. Typhimurium, S. Livingstone, S. Virchow, and rare serotypes such as S. Nigeria and S. Thompson. The dominance of certain serovars such as S. Enteritidis, S. Typhimurium, S. Infantis, S. Livingstone, and S. Virchow in biomaterials from sick animals indicates their primary role in the infection of food products of animal origin. Hence, a stress to enhance diagnostic and monitoring frameworks at animal herd levels. The findings of this study can be used as a basis for evidence-based epidemiology, as well as for the implementation of joint steps to improve the effectiveness of control measures against salmonellosis in each region.

Addressing the opportunities of non‐thermal food processing technologies in the ASEAN region context

SummaryThis study aims to explore the opportunities offered by non‐thermal food processing technologies, including high‐pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, ultraviolet light, ultrasound, and microwave that could be viable for the agriculture commodities produced in the ASEAN region. The applications of these technologies across various food product categories (from dairy to fruits and vegetables, meat and seafood, beverages, condiments, fermented foods, edible oil, and ready‐to‐eat meals) focusing on microbial inactivation and mass transfer process enhancement, are systematically discussed to highlight their potential to foster the production of safe, nutritious, and fresh‐like quality food products from the region. The adoption of non‐thermal technologies can face several challenges that hinder the integration of these technologies in ASEAN, including high start‐up costs, limited access to stable electricity and clean water, and inconsistencies in food regulations across countries. Information gaps related to the adoption of non‐thermal technologies within the diverse food‐related scenarios in ASEAN were identified and recommendations were given to improve the state of knowledge in the region. Overall, this work offers critical insights for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers to consider inclusion of non‐thermal technologies in food production as strategic approaches and tailored solutions to enhance the competitiveness of regional food products globally.

Potential Impact of Sustainable Business Practices: Brand Equity in Fast Food and Millennials’ Purchase Intentions

This study was carried out because we live in a world of constant change and high competition, where local fast-food brands in Chiclayo do not have an adequate position in the consumer’s mind compared to international franchises established in our town. The general objective was to determine the influence of brand equity on the purchase intention for local fast-food brands among Chiclayo millennials. The model proposed includes the constructs of brand equity in various category of food products. This document is intended to contribute to society and the scientific community by providing strategic support to brand owners who work with this approach and individual managers. A quantitative approach was used, with a basic type, explanatory level, and non-experimental cross-sectional design, using Cronbach’s alpha for reliability of the instrument and validity by expert judgment. Customers of local fast-food brands comprised the sample, with a total of 385 people surveyed independent of gender. SPSS v.27 and Microsoft Excel 2019 were used for simple random sampling. It was concluded that millennial consumers have regular brand equity and purchase intention for local fast-food brands, emphasizing that the knowledge dimension does not significantly influence purchase intention.

Purchase Intention in Luxury Food: The Role of Materialism, Social Comparison, and Bandwagon Effect

Objective: This research aims to examine the influence of materialism, social comparison, and the bandwagon effect on purchase intention for luxury food products. Design/Methods/Approach: This study adopts a quantitative approach and employs Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on Partial Least Squares (PLS) using the SmartPLS 3 software. An online survey was conducted by distributing a questionnaire among 200 respondents. Findings: The results indicate a significant influence of materialism and the bandwagon effect on purchase intention. In contrast, no significant influence is found in the effect of social comparison on purchase intention. Originality/Value: This research contributes to the academic and marketing fields by providing insights into the role of materialism, social comparison, and the bandwagon effect on purchase intention, particularly in the luxury food product category. Practical/Policy implications: The findings of this study could be beneficial for marketers looking to promote their products, specifically in the luxury food category. Businesses could create distinctive products and promotions, such as offering limited edition menus or exclusive deals for VIP members, like access to secret menus or unique discounts. Marketers could utilize social media platforms by selecting influencers that align with the brand's luxury concept and appeal to the target audience. Viral campaigns also encourage audiences to compare themselves with social media celebrities, leading to a bandwagon effect and increasing brand loyalty.

