Food Storage Research Articles

Insecure food additive sensing with photonic crystal fibre in terahertz regime

Food security and the challenges of food sterility, storage, chemical additives, enzymes, and microorganisms are critical due to their direct impact on human and animal health. Advanced monitoring technologies are essential for ensuring food safety and promoting eco-friendly practices. Early detection and real-time monitoring of sensitive substances, chemicals, biomolecules, and hazardous agents are vital. This research introduces a photonic crystal fibre (PCF) nanosensor designed for detecting food additives. Using COMSOL Multiphysics software, the sensor’s numerical performance was analyzed with test analytes—saccharin, sorbitol, and butyl acetate—across a wavelength range of 0.8 to 3 THz. The sensor demonstrated high sensitivities of 88.90%, 90.85%, and 86.95%, and low confinement losses of 5.05 × 10−08, 6.05 × 10−08, and 5.40 × 10−08 dB/m at 1 THz. These results confirm the sensor’s effectiveness for real-time detection and its potential for enhancing food safety standards through precise, eco-friendly monitoring.

Exposure to Crime at Food Stores: Implications for Nutrition and Health among Black Americans.

Crime is a public health issue that disproportionately affects racially-marginalized populations. Studies have reported that food stores (e.g., grocery stores, convenience stores) often attract crime due to their volume of cash transactions and limited security. Little is known about how exposure to crime at food stores affects nutrition or health. This study aimed to fill this research gap by exploring the lived experiences of Black Americans. In 2023, 502 Black-identifying adults completed a survey online. They reported their socio-demographics, fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, food security status, height, weight, and experiences with crime at food stores in their community. Multivariable-adjusted regression models were examined to identify associations between exposure to crime at food stores and the following measures: low food security status, obesity status, and daily servings of FVs. Approximately 150 (29%) participants avoided one or more food stores in their community due to crime; 102 (20%) had witnessed a crime at a food store. Those who avoided food stores had greater odds of low food security (OR: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.25-3.02) and obesity (OR: 2.15; 95% CI: 1.33-3.48) compared to others. Those who witnessed a crime had greater odds of low food security (OR: 3.14; 95% CI: 1.82-5.41). Exposure to crime at food stores was not associated with FV consumption after adjusting for socio-demographics. Exposure to crime in food stores may have negative health and nutritional implications. Future studies should explore these implications for populations that are disproportionately affected by crime.

Comparative Analysis of Different Drying Methods on Strawberry Aroma Compounds via Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques

Food and food safety, as one of the basic issues of human life, has made it necessary to store foods for a long time with the increasing population. One of the oldest and most common methods of extending the shelf life of food products is the drying process. The drying process contributes to the higher quality of foods in terms of physical, chemical, and microbial properties by ensuring that beneficial contents such as vitamins, minerals, and aroma compounds are better preserved. The aroma values of foods, which consist of taste and smell components, gain importance. In foods, the taste is determined by permanent components, while smell is determined by volatile components. The loss of volatile aroma compounds in the strawberry drying process negatively affects product quality. Small changes in aroma compounds can lead to significant differences in product taste. Therefore, strawberry aroma is a critical factor for consumer appeal and commercial success. In this study, the effects of drying methods on the aroma compounds of strawberry fruit were compared with Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques. In this study, PSI-based MCDM techniques were used to make the most appropriate choice among strawberry drying methods. The values of 23 distinct aroma compounds obtained with different drying methods applied to strawberry fruit were analyzed with 7 different MCDM techniques. The calculations gave similar results and these results were combined with the Borda rule. Accordingly, the drying methods with the highest scores were determined as freeze drying.

