Large-scale Food Research Articles

Grain Disarticulation in Wild Wheat and Barley.

Our industrial-scale crop monocultures, which are necessary to provide grain for large-scale food and feed production, are highly vulnerable to biotic and abiotic stresses. Crop wild relatives have adapted to harsh environmental conditions over millennia; thus, they are an important source of genetic variation and crop diversification. Despite several examples where significant yield increases have been achieved through the introgression of genomic regions from wild relatives, more detailed understanding of the differences between wild and cultivated species for favorable and unfavorable traits is still required to harness these valuable resources. Recently, as an alternative to the introgression of beneficial alleles from the wild into domesticated species, a radical suggestion is to domesticate wild relatives to generate new crops. A first and critical step for the domestication of cereal wild relatives would be to prevent grain disarticulation from the inflorescence at maturity. Discovering the molecular mechanisms and understanding the network of interactions behind grain retention/disarticulation would enable the implementation of approaches to select for this character in targeted species. Brittle rachis 1 and Brittle rachis 2 are major genes responsible for grain disarticulation in the wild progenitors of wheat and barley that were the target of mutations during domestication. These two genes are only found in the Triticeae tribe and are hypothesized to have evolved by a duplication followed by neo-functionalization. Current knowledge gaps include the molecular mechanisms controlling grain retention in cereals and the genomic consequences of strong selection for this essential character.

Real-Time and Rapid Food Quality Monitoring Using Smart Sensory Films with Image Analysis and Machine Learning

Detecting and reporting the quality of packaged food to the consumer in real-time can reduce the consumption of poor-quality food products. Current food quality detection and reporting technologies of perishable foods are usually expensive, complicated, and take a significantly long time to convey results. Herein, a real-time, simple, and user-friendly food freshness detection prototype was developed by combining a glycerol-based sensory film with unique visual color analysis and the k-nearest neighbors algorithm (KNN). We established the quantitative relationship between the pH, organic acid level, digital color variance, and food storage time. By measuring the color variations of sensor films as a function of food storage time, we demonstrate a technology to record the quantitative “RGB” values of sensory films to represent real-time and precise pH changes of the food sample and trace the real-time food spoilage degree (e.g., pork loin spoilage). Next, a quick-response (QR) reader with a center sensor film was designed to eliminate the environmental effects on the color variation in real time Furthermore, the KNN was implemented to classify food quality by training data from different sources. This study provides a technology well suited for large-scale food storage applications by combining a smart sensor film with a QR code design followed by image analysis and KNN. This real-time and rapid food quality monitoring technology will ultimately lead to a reduction in food waste and loss (FLW).

Different stages of microbial community during the anaerobic digestion of food waste.

Large-scale food waste (FW) disposal has resulted in severe environmental degradation and financial losses around the world. Although FW has a high biomass energy contents and a growing large number of national projects to recover energy from FW by anaerobic digestion (AD) are being developed. AD is a promising solution for FW management and energy generation when compared to typical disposal options including landfill disposal, incineration, and composting. AD of FW can be combined with an existing AD operation or linked to the manufacture of value-added products to reduce costs and increase income. AD is a metabolic process that requires four different types of microbes: hydrolyzers, acidogens, acetogens, and methanogens. Microbes use a variety of strategies to avoid difficult situations in the AD, such as competition for the same substrate between sulfate-reducing bacteria and methane-forming bacteria. An improved comprehension of the microbiology involved in the anaerobic digestion of FW will provide new insight into the circumstances needed to maximize this procedure, including its possibilities for use in co-digestion mechanisms. This paper reviewed the present scientific knowledge of microbial community during the AD and the connection between microbial diversity during the AD of FW.

A review on impacts of COVID-19 on global agricultural system and Scope for Bangladesh after pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on the global food production system. Large-scale food producing countries restricted exports for food sovereignty, while small and import-dependent countries are at risk. After COVID-19 pandemic, integrated and planned action is necessary to overcome this global stalemate. In this review paper, we have tried to show the damage caused to global agriculture as well as in Bangladesh due to COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the prospects and tasks of Bangladesh in the post-pandemic global economy have also been discussed. Due to the middlemen-based marketing system in Bangladesh, farmers have been deprived of their profits from the early period. The government should move forward with a long-term planning to find alternative food market such as processing and export alongside the one-way marketing system. On the other hand, it will benefit the farmers’ community of Bangladesh, as well as ensure global food security after this pandemic.

