Fresh Products Research Articles

PENINGKATAN DAYA SAING DAN KESEJAHTERAAN KT. KOMPITU HIJAU SEBAGAI GARDEN CITY MELALUI DIGITAL MARKETING

KT Kompitu Hijau faces challenges in marketing fresh agricultural products only through Whatsapp Group. Marketing of derivative products such as vegetable chips, healthy vegetable juice, dawet spinach, instant herbal medicine is limited to certain events organized by the Department. As well as less than optimal production management related to less attractive product packaging and water and electricity problems. The solution to overcome these problems requires training and mentoring in Digital Marketing as well as training and mentoring in production management. The method used in the training and mentoring of Digital Marketing and Production Management is the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) approach which involves the community in the development process. As well as the FGD method to determine the right marketing strategy. The results after carrying out community empowerment activities are KT. Kompitu can market and sell products online through GrabMart E-Commerce, Instagram and WhatsApp Business Toko Kompitu Sehat. The results of assistance and training in production management of KT Kompitu Hijau are able to produce products that are packaged and have an attractive logo. As well as having optimal waters to produce the best products. KT Kompitu Hijau won 1st place in the Yogyakarta City Vegetable Landscape Competition which was attended by 34 farmer groups in Yogyakarta City. The evaluation results show that digital literacy has increased. This community empowerment activity was organized as a contribution to increasing the competitiveness and welfare of KT. Kompitu Hijau.

Active Surveillance of Avian Influenza in the Southwestern Poyang Lake Area, China: Analyzing Changes in Wholesale and Frozen Fresh Retail Markets Post-Policy Implementation

This study aims to conduct active surveillance of avian influenza in the southwestern Poyang Lake area of China and to analyze the changes in avian influenza prevalence in wholesale poultry markets and frozen fresh retail markets following the implementation of policies regulating frozen fresh poultry products. The type A avian influenza virus nucleic acids were detected using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR), and a triplex real-time RT-PCR assay kit specific for H5/H7/H9 RNA was utilized on the influenza A-positive samples to differentiate among the avian influenza virus subtypes. From October 2020 to June 2024, the positivity rate of the live poultry wholesale market was 59.2%. The positivity rate of frozen fresh retail markets was 45.4%. In August 2023, the H9 subtype had the highest positivity rate in both markets. However, after that, the rate of untyped positives began to rise, particularly in the live poultry wholesale market where the positivity rate of the H5 subtype also showed an increasing trend. Implementing a frozen fresh poultry products policy has effectively reduced the avian influenza positivity rate in frozen fresh retail markets over the first two years. However, the positivity rate showed a rebound trend in the last two years. The live poultry wholesale market may be the source of the spread of avian influenza in frozen fresh retail markets, so managing the live poultry wholesale market and surveillance avian influenza should be strengthened. Recent surveillance indicates a significant uptick in the positivity rates of the H5 subtype and untyped strains of avian influenza, underscoring the importance of continued vigilance and strengthened prevention and control measures.

Insights into the chili phytochemicals, bioactive components, and antioxidant activity of instant premixes (green and red chilies) and their reconstitution products

Chili fruits are a potential source of phytochemicals and nutrients for food and reconstituted products. Due to its high nutritional and bioactive components, the current study focused on developing chili instant food products employing hot-air drying method. The effect of the hot-air drying method on physicochemical properties, microbiological quality, retention of bioactive components, phytochemicals, antioxidant properties, and sensory quality of green and red chilies reconstitution products were investigated. HPLC quantification unveiled that fresh red chili product had retained the highest capsaicin (2703.14 µg/g) and dihydrocapsaicin (1518 µg/g) content on the 0th day. Furthermore, UPLC-MS confirmed the presence of eleven phenolic compounds such as gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, protocatechuic acid, trans-cinnamic acid, ferulic acid, catechin, rutin, and quercetin. Among all, ferulic acid (382.91 µg/g) was the most abundant phenolic compound in fresh green chili products, followed by trans-cinnamic acid (73.19 µg/g) in green chili reconstituted and catechin (65.66 µg/g) in green and red chili reconstituted products. The chili products retained reasonable amounts of bioactive components and antioxidants during storage without microbial growth. The correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between capsaicinoids, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant properties, which are linearly related in green chili products. This study offers manufacturers a cost-effective technology for producing high-quality chili-reconstituted products rich in essential nutrients and health benefits.Graphical