Effect of Exogenous Inoculation on Dark Fermentation of Food Waste Priorly Stored in Lactic Acid Fermentation

Lactic acid fermentation has recently been shown to be a robust storage strategy for food waste prior to conversion to biohydrogen through dark fermentation. However, the importance of initial microbial communities and, more particularly, exogenous microorganisms on the conversion of lactic acid-rich stored substrate is not yet fully elucidated. This study investigates the impact of introducing exogenous inoculum to lactic acid-rich stored food waste prior to biohydrogen production in dark fermentation. Results showed exogenous inoculation produced a statistically significant increase in biohydrogen production rate (Rm) by 199%, 250%, 137%, 130%, 19%, and 10% compared to non-inoculated stored food waste after food waste storage at 4 °C, 10 °C, 23 °C, 35 °C, 45 °C, and 55 °C, respectively. Interestingly, no impact on the maximum production yield (Pm) was observed, but exogenous inoculation increased the accumulation of acetate, up to 160% more compared to endogenous inoculum. The main hydrogen-producing bacteria (HPB) were affiliated with Clostridium sp., while Prevotella_9 sp., another known HPB, was found after the fermentation of the food waste stored at 23 °C. In this study, the interest of exogenous inoculation to convert food waste stored by lactic acid fermentation was demonstrated through an increase in production rate along with higher accumulation of co-products, e.g., acetate. Such findings are promising for further development of process coupling, combining storage and conversion by fermentation of complex food waste.

Revolution of Refrigeration with Smart Technology and Commercial Connected Coolers (Exploring the Future of Refrigeration)

The refrigeration industry has changed with the incorporation of smart technology and the introduction of commercial connected coolers. These are a class of advanced systems that apply IoT for improved efficiency in operation, energy consumption, and quality of products in many commercial industries such as retail, food storage, healthcare, and logistics. The features in smart connected coolers involve sensors, real-time monitoring, and automated control systems with advantages of predictive maintenance, remote monitoring, energy optimization, and data-driven decision-making. To be able to deploy those features into reality, several challenges like very high initial cost, integration complexity, and security-related issues must be met. This article will discuss the key elements comprising IoT-enabled coolers, their applications across industries, the benefits they will come with, and challenges organizations must surmount if IoT-enabled coolers are ever to reach their full potential. It also touches on future trends in refrigeration technology, focusing on innovative, sustainable, and smart solutions as key factors in commercial refrigeration. Keywords: smart refrigeration, commercial connected coolers, IoT-enabled coolers, energy optimization, predictive maintenance, real-time monitoring, refrigeration technology, IoT applications, smart cooling systems, commercial refrigeration, future trends, refrigeration innovation, industrial applications, and sustainability in refrigeration.

Prevalence of processed foods in major US grocery stores.

The offering of grocery stores is a strong driver of consumer decisions. While highly processed foods such as packaged products, processed meat and sweetened soft drinks have been increasingly associated with unhealthy diets, information on the degree of processing characterizing an item in a store is not straightforward to obtain, limiting the ability of individuals to make informed choices. GroceryDB, a database with over 50,000 food items sold by Walmart, Target and Whole Foods, shows the degree of processing of food items and potential alternatives in the surrounding food environment. The extensive data gathered on ingredient lists and nutrition facts enables a large-scale analysis of ingredient patterns and degrees of processing, categorized by store, food category and price range. Furthermore, it allows the quantification of the individual contribution of over 1,000 ingredients to ultra-processing. GroceryDB makes this information accessible, guiding consumers toward less processed food choices.

Neighborhood environment associations with cognitive function and structural brain measures in older African Americans

