Food Transport Research Articles

Fluorescence Polarization Assays for Organic Compounds in Food Safety.

Elevated concentrations of toxic organic compounds observed in food products pose serious dangers to human health. Both natural and artificial pollutants can cause food contamination. The stages of food production, packaging, transportation, and storage can also largely cause the appearance of undesirable substances in food products. The health consequences of ingesting food containing toxic contaminants range from mild gastroenteritis to deaths resulting from dysfunctional internal organs and neurological syndromes. The World Health Organization (WHO) sets recommendations for the content of such chemicals in food, including a minimum allowable concentration considered safe for human consumption. However, the control of food products from chemical pollutants is necessary. Moreover, fast, sensitive, and inexpensive methods are needed to detect them at the point of need. Currently, immune analysis methods are most widely used to determine pollutants in food. The development of fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) methods in a competitive format is a powerful and modern tool for detecting organic molecules in various matrices, thereby making FPIA methods useful for food safety applications. Due to the availability of portable devices for measuring the fluorescence polarization signal, FPIA methods can be used at the point of need. The variety of fluorescent labels and recognizing elements (receptors, monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, and nanobodies) permits fluorescence polarization (FP) assays to detect significantly lower limits of organic substances. The FP assay is a homogeneous, fast, and quantitative method. The development of various formats of FP assays makes them promising in determining food pollutants. This review summarizes publications on FP analyses for detecting organic contaminants (pesticides, hormones, toxins, antibiotics, and other pharmaceuticals) in food products during 2018-2023. Further, it demonstrates the prospects for using this method to determine pollutants at the point of need and for detecting high molecular weight substances, fungi, and bacterial infections during food safety inspections.

Food security under global economic policy uncertainty: fresh insights from the ocean transportation of food

Food security under global economic policy uncertainty: fresh insights from the ocean transportation of food

Ways of Food Contamination, Its Impact and Prevention

Cross food contamination means transportation of bacteria or other microorganisms from contaminated substance to the food. Cross food contamination can happen during any stage of food production. Each year, a large number of people’s worldwide experience a foodborne illness, while there are number of causes, a most and common preventable one is cross food contamination. Cross food contamination as Bacterial cross food contamination is defined as the transportation of bacteria or other microorganisms from contaminated substance to the food. Other types of cross food contamination include the transportation of food allergens, chemicals, or toxins. Foodborne illness may cause by eating at restaurants, but there are many ways in which cross food contamination can occur, including, primary food production, from plants and animals on farms, during harvest or slaughtering of food animals, secondary food production including food processing and manufacturing, transportation of food, storage of food, distribution of food, grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and more, food preparation and serving at home, restaurants, and other foodservice operations, Given that there are many points at which cross food contamination can occur, it’s important to learn about the different types and how we can prevent cross food contamination.

Spider dung beetles: coordinated cooperative transport without a predefined destination.

Cooperative transport allows for the transportation of items too large for the capacity of a single individual. Beyond humans, it is regularly employed by ants and social spiders where two or more individuals, with more or less coordinated movements, transport food to a known destination. In contrast to this, pairs of male and female dung beetles successfully transport brood balls to a location unknown to either party at the start of their common journey. We found that, when forced to overcome a series of obstacles in their path, transport efficiency of pairs of beetles was higher than of solo males. To climb tall obstacles with their common ball of dung, the female assisted the leading male in lifting the ball by steadying and pushing it upwards in a 'headstand' position during the climb initiation. Finally, we show that pairs were faster than single beetles in climbing obstacles of different heights. Our results suggest that pairs of Sisyphus beetles cooperate in the transportation of brood balls with coordinated movements, where the male steers and the female primarily assists in lifting the ball. Taken together, this is to our knowledge, the first quantitative study of cooperative food transport without a known goal to aim for.