Plant-based chitosan for the development of biodegradable packaging materials

Plant-derived materials and edible films have developed as viable substitutes for standard packaging materials, enabling sustainable and ecologically acceptable alternatives. Chitosan, a cationic carbohydrate polymer derived from animal or marine sources, as well as from agricultural waste such as mushrooms or various fungi possesses excellent properties such as film formation, mechanical strength, non-toxicity, biodegradability, edibility, UV-blocking ability, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial functionality, justifying its potential as packaging/coating material for fresh agricultural products. Chitosan is obtained through the deacetylation of chitin. The quantity of waste generated in a mushroom farm varies from 5%-20% of the total yielding quantity. Filamentous fungi's cellular structure, which is rich in chitin, provides a convenient method for chitin extraction. Fungal-derived chitosan offers the advantage of controllable physicochemical characteristics, including degree of deacetylation and molecular weight, compared to chitosan obtained from crustaceans. This versatility makes fungal chitosan suitable for various utilizations in food, pharmaceutical, and biomedical management. It can be utilised for different purposes in these fields. This review primarily emphasizes the extraction of chitin from mushrooms and various fungal sources, comparing different extraction methods and chitosan-based materials fabrication techniques. Additionally, it discusses the crucial characteristics of chitosan that make it convenient for high value-added functions in the food industry. To sum up, plant-based chitosan films have the potential to completely transform the packaging sector by providing environmentally friendly substitutes for traditional materials. Accepting these advances will help build a more resilient and sustainable earth, encourage the circular economy, and reduce the amount of plastic trash produced.

Study on Optimizing Inventory to Minimize Waste in the Fresh Produce Supply Chain

Abstract: The increasing demand for fresh produce, particularly greens, presents unique challenges in inventory management due to their short shelf life and susceptibility to spoilage. Inefficient management often results in significant waste, leading to financial losses for retailers and increased environmental burdens from the disposal of spoiled goods. Despite various strategies being employed in the agri-food sector, gaps remain in understanding how to optimize inventory levels to minimize waste at the retails level while maintaining high service levels for customers. This research aims to develop an inventory management model tailored to fresh produce that can mitigate these issues by balancing stock availability and minimizing wastage, particularly in large retail shops. To address the research problem, a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model was developed, focusing on three service levels—90%, 92%, and 95%—to evaluate the trade-offs between customer satisfaction and total inventory costs. The model incorporates key constraints, including stock balance, shelf-life limitations, and demand satisfaction. The model was validated using actual data, including stock, sales, and wastage records for the month of August, 2024. The objective function aimed to minimize total costs, encompassing holding costs, wastage, and lost revenue. The findings indicate that higher service levels, while reducing stockouts, significantly increase costs due to excess inventory and waste. The most cost-effective solution was observed at the 90% service level, which balanced waste reduction and customer satisfaction. The study also emphasizes the importance of integrating total cost reduction and minimize wastage. Future work should focus on incorporating consumer behavior patterns and extending the model to multi-echelon inventory systems, which include both distribution centers and retail outlets, to capture a more holistic view of the supply chain.

Analysis of Frozen Bakery Items Containing Trehalose and its Impact on Quantitative Quality Measures

The frozen dough market has been increasing annually since it reduces cost while ensuring the availability of fresh products. Ice crystal formation inside the dough decreases yeast functionality while thawing releases fluid inside the dough, both leading to an unacceptable product. Trehalose can enhance the viability of yeast cells and reduce ice crystals. Four concentrations of trehalose (0, 10, 20, and 30%) were investigated on the freeze-thaw quality of frozen dough. Samples were prepared, frozen, and thawed before testing for color, moisture, water activity, and texture. Trehalose had no significant impact on color, moisture, or water activity of any sample despite trends in moisture and water activity being present. However, increased trehalose showed decrease in peak load in biscuits and pizza crusts. Therefore, more research is needed but data shows that trehalose could act as an anti-staling agent by reducing crust hardness in frozen biscuits and pizza crusts.