BackgroundSince older adults spend significant time in their neighborhood environment, environmental factors such as neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, high racial segregation, low healthy food availability, low access to recreation, and minimal social engagement may have adverse effects on cognitive function and increase susceptibility to dementia. DNA methylation, which is associated with neighborhood characteristics as well as cognitive function and white matter hyperintensity (WMH), may act as a mediator between neighborhood characteristics and neurocognitive outcomes.MethodsIn this study, we examined whether DNA methylation in peripheral blood leukocytes mediates the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive function (N = 542) or WMH (N = 466) in older African American (AA) participants without preliminary evidence of dementia from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA).ResultsFor a 1-mile buffer around a participant’s residence, each additional fast food destination or unfavorable food store with alcohol per square mile was nominally associated with a 0.05 (95%CI: 0.01, 0.09) and a 0.04 (0.00, 0.08) second improvement in visual conceptual tracking score, respectively. Also, each additional alcohol drinking place per square mile was nominally associated with a 0.62 (0.05, 1.19) word increase in delayed recall score, indicating better memory function (all p < 0.05). Neighborhood characteristics were not associated with WMH. We did not find evidence that DNA methylation mediates the observed associations between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive function.ConclusionsThe presence of fast food destinations and unfavorable food stores with alcohol was associated cognitive measures, possibly due to greater social interaction provided in these venues. However, replication of these findings is necessary. Further examination of the potential pathways between the neighborhood environment and cognitive function/WMH may allow the development of potential behavioral, infrastructural, and pharmaceutical interventions to facilitate aging in place and healthy brain aging in older adults, especially in marginal populations that are most at risk.

Food detection in medieval acoustic vessels

The subject of the article is two systems of acoustic vessels from the Church of St. Gall in Myšenec, which is associated with the production of the so-called Zvíkov and Písek architectural workshop, and All Saints Church in Kovářov in South Bohemia. These vessels, built into the vault, were placed with their rim facing the interior of the presbytery and their bottom in the space of the attic at the same time as the construction of the vault and were probably intended to improve the acoustics of the interior of the presbytery. In the foreign synthesising literature, examples are described of custom-made vessels as well as secondarily used household vessels, i.e. those primarily intended for food storage. The paper aims to precisely determine the primary role of the vessels found in the two studied churches by detecting the hypothetical presence of food residues in them. Samples were taken from the inner surfaces of the vessels and their analysis showed a weak signal of casein (milk) in one case and a strong signal of gliadin (grain) in the other. The multiple potential functions of the vessels embedded in the vaults are discussed in the context of Czech examples and foreign research on acoustic vessels.

Food Policy Councils and Healthy Food Access Policies: A 2021 National Survey of Community Policy Supports.

Food policy councils (FPCs) are frequently used to facilitate change in food systems at the local, state, and regional levels, or in tribal nations. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of food policy councils and similar coalitions among US municipalities and their associations with healthy food access policies. We used data from the 2021 National Survey of Community-Based Policy and Environmental Supports for Healthy Eating and Active Living, administered to municipal officials from May through September 2021. We used logistic regression models to examine associations between 1) having an FPC and 2) FPC membership composition and healthy food access policies. We grouped policies into 4 categories based on topic modules in the survey instrument: supporting new or existing food stores to sell healthy foods, financial or electronic benefits transfer (EBT) supports, transportation-related supports for accessing locations to purchase food, and consideration of local food supports in community planning. Municipalities with FPCs (27.6%) had significantly higher odds than municipalities without FPCs of having policies supporting access to food retail stores (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.5; 95% CI, 1.2-1.9), access to farmers markets (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.7-2.7), access to transportation supports (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.8-2.8), and objectives in community planning documents (AOR = 2.0; 95% CI, 1.6-2.5). Among municipalities with FPCs, those with a health/public health representative (42.1%) or a community representative (65.1%) were more likely to report having any healthy food access policies. This study emphasized the positive association between FPCs and healthy food access policies. This study also highlights the potential importance of FPC membership composition, including health/public health and community representatives.

Estimating Dietary Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds from Food Grade Plastics

Plastics are extensively involved in our everyday lives, including use as food storage containers. Greater than 95% of plastics produced are derived from petrochemicals. Numerous studies have shown that chemical...

Comparison of chemical constituents in Lysimachia species and their antimicrobial activity for extending the shelf life of foods.