Estimating the Costs of Alternative Large-Scale Food Fortification Programs in Burkina Faso: A MINIMOD Tool for Informing Policy Discussions

ObjectivesDecisions regarding the types and amounts of micronutrients to include in large-scale food fortification (LSFF) programs should consider costs. The Micronutrient Intervention Modeling (MINIMOD) cost tool estimates the costs of alternative LSFF programs, with focus on stakeholders’ cost burdens.MethodsAn activity-based cost model was developed and adapted to the context of Burkina Faso. Key national characteristics (e.g., population size), and information on existing and hypothetical LSFF programs (e.g., adherence to standards) establish the model's platform. Private- and public-sector costs (as relevant) of designing, implementing, and managing LSFF are included. The model contains a micronutrient premix cost calculator. LSFF-vehicle-specific consumption patterns (e.g., g/day of fortifiable wheat flour consumed, based on household survey data) link costs to program reach. A ten-year planning time horizon is adopted.ResultsThe premix required to fortify wheat flour with iron and folic acid (60 mg/kg of ferrous fumarate, 2.5 mg/kg of folic acid – the current standard) is estimated to cost ∼$2.11 (2020 USD) per MT of fortified flour, with overall 10-year program costs of ∼$2.4m; ∼25% faced by industry (e.g., internal quality control), ∼23% by government (e.g., external monitoring), and 52% by stakeholders who would cover premix costs (generally assumed to be industry, with some pass-through to consumers). Cost per person and cost per person reached are ∼$0.010 and ∼$0.023, respectively. Including zinc in this premix (95 mg/kg of zinc oxide) would increase the cost per MT of fortified flour to ∼$3.02, total 10-year program costs to ∼$3.3m, and cost per person and per person reached to ∼$0.014 and ∼$0.032, respectively. The premix's share of costs increased to ∼54%.ConclusionsThe levels and compositions of the costs should be considered when designing and managing LSFF, in part because different stakeholder groups, including consumers, will be called upon to pay them. Premix costs are one main cost driver; increasing the number and/or amounts of fortificants will increase overall program costs and shift the burden of costs among stakeholders.Funding SourcesResearch was supported by a grant to UC Davis from Helen Keller International through their support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Fortification of salt with iron and iodine versus fortification of salt with iodine alone for improving iron and iodine status.

Fortification of salt with iron and iodine versus fortification of salt with iodine alone for improving iron and iodine status.

An Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process and Entropy Weight Method in Food Cold Chain Risk Evaluation Model.

The food cold chain is a special type of cold chain that refers to a system in which refrigerated and frozen food is always kept in the specified low-temperature environment in all links from production, storage, transportation, sales, distribution to consumption, so as to ensure food quality and to prevent food deterioration caused by temperature fluctuation. In recent years, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought a great impact on people’s life and the social economy and also threatened the large-scale food cold chain. Through the effective identification and evaluation of high-risk factors in the food cold chain, this article has found the major risks that have a great impact on the entire food cold chain and proposes the specific measures of risk management and control to solve the problems of food cold chain and reduce risks quickly and efficiently to ensure the stability and safety of food cold chain and avoid the serious food safety accidents. The contribution of this article is reflected in three aspects, namely, (1) applies the expert system based on professional knowledge and rich experience and constructs a classification and identification system structure of food cold chain risk indexes, which lay a foundation for further identifying and evaluating the major risks of the food cold chain; (2) designs a comprehensive index weighting method combining the AHP method and entropy weight method to quantitatively evaluate the major risks. This comprehensive method combines a hierarchical structure system, evaluation algorithm, subjective factor correction algorithm, and so on. The evaluation results are more accurate, have a high matching degree with reality, and have good theoretical and practical significance; (3) analyzes and explains the major risks of the food cold chain in the non-epidemic situations and COVID-19 situations. Proposals and measures for risk management and control are put forward, which have wide practical significance.

Potential Use of Quartzipisamment under Agroforestry and Silvopastoral System for Large-Scale Production in Brazil

The need to put into practice sustainable agricultural production systems has been supported by agroecology science that seeks to optimize land use to food production with the lowest impact on soil. This study evaluated soil quality, based on physical and chemical attributes, in agroforestry (AGF) and silvopastoral (SILVP) systems developed for large-scale food production. The study was carried out in the municipality of Itirapina, state of São Paulo, in two areas with AGF and SILVP system, compared to an area with a forest fragment and another with pasture in a Quartzipisamment Sand Neosol. The soil collections were carried out in the layers of 0.00–0.05, 0.05–0.10, 0.10–0.20, and 0.20–0.40 m, where physical soil attributes were evaluated (total porosity, microporosity, and microporosity, density, mean diameter of aggregates) as well as chemical attributes (macro- and micronutrients), in addition to carbon and nitrogen storage. To interpret the data, Tukey’s test was applied to compare means, and principal component analysis was used to better characterize the study environments. The results showed that agroforestry and silvopastoral systems developed for large-scale production are efficient in improving chemical and physical attributes that reflect on soil quality, especially in the superficial layers of the soil, overcoming pasture and the natural regeneration process. Carbon and nitrogen storage were the main variables that differentiated the production systems, highlighting the importance of the AGF and SILVP systems as more sustainable agricultural intensification strategies, even in soils of low agricultural suitability.