Risk ranking of microbial hazards from consumption of ready-to-eat fresh produce (RTEFP)

The consumption of contaminated Ready-To-Eat Fresh Produce (RTEFP), especially minimally processed leafy green vegetables and fruits, is increasingly recognised as a source of foodborne illnesses, posing a significant safety risk to human health. RTEFP can become contaminated with enteric foodborne pathogens via different sources. Water used during the pre-harvest (irrigation) and post-harvest (washing water) has been identified as a potentially important transmission route for foodborne pathogens entering horticultural crops. The objective of the present study was to (i) evaluate human exposure to indicator microorganisms, which may act as a surrogate to assess potential exposure to harmful pathogens, and (ii) create a Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) to assess the human health safety risks (infection or illness) from foodborne pathogens following the application of treated irrigation (sprinkler) water to RTEFP and assess potential microbial intake through the consumption of RTEFP grown on irrigated land. A QMRA based on published literature was constructed to analyse microbial daily/annual risk to foodborne enteric pathogens associated with consuming ready-to-eat fresh produce. The likelihood of exposure to target pathogens was determined using different model parameters. The results show that the pathogens were prioritised as Shigella spp., Cryptosporidium parvum, Salmonella spp., Giardia lamblia based on probability of illness and Campylobacter spp., norovirus, adenovirus and rotavirus based on probability of infection. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the consumption of RTE fresh produce and cumulative decay constant of pathogens are the most sensitive parameters of the QMRA model, followed by the initial concentration of pathogens, chlorine treatment, growth on shelves, and finally, the effect of cold storage. This study highlighted that chlorine used pre and post-harvest was an effective remedial measure to assist food safety. The study highlights the need for risk-benefit in balancing potential chemical (chlorine) human exposure and the benefits of reduced microbial loads on RTEFP.

Reduction of the environmental impact of the determination of l-carnitine and acetyl-l-carnitine in milk products by microchip electrophoresis

A novel miniaturized analytical method for the simultaneous determination of l-carnitine and its ester, acetyl-l-carnitine in fresh milk and milk products by microchip electrophoresis (MCE) with conductivity detection was developed. Under optimized separation conditions, separation voltage of 4 kV and 50 mmol L−1 acetic acid and 0.1 % methylhydroxyethylcellulose at pH 3.0 as background electrolyte, carnitines were sufficiently separated in less than 10 min. An elimination of adsorption of the cationically migrated analytes on a poly(methyl methacrylate) microchip was achieved by addition of 1 mmol L−1 triethylenetetramine to all analyzed samples. The detector response was linear in the range 0.2–1.5 µg mL−1 for l-carnitine and 0.4–2.0 µg mL−1 for acetyl-l-carnitine. The LOQ values were 0.1 µg mL−1 and 0.4 µg mL−1 for l-carnitine and acetyl-l-carnitine, respectively. Recoveries of the analytes in the analyzed samples were in the range 87.5–97.8 %. The developed MCE method has been successfully applied to the analysis of carnitines in eight milk products after a sample pretreatment which included precipitation, centrifugation, and filtration. The developed MCE method has a low hazardous impact on human health and the environment.

Vegetable Pricing and Replenishment Strategy Based on Multivariate Polynomial Regression and SARIMA Model

Fresh products are one of the important parts of the profitability of superstores, and it is very important for merchants to make effective replenishment and pricing suggestions based on historical data. In order to give a reasonable vegetable pricing and replenishment plan, this paper processes the data and then uses multivariate polynomial regression to regress the sales volume and cost-plus pricing of the category, to obtain the relationship between the sales volume of the category and the cost-plus pricing; and combines with the SARIMA model to further give the recommended replenishment quantity; considering the impact of vegetable freshness on pricing, a freshness-based pricing model is proposed, and the optimal pricing and optimal restocking quantity formula, and proved its correctness in principle. In this study, the pricing and replenishment strategies of reference vegetables are given, and future research can further explore the market forecast of other agricultural products on this basis to broaden the application scope of this model.