Food spoilage causes significant economic losses and endangers human health. Developing novel antimicrobial agents and preservatives is urgently needed for anti-foodborne diseases and improving food storage. Zhen Zhu Cai (Lysimachia) species are well-known edible plants among the East Asian populace that clear heat and anti-aging. Here, 70 fractions of ten Lysimachia species were compared, among which the bioactive fraction (KBZZC-05) was characterized and isolated to evaluate its antimicrobial activity, and compounds 21 and 23 were obtained under bioactive guidance. The KBZZC-05, 21, and 23 inhibited both spoilage organisms and foodborne pathogens (MICs=2-256μg/mL) better than potassium sorbate (MIC >256μg/mL). It removed biofilms, causing surface morphology changes in bacteria. Additionally, KBZZC-05 (128μg/mL) extended food shelf life through its antioxidant (P<0.01 vs CK) and resistance to spoilage microorganisms. This study indicates that bioactive KBZZC-05 is a potentially non-toxic and eco-friendly botanical microbicide and preservative that can be used to treat foodborne diseases and for food storage.

Associations between weather extremes and faecal contamination along pathogen transmission pathways in rural Bangladeshi households: a prospective observational study.

Weather extremes are predicted to influence pathogen exposure but their effects on specific faecal-oral transmission pathways are not well investigated. We evaluated associations between extreme rain and temperature during different antecedent periods (0-14 days) and Escherichia coli along eight faecal-oral pathways in rural Bangladeshi households. We used data from the WASH Benefits Bangladesh cluster-randomised controlled trial (NCT01590095). E coli was enumerated in hand rinses from children younger than 5 years and their mothers, food, stored drinking water, tubewells, captured flies, ponds, and courtyard soil using IDEXX Quanti-Tray/2000 in nine rounds over 3·5 years and spatiotemporally matched to daily weather data. We used generalised linear models with robust standard errors to estimate E coli count ratios (ECRs) associated with extreme rain and temperature, defined as greater than the 90th percentile of daily values during the study period. A total of 26 659 samples were collected during the study period. Controlling for temperature, extreme rain on the sampling day was associated with increased E coli in food (ECR=3·13 [95% CI 1·63-5·99], p=0·0010), stored drinking water (ECR=1·98 [1·36-2·88], p=0·0004), and ponds (ECR=3·46 [2·34-5·11], p<0·0001), and reduced E coli in soil (ECR=0·36 [0·24-0·53], p<0·0001). Extreme rain the day before sampling was associated with reduced E coli in tubewells (ECR=0·10 [0·02-0·62], p=0·014). Associations were similar for rainfall 1-7 days before sampling and slightly attenuated for rainfall 14 days before sampling. Controlling for rainfall, extreme temperature on the sampling day was associated with increased E coli in stored drinking water (ECR=1·49 [1·05-2·12], p=0·025) and food (ECR=3·01 [1·51-6·01], p=0·0020). Associations with temperature were similar for all antecedent periods and particularly pronounced for food. Neither rainfall nor temperature were consistently associated with E coli on hands and flies. In rural Bangladesh, measures to control enteric infections following weather extremes should focus on water treatment and safe storage to reduce contamination of drinking water and food stored at home and on reducing exposure to surface waters. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institutes of Health, World Bank.

Long and short-term storage of food and agriculture products: Prospects of latent heat thermal energy storage

Long and short-term storage of food and agriculture products: Prospects of latent heat thermal energy storage

Immobilization of laccase on sodium alginate/soluble starch microcapsules to develop a time-temperature indicator for freshness monitoring of Agaricus bisporus