Unveiling the Potential of Apricot Residues: From Nutraceuticals to Bioenergy

Stone fruits, such as the apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), are frequently consumed. As such, a substantial volume of apricot waste is generated at each stage of the food supply chain, including harvesting, processing, packaging, warehousing, transportation, retailing, and eventual consumption. This generates tons of waste annually on a global scale. The significant amounts of phenolics present in these wastes are primarily responsible for their antioxidant capacity and the subsequent health advantages they provide. As such, apricot pulp by-products could be a valuable reservoir of bioactive compounds, such as tocopherols, polyphenolic compounds, proteins, dietary fibers, etc. Moreover, apricot kernels are also recognized for their abundance of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols and tocopherols, which find utility in diverse sectors including cosmetology and the food industry. Both conventional and green methods are employed, and generally, green methods lead to higher extraction efficiency. The antimicrobial properties of apricot kernel essential oil have been widely recognized, leading to its extensive historical usage in the treatment of diverse ailments. In addition, apricot kernel oil possesses the capacity to serve as a viable resource for renewable fuels and chemicals. This review examines the potential of apricot waste as a source of bioactive compounds, as well as its utilization in diverse applications, with an emphasis on its contribution to health improvement.

Exploring the effects of two-segment loop tunnels on termite food transport efficiency: a simulation study.

This study explores the food transport efficiency (E) in a termite tunnel consisting of a main tunnel and a 2-segment loop tunnel through a model simulation. Simulated termites navigate between the main and loop tunnels through branching nodes (a, b, c, d) with associated probabilities (P1, P2, P3, P4). The loop tunnel locations (δ) are considered: near the nest (δ = 1), at the center of the main tunnel (δ = 2), and close to the food site (δ = 3). The results reveal that for δ = 1, paths such as a → d → b → c and c → d → b → a exhibited high E values. Conversely, for δ = 2, P3 and P4 demonstrate elevated E values ranging from 0.4 to 0.6. For δ = 3, paths like c → d or c → b display high E values, emphasizing the significance of in-loop separation tunnels (characterized by P3 and P4) in alleviating traffic congestion. Partial rank correlation validates that P1 and P2 minimally influence E, while P3 and P4 significantly negatively impact E, regardless of δ. However, for δ = 2, the influence of P3 and P4 is notably reduced due to the positional symmetry of the loop tunnel. In the discussion, we address model limitations and propose strategies to overcome them. Additionally, we outline potential experimental validations to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics governing termite food transport within tunnels.

Coordinating principal-agent and incentive strategy of cold chain logistics service in fresh food supply chain.

With the increasing production and circulation of fresh food, society's requirements for product quality have also increased. Currently, upstream and downstream enterprises in the fresh food supply chain tend to delegate the cold chain transportation of fresh food to third-party cold chain logistics (CCL) service providers who offer more professional integrated preservation services. This study adopts coordination theory to research the delegation, coordination, and incentive strategies between a Fresh Food Producer, Distributor, and CCL Service Provider. The aim is to promote the efforts of the CCL Service Provider in improving freshness and achieving the overall optimal interests of the fresh food supply chain. First, the basic models of the Fresh Food Producer and Distributor individually entrusting the CCL Service Provider are established under different information conditions. Second, a collaborative delegation agency model between the Fresh Food Producer and Distributor is established on top of the basic models. Finally, through the optimal decision solutions under different information conditions and numerical calculations of preservation benefit levels, the following conclusions are drawn: (1) The more transparent and open the information environment, the more it can encourage the CCL Service Provider to improve the quality of their preservation services, allowing the Fresh Food Producer and Distributor to obtain more significant preservation benefits. However, when information is completely transparent, the incentive mechanisms formulated by the Fresh Food Producer and Distributor become ineffective. (2) Collaborative cooperation strategies can encourage the CCL Service Provider to enhance their preservation efforts while strengthening the effectiveness of relevant incentive strategies for the Fresh Food Producer and Distributor.

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The methodical aspects of creating and using simulators for training military personnel to operate the technical means of the logistic services are analyzed (based on the example of food cooking means and transportation in field conditions).