Efektivitas YouTube Sebagai Alat Pencarian Informasi Untuk Diversifikasi Produk Stroberi pada UMKM Desa Lebakmuncang Ciwidey

The village of Lebakmuncang in Ciwidey has become a center for strawberryproduction, with the majority of its residents relying on agriculture and plantations.However, many Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in this village still relyon fresh products without taking advantage of the potential for diversification intoprocessed products such as jams, juices, and snacks. Product diversification has becomean important strategy to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of MSMEs (Micro,Small, and Medium Enterprises). YouTube, as the largest video-sharing platform, offers information that can assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in productdiversification. However, challenges arise in measuring the effectiveness of this platformin the context of strawberry product diversification. This research aims to analyze theeffectiveness of YouTube as a source of information and to assess the impact of thatinformation on the product diversification decisions of strawberry SMEs in LebakmuncangVillage, Ciwidey. The results indicate that YouTube has proven to be an effective source ofinformation for strawberry product diversification. All the indicators studied yieldedpositive results, with the usefulness of information being the most important factor. Theinformation available on YouTube has a significant impact on the diversification of MSMEproducts, allowing them to learn, innovate, and reach new audiences. This researchrecommends that SMEs make optimal use of YouTube, encourage content creators toprovide more relevant information, and suggest improvements to the portal design toenhance user experience. The development of strawberry SMEs in Lebakmuncang Village,Ciwidey, is expected to enhance the economic welfare of the local community and make themost of local potential.

Redesain UI UX Website Lemonder Indonesia Menggunakan Metode Design Thinking Untuk Meningkatkan Media Promosi

Lemonder Indonesia's website is designed to compete in the market for lemons, vegetables, and other high-quality fresh products. This website provides easy access to information about the company and its products for all users. The purpose of this research is to increase customer trust and improve the design of the Lemonder Indonesia website. The Design Thinking approach is used as a method for redesigning the website. This method includes five stages: Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Testing. It focuses on consumer-centered innovation, emphasizing product and service designs that attract attention in the business world. During the testing phase, this research uses usability testing to evaluate the effectiveness of the website redesign. The System Usability Scale (SUS) involves using a questionnaire distributed via Google Forms. Before the redesign, the SUS score was 51.75%, which is a grade D with a "poor" indicator. However, after the redesign, the SUS score significantly increased to 85.08%, which is a grade A with an "excellent" indicator. This result demonstrates that the SUS testing in this research was successful and that the new design is well-received by users.

A 3D multiobjective multi-item eco-routing problem for refrigerated fresh products delivery using NSGA-II with hybrid chromosome

In a developing countries, say India, about 40 percent fresh foods are wasted during transportation and $14 billion of post harvest products are lost due to inefficiency of cold supply chain such as using non-refrigerated vehicle during last mile transport. Hence, temperature control through refrigerated transportation is very essential. But, the by-product of this process i.e., carbon emission (CE) due to transportation and refrigeration is detrimental for the world. Only logistic transportation contributes about 25 percent of global CE. Due to the world wide infrastructural development, there are several available routes for the road transportation among different cities. For the maintenance of these routes, there are some toll plazas for collection of money. Some routes also cross the rail lines. For maximum profit, a supplier distributes the products at the earliest as the retailers fix the product’s price with respect to its freshness. Again, this process generates more CE. With these realities, a 3D multiobjective multi-item eco-routing problems for refrigerated fresh products (3DMOMIERPsfRFPs) are developed, where a refrigerated vehicle starts from a depot (refrigerated) and comes back after distributing the fresh products to retailers as per their demands. The optimal routing plan, vehicle’s velocity and preservation rate are determined so that total profit and CE are respectively maximized and minimized simultaneously. For solution, an NSGA-II with different modified operators (NSGA-IIwDOs) is developed with hybrid chromosomes having discrete and continuous variables together, probabilistic selection, problem-specific crossover and generation-dependent mutation. Some performance metrics are presented through NSGA-IIwDOs on the standard TSPLIB problems. Results of 3DMOMIERPsfRFPs without and with specific delivery time slots, road-dependent vehicle velocity and time constraints are evaluated. Pareto front for multiobjective are depicted. As a particular case, results of a previous investigation are obtained. Some of the managerial decisions are observed.