To monitor temperature fluctuation in the process of food storage and transportation and to meet the consumers' requirements for product quality and safety, a time-temperature indicator (TTI) gel was developed for monitoring the freshness of Agaricus bisporus by immobilizing laccase on sodium alginate (SA)/soluble starch microcapsules with laccase microspheres as reactant, guaiacol as substrate and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as the base material. The prepared microcapsules have 50–90 nm pores, which can effectively make the enzyme and the reaction substrate enter into them, and the immobilization rate of laccase is over 90 %, and the specific activity of immobilized laccase is about 82 % of that of free laccase. 11 TTIs were selected for kinetic analysis and the activation energy of the TTIs was calculated to be from 27.32 to 61.13 kJ/mol which was similar to that of meat, milk and mushroom. Meanwhile, the kinetic analysis was fitted with the brightness value L⁎ of Agaricus bisporus and four TTIs closest to the activation energy of Agaricus bisporus were re-prepared, and verified at 4 °C,15 °C, 25 °C and variable temperature. The results showed that TTI#1 could successfully monitor the freshness of Agaricus bisporus.

Multifunctional fructose-crosslinked fibroin film with a developed β-sheet structure for advanced food packaging

The replacement of petroleum-based plastic packaging with sustainable biopolymer-based materials is still a significant challenge. In the current study, we present a novel approach to impart the multifunctionality of fibroin film through a facile fructose-mediated crosslinking process. By generating a synergistic effect by inducing the transition to β-sheet structure and introducing covalent bonds within the fibroin chain, we effectively controlled the physicochemical characteristics of fibroin film, resulting in exceptional mechanical properties surpassing previous fibroin-based films. The fructose-crosslinked fibroin films exhibited exceptional mechanical properties, including a toughness of 3767.73 kPa and a Young's modulus of 3.06 GPa, surpassing previously reported fibroin-based films. The films also demonstrated excellent optical properties, with 98.49 % transmittance at 700 nm. Moisture stability was significantly enhanced, as the incorporation of fructose reduced water solubility by increasing β-sheet crystallinity and improved bulk water retention through its hygroscopic properties. Additionally, Maillard reaction products formed during crosslinking provided superior ultraviolet shielding and enhanced antioxidant properties, making the films ideal for active food packaging. The multifunctionality of fructose-crosslinked fibroin film significantly improves food storage stability when used in sustainable and eco-friendly food packaging applications. This high-performance fructose-mediated crosslinked fibroin film with a developed β-sheet structure emerges as a promising alternative to petroleum-based materials, offering a sustainable solution for the advanced packaging field.

Estimation of rodent damages to stored maize and wheat in rural Swabi, Pakistan

The presence of rodents in storage structures is one of the major reasons for post-harvest losses in many parts of the world, including Pakistan. In developing countries, rodents are considered a serious pest in household food storages, causing several kinds of losses. To control grain losses, it is necessary to estimate the actual post-harvest damages to the stored grains. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to assess post-harvest storage losses due to rodents in maize and wheat grains stores of District Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The results showed that there were 10.91±1.04 fecal droppings, 7.58± 0.67 rodent hairs, and 28.58 + 2.02 damaged grains per 100 gram of maize. The mean weight loss of 509 + 68.7 was recorded from the maize stores. Likewise, there were 16.25±0.77 droppings, 12.41 + 0.76 hairs and 21.41 + 1.26 damaged grains per 100 gram of wheat. The mean weight loss of 483 + 46.2 was reported from the wheat stores. These finding indicate that rodents were negatively impacting storage structures in the area and proper pest management strategies are required to minimize post-harvest crop losses.

Anaemia, overweight and abdominal obesity in mothers and children are associated with the food environment in socially vulnerable areas of a northeastern Brazilian capital.