Food nanotechnology: opportunities and challenges.

Food nanotechnology, which applies nanotechnology to food systems ranging from food production to food processing, packaging, and transportation, provides tremendous opportunities for conventional food science and industry innovation and improvement. Although great progress and rapid growth have been achieved in food nanotechnology research owing to the unique food features rendered by nanotechnology, at a fundamental level, food nanotechnology is still in its initial stages and the potential adverse effects of nanomaterials are still a controversial problem that attract public attention. Food-derived nanomaterials, compared to some inorganic nanoparticles and synthetic organic macromolecules, can be digested rapidly and produce similar digestion products to those produced normally, which become the mainstream and trend for food nanotechnology in practical applications, and are expected to be a vital tool for addressing the security problem and easing public concerns. These food-derived materials enable the favourable characteristics of nanostructures to be combined with the safety, biocompatibility, and bioactivity of natural food. Very recently, diverse food-derived nanomaterials have been explored and widely applied in multiple fields. Herein, we thoroughly summarize the fabrication and development of nanomaterials for use in food technology, as well as the recent advances in the improvement of food quality, revolutionizing food supply, and boosting food industries based on foodborne nanomaterials. The current challenges in food nanotechnology are also discussed. We hope this review can provide a detailed reference for experts and food manufacturers and inspire researchers to participate in the development of food nanotechnology for highly efficient food industry growth.

Life Cycle Assessment of reusable plastic containers throughout the fruit and vegetables supply chain

In the food packaging industry, waste, resource utilisation, and transport are critical issues that significantly influence the food supply chain footprint. Several studies evaluated the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of food packaging systems by comparing alternative materials and sizes, such as plastic, cardboard, and wood. This study illustrates the results of a LCA conducted on a novel reusable plastic container (RPC) for fresh products travelling within a logistic network made of growers, retailers, package manufacturers, and RPC poolers. It is based on an Italian country-wide distribution system of fruit and vegetables. The novel contributions of this research deal with the utilisation of primary data and the development of a multi-scenario analysis considering different packaging solutions, production recipes, and energy mix at the production plant.

ЭНЕРГОСБЕРЕЖЕНИЕ В СИСТЕМАХ ЗАЩИТЫ ОБЪЕКТОВ АПК ОТ ВРЕДИТЕЛЕЙ КАК СРЕДСТВО ДОСТИЖЕНИЯ ПРОДОВОЛЬСТВЕННОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ

The relevance of the research area in the field of food security is indicated. The analysis of the current state of the issue of crop protection from pests is carried out. The advantages of the electrophysical pest control method as the basis of an integrated crop protection system based on an information and software package for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of plant protection against pests are substantiated. The method of reducing the energy intensity of products is considered. An attempt has been made to apply a method for monitoring and managing energy consumption in systems for protecting agricultural facilities from pests. At all times, the problem of achieving and maintaining food security has been a task, if not the first, then one of the main ones for our society. The effectiveness of any of these methods depends on a number of different factors, and first of all, on the factor of timely protective measures. Thus, it becomes necessary to have information about the dynamics of the development of pests of a particular species. Agriculture itself is an energy conversion process, namely the conversion of solar energy through photosynthesis into food energy for humans and animal feed. Primitive agriculture involved nothing more than spreading seeds on the ground and producing meager harvests as a result. Modern agriculture requires energy consumption at all stages of agricultural production, such as direct use of energy in agricultural machinery, water management, irrigation, cultivation and harvesting. Post-harvest energy use includes the processing, storage and transportation of food to markets. In addition, agriculture uses a variety of indirect or isolated energy sources in the form of mineral fertilizers and chemical pesticides, insecticides and herbicides. While industrialized countries have benefited from these advances in agricultural energy provision, developing countries have been less fortunate. The "activation" of the food production chain has been an integral feature of the development of agriculture throughout recent history and is the main factor contributing to the achievement of food security.