Antibiotic use by backyard food animal producers in Ecuador: a qualitative study

BackgroundAntibiotics are increasingly used throughout the world in food animal production for controlling and preventing disease and for promoting growth. But this trend also has the potential for promoting antibiotic resistance, which represents a threat to human, animal, and environmental health. The use of antibiotics and the potential effects of antibiotic dependence has often been associated with large-scale food animal production. But rural households also engage in small-scale production, often operating literally in backyards. While some small-scale producers use veterinary antibiotics, many do not. This paper examines knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and agricultural practices (KAP) that represent an alternative to dependence on antibiotics.MethodsQualitative field research was based on four focus group discussions (FGDs) with non-indigenous backyard food animal producers in four communities near Quito, Ecuador and two FGDs with veterinarians. FGDs were supplemented by structured observations and key informant interviews. They were recorded with digital audio devices and transcriptions were analyzed independently by two researchers using a three-stage coding procedure. Open coding identifies underlying concepts, while axial coding develops categories and properties, and selective coding integrates the information in order to identify the key dimensions of the collective qualitative data.ResultsBackyard food animal producers in the Ecuadorian highlands generally do not use antibiotics while rearing small batches of animals and poultry for predominantly non-commercial household consumption. Instead, they rely on low cost traditional veterinary remedies. These practices are informed by their Andean history of agriculture and a belief system whereby physical activity is a holistic lifestyle through which people maintain their health by participating in the physical and spiritual environment.ConclusionsBackyard food animal producers in the Ecuadorian highlands implement complex strategies based on both economic calculations and sociocultural underpinnings that shape perceptions, attitudes, and practices. They use traditional veterinary remedies in lieu of antibiotics in most cases because limited production of food animals in small spaces contributes to a predictable household food supply, while at the same time conforming to traditional concepts of human and environmental health.

Cost-effectiveness of Vitamin A supplementation among children in three sub-Saharan African countries: An individual-based simulation model using estimates from Global Burden of Disease 2019.

Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) is a cost-effective intervention to decrease mortality associated with measles and diarrheal diseases among children aged 6-59 months in low-income countries. Recently, experts have suggested that other interventions like large-scale food fortification and increasing the coverage of measles vaccination might provide greater impact than VAS. In this study, we conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of a VAS scale-up in three sub-Saharan African countries. We developed an individual-based microsimulation using the Vivarium simulation framework to estimate the cost and effect of scaling up VAS from 2019 to 2023 in Nigeria, Kenya, and Burkina Faso, three countries with different levels of baseline coverage. We calibrated the model with disease and risk factor estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 (GBD 2019). We obtained baseline coverage, intervention effects, and costs from a systematic review. After the model was validated against GBD inputs, we modeled an alternative scenario where we scaled-up VAS coverage from 2019 to a level that halved the exposure to lack of VAS in 2023. Based on the simulation outputs for DALYs averted and intervention cost, we determined estimates for the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) in USD/DALY. Our estimates for ICER are as follows: $860/DALY [95% UI; 320, 3530] in Nigeria, $550/DALY [240, 2230] in Kenya, and $220/DALY [80, 2470] in Burkina Faso. Examining the data for DALYs averted for the three countries over the time span, we found that the scale-up led to 21 [5, 56] DALYs averted per 100,000 person-years in Nigeria, 21 [5, 47] DALYs averted per 100,000 person-years in Kenya, and 14 [0, 37] DALYs averted per 100,000 person-years in Burkina Faso. VAS may no longer be as cost-effective in low-income regions as it has been previously. Updated estimates in GBD 2019 for the effect of Vitamin A Deficiency on causes of death are an additional driver of this lower estimate of cost-effectiveness.