Patterns of affective images of animal-sourced food in Norway: Land versus sea

To get an understanding of drivers of animal-sourced protein consumption, we explored laypeople’s affective images of animal-sourced food. A national representative sample of the Norwegian population (N = 783) provided free associations to six food products originating either from livestock, capture fishery, aquaculture, or hunting. Subsequently, participants evaluated their own free associations as either positive, negative, or neutral. We found that people show different associative patterns for animal-sourced food from land than from sea. Livestock and hunting are mostly related to traditions and food, whereas capture fishery relates to production, consequences, and evaluations. People reported to have little knowledge about food products in the aquaculture category. Livestock was the most positively evaluated category, followed by hunting and capture fishery; aquaculture elicited the most negative associations. The current findings suggest a need to consider different strategies to encourage consumption of specific categories of food products.

Perovskite Nanocrystals: Superior Luminogens for Food Quality Detection Analysis.

With the global limited food resources receiving grievous damage from frequent climate changes and ascending global food demand resulting from increasing population growth, perovskite nanocrystals with distinctive photoelectric properties have emerged as attractive and prospective luminogens for the exploitation of rapid, easy operation, low cost, highly accurate, excellently sensitive, and good selective biosensors to detect foodborne hazards in food practices. Perovskite nanocrystals have demonstrated supreme advantages in luminescent biosensing for food products due to their high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield, narrow full width at half-maximum PL, tunable PL in the entire visible spectrum, easy preparation, and various modification strategies compared with conventional semiconductors. Herein, we have carried out a comprehensive discussion concerning perovskite nanocrystals as luminogens in the application of high-performance biosensing of foodborne hazards for food products, including a brief introduction of perovskite nanocrystals, perovskite nanocrystal-based biosensors, and their application in different categories of food products. Finally, the challenges and opportunities faced by perovskite nanocrystals as superior luminogens were proposed to promote their practicality in the future food supply.

Storage Stability of Plant-Based Drinks Related to Proteolysis and Generation of Free Amino Acids

The market for plant-based drinks (PBDs) is experiencing a surge in consumer demand, especially in Western societies. PBDs are a highly processed food product, and little is known about this relatively new food product category when compared to bovine milk. In the present study, the storage stability, proteolysis and generation of free amino acids were investigated in commercially available PBDs over the course of a one-year storage period. Generally, pH, color and protein solubility were found to be stable in the PBDs during storage, except for the pea-based product, which showed less protein solubility after storage. The pea-based drinks also had higher initial levels of free N-terminals prior to storage compared with levels for the other plant-based drinks, as well as significantly increasing levels of total free, and especially bitter free, amino acids. The development of free amino acids in the oat-based drink indicated that the released amino acids could be involved in various reactions such as the Maillard reaction during the storage period.

Trends in sustainability claims and labels for newly introduced food products across selected European countries

AbstractThe European Union (EU) farm‐to‐fork strategy aims to empower consumers to make sustainable food choices, among others, through harmonizing voluntary green claims and labels and potentially introducing a common sustainable claims and labels framework for food products. The literature on the current use of sustainability claims and labels (SCLs) in the EU market is scarce. This paper analyzes the trend developments of SCLs in product launches by food companies across different product groups and countries. The analyses are based on Mintel Global New Product Database on newly introduced products with SCLs, covering 24 food product categories and 19 European countries over the 2005–2021 period. The results show that, on aggregate, across all covered countries and products, the share of product launches with SCLs increased by 2.83% annually from 2005 to 2021. This trend varies greatly among countries, product categories and SCL types. Further, the results show that products covering environmental only SCLs make the highest contribution to the overall sustainability trend (68.2%), followed by products with a combination of both environmental and social SCLs (27.5%), whereas only social SCLs have a minor representation (4.2%). [EconLit Citations: Q18, Q01].