Enterobacterales Producing ESBLs and AmpC in Fresh Vegetables from Tebessa City, Algeria.

This study aimed to evaluate the contamination levels of fresh products by ESBLs-producing Enterobacterales (ESBLs-E) or AmpC-producing Enterobacterales and characterize ESBLs genes. A total of 132 samples (67 vegetables and 65 fruits) were collected from markets in Tebessa, eastern Algeria. Among the samples, 16 third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales isolates were identified with a prevalence of 19.40% in vegetable samples, while there was no positive finding in fruit samples. Isolates showed resistance to most β-lactams, and all of them displayed multidrug resistance. Phenotypic tests for ESBLs detection, using double-disk synergy test and double-disk test were positive for 14 strains, including Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 5), Klebsiella oxytoca (n = 4), Klebsiella terrigena (n = 2), Kluyvera spp. (n = 2), and Enterobacter cloacae (n = 1). Two AmpC-producing strains (Citrobacter freundii and E. cloacae) were identified through the AmpC disk test. Contamination rates of vegetables by ESBLs-E and AmpC-producing Enterobacterales were 19.40% and 2.98%, respectively. PCR results showed the presence of at least one ESBL gene in seven selected strains, with the dominance of blaCTX-M gene. Notably, K. pneumoniae strains showed the co-occurrence of two or three genes. Sequencing identified uncommon variants of ESBLs genes for the first time in Algeria, including blaCTX-M-79 (2/7), blaCTX-M-107 (2/7), blaCTX-M-117 (2/7), blaTEM-112 (1/7), blaTEM-125 (2/7), blaTEM-194 (1/7), and blaSHV-176 (3/7).

A Study on Revenue Distribution of Chinese Agricultural E-Commerce Supply Chain Based on the Modified Shapley Value Method

With the rapid development of e-commerce in China, “live broadcast + e-commerce” has become an emerging mode of the e-commerce industry. The speedy growth of the digital economy has also provided a favorable external environment for fresh agricultural products to ride on the e-commerce express train. As a result, more and more suppliers of fresh agricultural products choose to sell their products on e-commerce platforms and conduct live streaming. This paper utilizes the e-commerce supply chain field survey data, takes tomato as the specific analyzed variety, and studies the revenue distribution pattern of each subject in the supply chain. The purpose of this paper is to explore the optimization strategy of the revenue distribution of an agricultural e-commerce supply chain, and the results show that the agricultural e-commerce supply chain effectively promotes the matching of supply and demand of medium- and high-end agricultural products, realizes the quality premium of medium- and high-end agricultural products, and significantly improves the overall revenue level of the supply chain. The field survey found that under the supply chain model of “farmers + cooperatives + e-commerce platform”, farmers, cooperatives, and e-commerce platforms gained $2865, $3098, and $1111, respectively, for operating one mu of tomatoes in a year. According to the traditional Shapley value method, from the point of view of the contribution to the cooperative income, part of the income of the farmers and cooperatives should be compensated to the e-commerce platform, and the specific results are as follows: the income of the farmers should be reduced from $2865 to $2729, the income of the cooperatives should be reduced from $3099 to $2955, and the income of the e-commerce platform should be increased from $1111 to $1390. According to the Shapley value method based on the risk coefficient correction, from the perspective of risk compensation, part of the earnings of the e-commerce platform should be compensated to farmers and cooperatives, so as to establish a more equitable and reasonable pattern of earnings distribution, with the specific results: the earnings of farmers should be increased to $3205, the earnings of cooperatives should be increased to $3148, and the earnings of the e-commerce platform should be reduced to $722.