From pretreatment to assay: A chemiluminescence- and optical fiber-based fully automated immunosensing (COFFAI) system

Considering processing concerns regarding emerging food safety incidents and large-scale food testing, efficient and straightforward screening tools are urgently needed. The requirements for this technology include effective sample pretreatment, sensitive assay, and sample-to-answer solution that enable the detection of trace amounts of contaminants in complex food matrices. Here, we developed a chemiluminescence- and optical fiber-based fully automated immunosensing (COFFAI) system that conducts chemical contaminant food screening in a truly “sample-to-result” manner. Instead of utilizing laborious benchtop sample purification techniques followed by a time-consuming manual ELISA procedure, the user simply injects the sample of interest, and the whole procedure is automatically processed. We demonstrated that the utility of our COFFAI system can be used to detect trace amounts of chemical contamination in various milk samples within approximately 75 min. This method showed an ultrahigh sensitivity with a quinolone detection limit in the 0.022–0.065 µg/L range for skim milk, whole milk, and raw milk samples. The integration of pretreatment and assay into one automated system is an effective method for food testing. We believe that this platform provides a general method for efficient contaminant screening in foodstuffs.

Improving Local Food Systems through the Coordination of Agriculture Supply Chain Actors

A local food system is an alternative food network that shortens and more effectively structures the supply chain system. An intermediary actor functioning as an aggregator is needed in the local food system. The food hub is one such intermediary actor with an essential role in strengthening the local food system and increasing the competence of small farmers to compete with large-scale food distribution. Many studies have been conducted on the effectiveness and efficiency of food hubs; however, changing the supply chain system to one that is based on a local food system is challenging. This study aims to build a conceptual model that describes the activities and coordination of the actors involved in a food hub to achieve a local food system. In this study, a soft system methodology and case study approach are used to answer the research question. The results show that two transformations are needed to achieve a local food system: changing the supply chain system to one that is shorter and more structured and increasing quality consistency. Recommendations are presented in the form of a series of human activity systems to achieve transformations. Human activities to achieve a shorter and structured supply chain involve building cooperation, operating operational activities to add value, product identification, promotion, and developing fair-trade contracts. Human activities required to achieve transformation of increasing quality consistency include identifying high-demand customer requirements, forecasting, scheduling planting, and harvesting, improving training, cooperating with research institutions, farmer assistance, and quality inspection.

The Impact of E-Commerce on Consumer Purchasing Behavior: The Mediating Role of Financial Technology

The study aimed to determine the impact of e-commerce on the consumer's purchasing behavior with the presence of financial technology as an intermediate variable in large-scale food and consumer goods stores in Jordan, to achieve the goal of the study, the researcher relied on the descriptive and internal approach, an analytical approach, and the study sample consisted of all workers in large consumers and food stores in Jordan is within the high administrative levels, in addition to workers in IT departments, by (408) individuals, to whom the researcher distributed the study tool. Electronically, I used SPSS and AMOS to analyze the data and test hypotheses. The study found a set of results, the most important of which is the high level of relative importance of e-commerce, consumer behavior and financial technology in large-scale consumers and foodstuff stores in Jordan, and the existence of a statistically significant e-commerce impact on consumer behavior, in addition to the fact that through mediation in fintech The effect of e-commerce on consumer behavior increased, and the mediation was partial. The study recommended the necessity of continuing the large consumer and foodstuff stores in Jordan to enhance the dimensions of e-commerce by understanding these stores of their importance in order to increase efficiency and effectiveness and achieve the goals, by spreading awareness of e-commerce, as well as continuing to pay attention to and adopt financial technology because of its direct positive impact on consumer buying behavior. Keywords: E-Commerce, Consumer Buying Behavior, Financial Technology.

“I gave grain to my city”: on the issue of food donations in the VIth Upper Egyptian nome in the First Intermediate Period

The paper scrutinizes written sources on large-scale food donations in the Denderite nome in the First Intermediate Period. These are the inscriptions of the “royal seal-bearer, sole companion” Neferyu, the “sole companion” Hornakht, the “royal seal-bearer, lector-priest, overseer of soldiery” Shensetji, the “sole companion” whose name is destroyed – the owner of Manchester University Museum fragments 2869+2897. Treating these texts in connection with the issue of food shortages, scholars have not paid much attention to their context ̶ official statuses of their owners, peculiarities of the monuments, etc. Meanwhile, such data cast a new light on incentives for boasting of making lavish food donations in Denderite autobiographies. The inscriptions in question do not conform to the widely embraced theory by J.C. Moreno Garcia that the theme of food shortages was introduced in autobiographies with the purpose “to detach a territory from the surrounding chaos and to extoll the activities of local governors”, and that it was “restricted to the spheres of the provincial governors”. None of the inscriptions under discussion assert that there is chaos and famine outside of Dendera, and the official statuses of Neferiu, Hornakht and Shensetji are relatively low. At the same time, the funerary monuments of the persons in question look very expensive; three of them even owned mastabas which at Dendera of that time was an indicator of wealth and elite status. The author argues that these Denderites highlighted their generous food donations primarily in order to justify their moral right to their monuments which otherwise would have seemed far too sumptuous for the persons not belonging to the administrative elite.