The Optimisation of Storage Conditions for Pomegranate Juice during Its Maritime Transport

It is estimated that the transport of plant-based food may be responsible for 50% of total CO2 emissions. The situation becomes highly unfavourable when the transported cargo deteriorates. Therefore, the optimisation of storage conditions during transport is a part of the concept of reducing food loss and waste. Moreover, it is an essential element of sustainable development. This study aimed to compare the stability of selected quality parameters of pomegranate juice under simulated conditions imitating maritime transport. The content of polyphenols and the ability to reduce free radicals were considered the critical quality parameters of this juice. The Folin–Ciocalteu method (polyphenols content) and the Brand-Williams method (ability to reduce free radicals) were used during the study. The simulation of maritime transport conditions consisted of different juice storage conditions. The differentiation was conducted regarding temperature, type of gas that filled the packaging, and mixing related to the ship’s motions during transport. The highest quality of pomegranate juice was ensured by modifying the atmosphere with nitrogen and lowering the temperature. It is also important that mixing the juice does not reduce its quality but stabilises it.

A Review of the Multitasking Allocation Model for Vertical Farming System

Vertical Farming System (VFS) can produce food efficiently in times of dramatic climate change, regional conflicts that affect food transportation, or space exploration. The high degree of automation in the system, a large number of sensors and robots work together, so an efficient task allocation model can significantly enhance operational efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and elevate the overall economic performance of VFS.With this background, the purpose of this review is to describe the current available multi-task allocation models applicable to VFS or related contexts. Through a literature analysis over the past 5 years, researchers have developed and analyzed numerous multi-task allocation models in the relevant fields, such as Multi-Objective Knapsack Problem (MOKP) models and Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) models. Depending on the nature of the problem and the constraints of the environment, diverse types of multi-task allocation models have been proposed. Tasks generated within the VFS must be completed within specified time limits, and certain tasks require collaborative efforts among different robots. Taking into consideration these task requirements and drawing upon existing multi-task allocation models proposed by other researchers, this review propose the VFSRTP (VFS Robot Task Planning) model. It is expected that this work will have a positive impact on the research of VFS multi-task allocation model, and provide some model descriptions and guidelines.

A novel two-stage dynamic pricing model for logistics planning using an exploration–exploitation framework: A multi-armed bandit problem

Dynamic pricing is utilized as a tool for determining pricing strategies in different sectors, such as the food industries, airline companies, and transportation services. Dynamic pricing aims to maximize revenue based on learning the price-demand relationship. It is imperative to perform price change testing within a short time frame since rapid changes can negatively impact the market. Therefore, there are two conflicting objectives: maximizing revenue and learning the demand function, which is called the exploration–exploitation concept. In this study, we propose an exploration–exploitation framework, focused on the domestic delivery service of Tipax Express Pars Company (TEPC), to determine the optimal selling price. In the exploration process, the initial demand function is proposed based on previous sales data using weighted linear regression. Then, the selling price and delivery lead-time parameters are incorporated into the demand function hypotheses. After that, the value of the optimal demand function parameters is determined based on the Z-Price Changes Algorithm (ZPCA). In the exploitation process, price optimization is designed as a Multi-armed Bandit (MAB) problem and solved using (i) Upper Confidence Bound Method (UCBM) (i.e., deterministic approach), and (ii) Thompson Sampling Method (TSM) (i.e., stochastic approach). The proposed exploration–exploitation framework is evaluated in 361 days, of which the exploration and exploitation durations are 31 and 330 days, respectively. In this study, 10,000 demand functions are investigated, which leads to the complexity of the developed model. The cross-validation approach, based on Mean Squared Error (MSE), is developed to decrease the complexity of the proposed model. A simulation study of 500 simulations demonstrates that TSM is more useful than UCBM because its solution is more robust. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that TEPC can gain maximum total expected revenue, maximum total number of selections during the exploitation stage, and maximum actual demand using a gaining market share strategy.