Evaluation of the ability to detect Bacillus cereus in food of chromogenic agar media RAPID’B.cereus according to ISO 7932:2004

In this study, the ability to detect Bacillus cereus of the new chromogenic agar media RAPID’B.cereus (RBC) was compared with the standard selective culture media Mannitol Egg Yolk Polymyxin (MYP) recommended by food authorities for isolation, identification, and quantification of Bacillus cereus. Two types of media were used to conduct the assessment on five categories of food, including cereals and cereal products; flour and starch; vegetables and vegetable products; milk and dairy products; and confectionery (n = 164). The results of the survey Bacillus cereus contamination on RBC (75.61%), MYP (70.12%), of which 46.09% of the samples didn’t meet the standards of the Ministry of Health on the maximum allowable limit of Bacillus cereus in food. Conducting performance testing of RBC according to ISO 16140-2:2016 with parameters: growth, selectivity, specificity, relative trueness and accuracy profile, the analysis results all met the criteria according to the standard: the development (PR) of the two media were 0.97 and 0.81 respectively; a high level of background microflora was present on the MYP plates while if it was not the case on the RBC plates; both media allowed the detection of Bacillus cereus with a difference of 0.14.  Compared with the acceptance criteria as prescribed, the categories used in the study were all suitable for assessment in the new media with the accuracy between the two methods being equivalent.

Вплив диверсифікації сільськогосподарського виробництва на процеси раціонального використання ресурсного потенціалу підприємств

The agro-industrial complex is one of the most essential branches of the economy. Systemic changes in modern society have had a significant impact on agro-industrial enterprises. These changes are bilateral. On the one hand, technical re-equipment of enterprises and digitization of agriculture contribute to the development of the industry. On the other hand, they require revision, activation, and use of resource provision. Resource potential includes a complex of all material and immaterial resources, collectively ensuring high, stable economic indicators. Here, it is essential to understand that the region’s resource potential as a whole or of an individual enterprise includes both resources used at a specific time and those in a passive state. The resources consumed in agricultural production are increasingly considered not from the practical standpoint of their use but from the strategic aspects of their possible reproduction and preservation for future generations. Many factors determine the sustainable development of enterprises of the agro-industrial complex, and the resource potential is only one of them. However, the competent management of resources is the key to the successful functioning of the enterprise. The actualization of the diversification of the activities of agricultural enterprises in modern conditions is strengthened because it is an effective tool for managing economic development, considering the peculiarities of agriculture related to its seasonality; it contributes to the full use of resource potential, the strengthening of financial synergy, increasing the competitiveness of the enterprise. Diversification of the activities of agricultural enterprises in the conditions of a market economy allows them to reduce the risks of unreasonably high costs and flexibly respond to the changing structure of demand to preserve the potential of the organization and production capacity. A feature of agricultural diversification is the ability to adapt to the changing conditions of the agricultural market and even influence it. When determining the direction of diversification of agricultural production, it is necessary to consider the specifics of land resources, soil fertility, natural and climatic conditions, consumer activity, and price categories of food products. Keywords: resources, potential, diversification, production, agricultural sector.

Российско-китайская торговля сельскохозяйственной продукцией: анализ сравнительных преимуществ

Agricultural trade between Russia and China has been growing at an unprecedented pace in recent years. The recently announced agreement on the supply of grain from Russia to China within the New Land Grain Corridor lays a solid foundation for long-term cooperation between the two countries in the agricultural sector. However, the persistent trade imbalances do not allow Russian and Chinese agricultural enterprises to unlock their com-petitive advantages and radically increase mutual trade turnover. The paper calculates the indicators of con-centration, diversification, and structural changes in foreign trade, as well as the Revealed Comparative Ad-vantages index for 29 categories of food and agricultural products traded between Russia and China. Based the 2000–2022 data, commodity items are identified where the comparative disadvantages of one country can be compensated by the comparative advantages of another, in particular, grains and oilseeds, fish and crusta-ceans, and processed vegetables and fruits. The findings of the study can be taken into account by the gov-ernment bodies and businesses of both countries when developing trade and economic cooperation programs.