MiPrime: A model for the microbially mediated impacts of organic amendments on measurable soil organic carbon fractions and associated priming effects

Priming effects can influence the efficiency with which organic amendments sequester carbon in the soil. Yet, few soil models currently include priming effects. Those models that do are often based on operationally defined soil pools and implicitly allow only for positive priming effects. This limits the verification of model processes with experimental data and hinders the optimization of our carbon sequestration strategies. To address these shortcomings, we developed MiPrime, which offers a framework for the mechanistic modelling of organic amendment impacts on microbially mediated transformation of carbon fractions that are quantifiable through parsimonious soil extraction methods. MiPrime allows for assessment of organic amendment impacts on soil carbon dynamics, including priming effects, by simulating changes in mineralized, microbial biomass, dissolvable, hot water extractable and insoluble carbon fractions in soil exogenous (i.e. organic amendment-derived) and endogenous (i.e. soil) pools. After calibration of model parameters using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods to incubation data of three types of isotopically labelled roadside grasses (a fresh grass product, a compost thereof, and a Bokashi-fermented product thereof), MiPrime was able to simulate changes in carbon fractions of the soil with a good degree of accuracy for five compositionally complex organic amendments, namely the three types of roadside grasses, as well as non-isotopically labelled wood chips and water weeds and reeds. Validation of the model results with experimental data demonstrates that changes in total carbon were very well predicted but that there is room for improvement in predicting mineralization rates and changes in dissolvable, hot water extractable and insoluble carbon fractions in the soil endogenous pool. MiPrime thus offers an initial step towards the mechanistic modelling of organic amendment impacts on measurable soil carbon fractions and can operate as a new tool for designing effective carbon sequestration strategies and understanding organic amendment impacts.

Roles of Nitric Oxide and Brassinosteroid in Improving Fruit Quality during Postharvest: Potential Regulators?

Most postharvest fruits are highly perishable, which directly impairs fruit taste and causes an economic loss of fresh products. Thus, it is necessary to find effective techniques to alleviate this issue. Recently, nitric oxide (NO) and brassinosteroid (BR) have been developed as postharvest alternatives to improve fruit quality. This work mainly reviews the recent processes of NO and BR in improving fruit quality during postharvest. Exogenous NO or BR treatments delayed fruit senescence, enhanced disease resistance, and alleviated chilling injury in postharvest fruit, and potential physiological and biochemical mechanisms mainly include (1) enhancing antioxidant and defense ability, (2) affecting ethylene biosynthesis, (3) regulating sugar and energy metabolism, (4) mediating plant hormone signaling, and (5) regulating protein S-nitrosylation and DNA methylation. This review concludes the functions and mechanisms of NO and BR in improving postharvest fruit quality. Additionally, a specific finding is the possible crosstalk of applications of NO and BR during postharvest fruit storage, which provides new insights into the applicability of NO and BR for delaying fruit senescence, enhancing disease resistances of fruit, and alleviating chilling injury in postharvest fruit.

Optimization Algorithm of Network Node Layout of Fresh Agricultural Products’ Online Consumption Behavior in E-Commerce Environment

In order to improve the efficiency of online consumption and supply chain efficiency of fresh agricultural products in the e-commerce environment, a network node layout optimization algorithm was designed. In the e-commerce environment, a network node deployment model has been constructed for the online consumption behavior of fresh agricultural products. A network transmission supply chain detection model was established through the rotation scheduling method. By combining distributed transformation protocols, the spatial layout characteristics of network nodes have been reorganized. Further introduction of a multi-coverage scheduling model, combined with sensor information fusion tracking technology, accurately detects the layout characteristics of network nodes. Based on these detection data, forwarding and adaptive control protocols were developed. Real-time control using the node traversal method was developed. Under the optimal node supply chain transmission mechanism, the scheduling of the network node layout has been achieved. Meanwhile, convolutional neural networks were utilized to dynamically adjust layout control to ensure convergence and stability. The simulation results show that the node forwarding ability of the network node layout design for online consumption behavior of fresh agricultural products in the e-commerce environment is good, which improves the output balance of the network supply chain transmission of online consumption behavior of fresh agricultural products in the e-commerce environment. In addition, the optimized delivery cost decreased by 20% compared to before optimization, delivery efficiency increased by 30%, and inventory turnover rate increased by 25%, confirming that the proposed method has good optimization performance.