Assessment of freight accessibility in New York City: A spatial-temporal approach

Freight transportation is critical to metropolitan regions' economic competitiveness and long-term viability. However, it is one of the activities that produce the most negative externalities, including greenhouse gas emissions. The study of the relationship between freight transportation, land use, and demand management is critical for promoting enlightened policies that increase the social benefits of supply chains while avoiding their undesirable effects, such as climate change. Nonetheless, the tools available to public planners for incorporating freight transportation into their analyses are limited. In this context, this paper aims to highlight the impact that freight demand management strategies and freight-efficient land uses can have on increasing urban freight accessibility. In this study, the authors suggest a freight accessibility framework based on two measures of accessibility (an isochrone-based model and a gravity-based model) to analyze the spatiotemporal variation of freight accessibility in the New York City metropolitan statistical area for four sectors—retail trade, accommodation and food services, transportation and warehousing, and e-commerce. The results indicate that accessibility measures provide valuable insights towards policymaking, particularly to policies that target land use (e.g., location of warehouses), and policies that aim to shift the traffic of freight vehicles to periods with less traffic congestion.

Two-Phase Fluid Transport Phenomena in Phloem Vessels

In this study, the two-phase (particle-fluid) Newtonian fluid is studied when flowing through a sieve tube. The model of phloem is assumed with permeable walls. The flow is important for the study of the transport of food in plants. Leaves prepare food using sunlight and minerals transported from roots to leaves using xylem cells which operate predominantly on the concept of Poiseuille flow. The pressure is generated due to processes of transpiration. While prepared food is transported from leaves to stems for storage and other parts of the plant body to perform desired operations. Phloem operates with the concept of diffusion. Each phloem cell is a long tube with a permeable membrane at each end, which helps to keep the mineral fixed in food and transported to different parts of the plant. The reflection coefficient is an important parameter that helps to show the effects of the permeability of the diffusion membrane. Equations are modelled and solved using perturbation and HAM Solutions are displayed in graphical form.

Evaluation of a Calcium Carbonate-Based Container for Transportation and Storage of Fresh Fish as a Sustainable Alternative to Polystyrene Boxes

The present study aimed to assess the effect of alternative packaging materials on the quality retention and shelf-life of whole fish under low and abuse temperature conditions. Red sea bream (Pagrus major) was harvested and stored in different packaging containers, i.e., a conventional polystyrene (PS) box, a CaCO3-based box and a cardboard box (tested as a simple alternative container for transportation and short-term storage of food). After harvesting and transportation, fish was stored in the tested containers at 2 °C for 11 days and periodically kept at room temperature (25 °C) to simulate potential temperature fluctuations in the actual supply chain. The effect of temperature fluctuations and packaging materials on the quality and remaining shelf-life of fish was determined by microbial enumeration (total viable counts, Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacteriaceae). PS retained fish quality and maintained a low temperature of fish for longer periods of time during storage at ambient conditions. The CaCO3-based containers also showed satisfactory performance, resulting in a similar microbial load in fish flesh to the samples stored in PS boxes after 11 days of simulated transportation and storage (TVC load 7.8–8.0 logcfu/g). Cardboard resulted in a rapid increase in the internal temperature during the temperature fluctuations at ambient conditions, resulting in higher microbial loads of fish flesh at all stages of the simulated cold chain. The replacement of conventional plastic packaging materials with alternative, environmentally friendly packaging systems without affecting the shelf-life of fish may reduce plastic waste while ensuring the high quality and shelf-life of perishable food products.