Environmental sustainability of Finnish pork production: life cycle assessment of climate change and water scarcity impacts

PurposeThe degrading impacts of livestock production on the environment are well acknowledged. Although ruminants are much studied due to their large contribution to climate change impact, monogastrics are also known to carry a significant load, and mitigation options need investigation. Here, the climate change impact and water scarcity impact of Finnish pork production was investigated using the life cycle assessment approach.MethodsAs the importance of communicating reliable environmental information has been acknowledged in the EU, methods and guidance for this purpose have been developed. Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules have also been published for several food product categories, although not yet for meat. Here, the life cycle assessment methods were used based on PEFCR guidance and the draft version of red meat PEFCR guidance to achieve a reliable, transparent and comparable assessment.ResultsFinnish pork production resulted in a climate change impact of 3.6 kg CO2 eq. kgCW−1 and a water scarcity impact of 0.69 m3 eq. kgCW−1. The largest contribution to the climate change impact came from feed crop production, with an impact of 43%. Land-use changes were included, and their contribution to the Finnish pork climate change impact was 3%. Similarly, in the water scarcity impact, feed crop production was a major contributor, with 41% from fattening pig feed production. Significant contributions to both categories also came from piglet production, including feed crop production, and to the climate change impact from manure storage.ConclusionsFinnish production was seen to already largely utilise sidestreams and domestic feed ingredients, although, e.g. soybean is still used. Based on the results, in mitigating the environmental impacts of Finnish pork production, attention should especially be paid to the resource-efficient production of domestic feed crops and reduced use of organic soils. As current assessment models are unable to grasp the impacts of regenerative farming techniques, the development of LCA methods is also required. Water scarcity impact was seen to be largely affected by the utilisation of feed crops originating from water-scarce countries. As a mitigation measure, the procurement of these feed crops and ingredients should therefore be directed to water-abundant areas and from production which does not depend on irrigation water or the extensive use of synthetic inputs.

KINERJA BISNIS USAHA BAHAN MAKANAN SEGAR ONLINE DI BANDAR LAMPUNG

Human civilization is entering a disruptive era of technology indicated by behaviour changes and the discovery of new patterns, one of which is digital transformation. It was further triggered by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The right digital marketing model contributes to a massive digital technology-based market transformation to increase the welfare of agricultural business actors. The research focuses on business actors that utilize digital technology in the category of fresh food products. The aims of this research are: 1). Analyzing the effectiveness of digital marketing, and 2). Analyzing business performance. The research using basic case study method. The research location was chosen purposively, namely three business actors, by utilizing digital innovation.The results shows that the business performance of selling fresh food online in Bandar Lampung is divided into two aspects, namely production performance and management performance. Production performance is based on productivity, quality, capacity, process, delivery speed, flexibility, and processing speed to layout. Meanwhile, management performance is based on guidelines regarding good food production methods for home industries, from 13 assessment indicators, it was found that business A was in the category of minor deviation, business actor B and C was in the category of major deviation.Keywords: Digital Transformation, Digital Marketing Effectiveness, Groceries

Prevalence and growth potential of Listeria monocytogenes in innovative, pre-packed, plant-based ready-to-eat food products on the Belgian market

In recent years, pre-packed ready-to-eat (RTE) food products on the Belgian market have shifted to a more plant-based composition due to a variety of reasons, including consumer concerns about health, animal welfare, and sustainability. However, similar to animal-based RTE foods, plant-based RTE foods can be susceptible to the presence and outgrowth of Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). Three innovative, pre-packed, plant-based RTE food product categories on the Belgian market were identified based upon data gaps regarding the prevalence and growth potential of this pathogen. These were vegetarian and vegan deli sandwich slices (category 1), fresh-cut (mixes of) leafy vegetables (category 2), and multi-ingredient salad bowls (category 3). Reports on associated listeriosis outbreaks and recalls were collected and a comprehensive literature review on the prevalence of L. monocytogenes (i.e. detection in 25 g food) was performed. In addition, the prevalence of L. monocytogenes was also determined through an exploratory retail survey of ca. 50 different RTE products of each category. A batch was considered positive if L. monocytogenes was detected in a food item, either on the day of purchase, at the end of shelf life, or both. During the retail survey, L. monocytogenes was not detected in category 2 (0 out of 51 batches), while 1 out of 51 and 6 out of 48 batches were found positive for respectively category 1 and 3. The observed L. monocytogenes concentration did not exceed 10 CFU/g at any point in time in any batch. Furthermore, challenge tests were performed to determine the growth potential of L. monocytogenes in nine pre-packed, plant-based RTE food products (two to four different products of each category, and three different batches per product). After inoculation, products were stored for half of their shelf life at 7 °C and half of their shelf life at 9 °C (simulation of resp. retail and consumer storage). In six of the nine challenge tests executed, growth of L. monocytogenes was supported (i.e. growth potential ≥0.50 log10 CFU/g during shelf life). The highest growth potential was observed for fresh-cut iceberg lettuce (3.60 log10 CFU/g in 9 days), but a large variation regarding the growth potential of L. monocytogenes was noted both between and within the three studied pre-packed, plant-based RTE food product categories. This variation was mainly caused by differences in product composition, physicochemical product characteristics, present (competitive) microbiota such as lactic acid bacteria, applied preservation techniques, and shelf life.