This study aimed to assess the association between community and consumer food environment (FE) measures and anaemia, overweight and abdominal obesity in mother-child dyads living insituations of social vulnerability. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 40 favelas in a capital city in the northeast of Brazil. The sample consisted of 1882 women and 665 children aged under 5 years. The community FE was assessed using a scale of perception of the availability of healthy food in the neighbourhood. Consumer FE was assessed by auditing 624 retail food stores using the AUDITNOVA instrument. This investigated various aspects of the food environment and evaluated the availability of 18 ultra-processed foods (UPF) most consumed by the Brazilian population available in these stores. The presence of overweight was assessed by measuring the weight and height of the mother and the child, and abdominal obesity was assessed by measuring the mother's waist circumference. The presence of anaemia in the mother and the child was assessed by measuring haemoglobin. Adjusted multilevel regression models were used to verify associations between the FE and malnutrition in mother-child dyads. Low perception of community FE was associated with higher risk of women being overweight (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.05-1.73) and abdominally obese (OR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.04-1.84); low health scores in food shops were associated with higher risk of abdominal obesity (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.01-1.79) and anaemia (OR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.02-1.98) in women and overweight in children (OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.05-2.73); and the high availability of UPF in retail shops was associated with increased odds of overweight (OR: 2.64; 95% CI: 1.61-4.33) and anaemia (OR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.38-3.02) in children by 164% and 111%, respectively. It was observed that less healthy food environments are associated with greater chances of anaemia, overweight and abdominal obesity in mothers and children under 5 years insituations of social vulnerability in Brazil.

Effect of Gamma Irradiation on Nutritional Quality and shelf life of Groundnut Species Produced in Benue State Nigeria

Groundnut is a perishable crop and is subject to quality losses during storage through insect pests, rodent infestation and fungal development. Gamma (γ) irradiation has emerged as a promising technique which could effectively be used for disinfestations of stored food products therefore presenting alternative to chemical preservatives. This research investigated the effect of gamma irradiation on nutritional quality and shelf life of groundnut species produced in Benue State Nigeria. The seeds of Bernarda 1 groundnut (BE1G), Local groundnut (LOG) species were irradiated at varying doses (0, 200, 300, 400 and 500 Gy) using Cobalt-60 Gamma Irradiator. The irradiated and non-irradiated samples were each divided into two portions. The first portion was used for proximate analysis while the second was stored for a period of four months under the same ambient temperature and conditions in a polythene bags and its percentage weight loss were determined. Proximate analysis revealed no significance difference at (p≥0.01) in moisture, protein, crude fibre and fats composition of BE1G species between non irradiated and irradiated samples, however a significant variation (p≤0.01) was observed in its ash and carbohydrate across 200 Gy, 300 Gy and 400 Gy. The result also revealed no significant difference in the proximate composition of LOG species for 400 Gy and 500 Gy doses. After four months storage, percentage weight loss analysis indicated a significant difference between irradiated and control seeds of samples. The 500 Gy dose exhibited the least weight loss in the samples. These findings suggest 500 Gy as gamma irradiation dose for BE1G and LOG, highlighting the optimal effective doses for their preservation.

Food Spoilage Detection Monitoring and Alerting System

Tackling Food safety measures and mitigating spoilage are critical Challenges in public health. In the present work, robust solution for the continuous monitoring and management of perishable food products is observed. By incorporating temperature and gas sensors, Food Spoilage Detection and Alerting System using IoT is designed to detect early signs of spoilage, enabling timely intervention to prevent food waste and its safety. The temperature sensor monitors the surrounding environment, emphasizing the crucial role of temperature in accelerating the spoilage of sensitive foods such as dairy and meat. In tandem the gas sensor detects specific volatile compounds such as Ethylene, Ammonia, Methane, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Carbon Dioxide that act as indicators of food degradation, allowing for the identification of spoilage risks before they become significant. NODEMCU microcontroller is central to the system's operation which is an efficient and compact IoT platform that gathers and processes data from the sensors. It uses predefined thresholds to evaluate environmental conditions, ensuring accurate spoilage detection. Real-time data is displayed on an LCD screen, giving users immediate access to food storage conditions. If gas levels exceed the predefined thresholds, the system triggers an alert message, notifying users of potential spoilage. Alerts are generated through the UBIDOTS app and delivered via email or registered mobile number, providing timely notifications that enable users to take prompt action in maintaining food quality.

Food storage: objectives, scientific principles

Food storage: objectives, scientific principles