Social procurement practices in food logistics: A case study of a South European food processing company

The covid-19 pandemic has shown how an unpredictable event may affect the sustainability of the entire food supply chain highlighting the need for a sustainable approach to food logistics. While existing literature has focused on production and consumption, little attention has been paid to measuring social sustainability in food transportation. This is a critical gap, as transportation plays a vital role in ensuring the timely and safe delivery of food. This paper proposes a novel approach to measure social sustainability in the context of food logistics within a South European food processing company. The focus is on assessing social procurement practices at the level of logistics suppliers. The methodology developed is based on two levels, seven dimensions, and twenty-one food logistics social sustainability indicators. To validate this, the methodology is adopted to assess the social procurement of five food logistics suppliers (FLS) of a European food company and found significant variations in performance across different dimensions. The results suggest that the dimension in which suppliers perform well are: “characteristics and work welfare”, “health of employees”, and “human rights implementation and integration”. On the other hand, the dimensions that score lowest for all suppliers are “diversity and equal opportunities”, “external stakeholder community capital”, and “innovation practices”. The strength of this methodology lies in its ability to quantify social sustainability in food logistics and its practical implementation within the food logistics company, as well as among its logistics suppliers, in terms of social procurement. The results offer valuable insights and suggestions for the case study food company to improve their consideration of social sustainability aspects in a more comprehensive and effective manner throughout their business operations.

Hydraulic engineering of Drusinae larvae: head morphologies and their impact on surrounding flow fields

Body morphologies are significantly different amongst the members of the Drusinae subfamily. Aligned with such differences is the selective niche location chosen by many species from the subfamily. Typically, they live on the sediments of cold, well-oxygenated mountain streams from the Eurasian Region. However, each of the three evolutionary lineages (shredders, grazers and carnivorous filter feeders) inhabit different hydraulic locations according to their foraging behaviour. To investigate the relationship between the body morphology and the flow field near the body, we use Large Eddy Simulations to compute the flow past five different species of the subfamily. We selected species representing the three evolutionary lineages of the subfamily, Drusus alpinus Meyer-Dür 1875 from the shredders clade, D. bosnicus Klapálek 1899 and D. monticola McLachlan 1876 from the grazers clade and Cryptothrix nebulicola McLachlan 1867 and D. discolor (Rambur 1842) from the filter feeders clade. For the simulations, three-dimensional body shapes were reconstructed from X-ray micro CT data and exposed to a turbulent flow corresponding to water-depth and velocity data measured in the field. The total forces acting on each morphotype were found to be comparable. The lift coefficients computed and ranging from 0.07 to 0.17 are smaller than the drag coefficients which were found to range from 0.32 to 0.55. The local distribution of the skin-friction indicates flow-separation zones near the edges of the bodies, in particular, between the head and the pronotum, which are differently located according to each species. Moreover, we observe higher streamwise normal stresses upstream of the head of the filter feeder species. It is hypothesised that the upstream horseshoe vortex can lift up drifting food particles and transport these to the larvae’s filtering legs, thereby enhancing the encounter rates of particles with the filtering devices.

Nourishing the Future: AI-Driven Optimization of Farm-to-Consumer Food Supply Chain for Enhanced Business Performance

Efficiency and sustainability are upending the global food supply system. The current study examined the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and agriculture to optimize food supply chain from farm to consumer business model. The study examined how AI-driven solutions may boost efficiency, reduce waste, and promote environmental responsibility with an emphasis on sustainability. The food supply system faces resource depletion, climate change, and growing global food consumption. AI technologies, such as automation, data analytics, and machine learning may solve these issues. AI systems use real-time data, predictive analytics, and intelligent logistics to improve production, distribution, and consumption. This reduces food production and transportation of carbon emissions along with improving resource allocation. AI-powered precision agriculture helps the farmers to increase crop yields while lowering fertilizer and pesticide use along with supporting sustainable farming as well. IoT devices and sensor networks are helpful to improve livestock management and crop monitoring, enabling data-driven agriculture. The current study highlighted how AI ensures food quality and safety across supply chain. By identifying impurities, monitoring storage conditions, and forecasting shelf life, AI-powered quality control systems may decrease food wastage and ensure safe, high-quality goods. In conclusion, AI-agriculture integration is an innovative way to increase farm-to-consumer food supply chain efficiency and sustainability. AI technology may help the supply chain stakeholders to create resource-efficient, environmentally friendly food production that meets the needs of a growing population. The current study discussed food industry sustainability and AI uses in agriculture, as well as future possibilities and challenges.