Eating out of paper versus plastic: The effect of packaging material on consumption

This research investigates how packaging materials bias perceived packaging healthiness and real food consumption. Across five studies and two different food product categories (healthy vs. unhealthy), the authors demonstrate that paper packaging, compared with plastic packaging, decreases consumption amounts of food products. We demonstrate that health goal activations explains this effect as paper packaging can be considered a health-related cue. The notion that packaging materials affect consumption of (un)healthy products is substantially relevant to food manufacturers, public policy makers, and consumers, especially in their efforts to enhance healthy consumer behavior.

The Determinants Influencing Consumer Acceptance of Innovative Traditional Food Products: A Systematic Literature Review

Over the past few decades, food firms and government agencies have shown a growing interest in traditional foods. In order to preserve or increase market share and profitability, the traditional food sector, like all other sectors of the food business, must continually innovate and develop its products. Nevertheless, compared to certain other industries, the traditional food business has more challenges with innovation. Many innovative food product introductions fail. Conflicts arise when the intersection of cutting-edge and traditional dietary ideas is too pronounced. Therefore, this study systematically reviews the complex academic literature to assess the main factors that affect consumer acceptance of innovative traditional food products. The purpose of this review is to a total of 20 selected papers were chosen that specifically focused on the area of traditional food innovation acceptance among consumers as the main topic. Specifically, the acceptance of innovation in traditional foods seems to be clustered under five main factors: maintaining traditional characteristics, health and safety concerns, familiarity and reducing ambiguity, type of food consumers segment, and convenience and practicality. Therefore, there are certain ways to innovate traditional food products without compromising their image, which serves as their primary competitive advantage. These opportunities particularly revolve around maintaining the authenticity of the product. As long as there are no modifications to the sensory quality, innovations that enhance food safety, boost nutritional quality, or make it more convenient are generally received favourably. The findings from this study will aid the food companies, entrepreneurs, private and public agencies to fully recognise consumers' perception and evaluations concerning innovative traditional food attributes and enhance consumers’ responses towards different innovative categories of food products.

Fermented Foods as a Potential Vehicle of Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria and Genes

Fermented food products are widely consumed for their nutritional and health-promoting properties, earning them a central place in diets around the globe. However, these foods can present a paradox, as they have the potential to harbor not only beneficial probiotics but also antibiotic-resistant (AR) microbes and genes. The impact of AR microbes and genes in fermented foods has far-reaching implications, such as potential effects on human health, repercussions in the food industry, and environmental consequences. An in-depth analysis of AR microbes and genes in fermented foods, including dairy products, fermented fruits and vegetables, meat products, and beverages, would provide insights into the extent and ramifications of the issue with these foods. Therefore, this review systematically presents the status of AR in fermented foods, with a particular focus on AR bacteria and genes within this category of food products. The review also highlights the complexities of AR in fermented foods, emphasizing the role of bacterial adaptation during the fermentation process and the dynamics of bacterial gene transfer. Various factors contributing to AR microbes and genes are brought into focus, including intrinsic resistance among bacteria in fermented foods and the potential risk of contamination with pathogenic bacteria. Moreover, this review presents a range of mitigation strategies, from the development of novel antimicrobials to advances in fermentation technology and regulatory control. This comprehensive perspective on the intricate interplay between AR and fermented food will potentially pave the way for more targeted research and mitigation strategies in this critical area.