Supply chain network equilibrium with outsourcing for fresh agricultural products under stochastic demands

Abstract Accepted by: M. Zied Babai This paper examines a supply chain network focusing on the distribution of fresh agricultural products, incorporating outsourcing and stochastic demands considerations. Initially, we establish a generalized Nash equilibrium model with stochastic demands among fresh produce firms. Subsequently, we transform this model into a mixed complementarity system using the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions. Utilizing the Fischer–Burmeister function, we further convert the mixed complementarity system into a set of nonlinear equations, amenable to solution via GAMS software. We conduct numerical experiments and perform sensitivity analysis on key parameters. Our findings suggest that higher subsidy rates incentivize firms towards production outsourcing, particularly benefiting low-income farmers, thereby potentially increasing profits. Moreover, market fluctuations play a pivotal role in ensuring the stability and profitability of firms, with moderate fluctuations presenting opportunities for fresh enterprises to adapt, innovate and capitalize on evolving market conditions. These results offer valuable insights for effective management of fresh produce supply chains.

Lost vegetables, lost value: Assessment of carrot downgrading and losses at a large producer organisation

Retailers usually impose strict private quality standards on fresh fruit and vegetable products, mainly focused on cosmetic features. At the supplier level, this generates a stream of suboptimal products that cannot be sold on the fresh market. This article studies the impact of these standards on suppliers by means of a direct quantification conducted in 2023 in the carrot supply chain of an Italian Producer Organisation. 34.64% of the carrots processed in terms of mass is downgraded because of non-compliance with the standards imposed by retailers, while 12.57% is lost at the primary stage due to food safety reasons. Downgrading occurs as a result of cosmetic imperfection (33.28% of mass) or because carrots are out-of-size (66.72%). The downgraded carrots are re-processed for industry, generating an additional loss of 15.27% of mass along the way. The economic loss linked to downgrading would account for 22.05% of potential turnover if no cosmetic quality standards were applied. By modelling a series of hypothetical scenarios, this article discusses the impact on the producer if the private quality standards imposed by retailers were more flexible.

Frozen dough steamed products: Deterioration mechanism, processing technology, and improvement strategies.

Fresh dough products lead to instability in product quality, high production costs, and more production time, which seriously affects the industrial production of the food industry. The frozen dough technology mitigates the problems of short shelf-life and easy deterioration of quality during storage and transportation. It has shown a series of advantages in large-scale industrialization, high-quality standardization, and chain operation. However, the further development of frozen dough is restricted by the deterioration of the main components (gluten, starch, and yeast) caused by freezing. This review summarizes the main production process of frozen steamed bread and buns, and the deterioration reasons for the main component of frozen dough. The improvement mechanisms of raw ingredients, processing technology, processing equipment, and additives on frozen dough quality were analyzed from the perspective of improving gluten network integrity and yeast freeze tolerance. From prefermented frozen raw to steamed products without thawing has become the preferred production process to improve production efficiency. Wheat flour mixed with other flour can maintain the gluten network continuity of frozen dough. The freeze tolerance of yeast was improved by treatment with yeast suspension, yeast cell encapsulation, screening hybridization, and genetic engineering. Process optimization and new technology-assisted fermentation and freezing effectively reduce freezing damage. Various additives improve the freeze resistance of the gluten-starch matrix by promoting protein cross-linking and inhibiting water migration. In addition, ice structural proteins and ice nucleating agents have been proven to change the growth morphology and formation temperature of ice crystals. More new technologies and additive synergies need to be further explored.