Sensory profile, consumer acceptability and preference mapping of cassava-chia seeds composite porridges

This study applied quantitative descriptive analysis, hedonic test, and preference mapping techniques to investigate the sensory profile, consumer acceptability, and drivers for consumer acceptability of cassava-chia seeds composite porridge samples. Chia seeds flour was developed and blended with cassava flour at varying proportions (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25%) to make six composite porridges labelled CF, CCSF1, CCSF2, CCSF3, CCSF4, and CCSF5. The control cassava porridge (CF) formulation had significantly (p <0.05) higher sweetness and aroma intensities than the composite formulations. Conversely, the CCSF4 (20%) and CCSF5 (25%) composite formulations had significantly (p < 0.05) higher colour, mouthfeel, and oiliness intensities than the control formulation (CF). Furthermore, when compared to cassava porridge, the overall acceptability of composite porridge samples was significantly (p <0.05) much greater. Consumer preference for CCSF5 was much greater than for CF, although sample CCSF5 did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) from other composite porridge blends (sample CCSF1, CCSF3, and CCSF4). Consumer preferences for porridge formulations were largely driven by colour, texture, and oiliness attributes. Thus, mixing up to 25% chia seeds flour with cassava flour produces a composite porridge with enhanced sensory properties and, hence, more consumer appeal than non-mixed cassava porridge. Significantly, this study creates an opportunity for small to large-scale food processors to valorise cassava flour by producing cassava-chia seeds composite flour to benefit the broader population in terms of food security and nutritional enhancement.

Episodic complexity and the emergence of a coastal kingdom: Climate, cooperation, and coercion in Southwest Florida

At European contact, the Calusa of southwestern Florida were the most complex society in Florida. For staple sustenance they relied not on agriculture, but on aquatic resources harvested mainly from shallow inshore bays. We summarize recently discovered physical evidence on Mound Key of mound-building, monumental architecture, large-scale food processing, watercourt construction and use, and the sixteenth-century Spanish fort and mission of San Antón de Carlos. We fold these findings into regional paleoenvironmental, archaeological, and historical knowledge, refining our understanding of Calusa history by examining it at smaller time increments. Following a diminished fishery during a significant drop in bay water levels near the end of the cool Vandal Minimum episode, the Medieval Warm Period reversed the situation and increased the productivity of the shallow waters, which provided food surpluses and new opportunities. After ca. AD 950, long-established cooperative heterarchical relations among coastal and inland polities gave way to coercive hierarchical relations. During the succeeding Little Ice Age, they intensified food production by engineering and maintaining “watercourts” that functioned as fish traps and short-term fish storage areas. Periods of overall prosperity were dampened by times of uncertainty, characterized by short-term, lowered water levels with reduced fisheries and renewed cooperative, heterarchical relations.

A comparative study on generation and composition of food waste in Kundasang, Sabah

In this era, we are facing a very troublesome problem, and that is food waste. Food wastage started happening decades ago and is still happening today. This not only comes from large-scale food and beverage production but, unfortunately, also comes from people’s behavior. Which had made the research to study the generation and composition of food waste in Kundasang, Sabah and identify the awareness of food waste management. the collection of the food waste involved in residential and commercial and then, divide into two types which are cooked and uncooked food waste. As a result, the food waste generated from the commercial was more than residential area. Then, the food waste generation rate for every person is 0.14 kg/person/day. Most of the people in Kundasang know about food waste management but they do not know the proper way to manage the food waste but 64 % of them, interest to involve minimize the food waste in the future. Knowledge and skills can be spread among family residents through sports and awareness activities related to food management. In short, appropriate methods should be introduced to overcome the restrictions on the residents of Kundasang’s households to minimize food waste.

Development a Solar Dryer for low income group Farmers for sub cooled region

Solar dryer is a device that use solar energy to dry substances, especially food and agriculture product. Drying is one of the indispensable techniques for large-scale food preservation. There are already various types of solar dryer available but need a better performing solar dryer which can perform better in low sunshine hours and also in off sunshine hours. In present work combination of trapezoidal and tunnel type structured solar dryer developed for experimental trials. It showed better efficiency and effectiveness in compared to the existing solar dryers with respect to previous design available so far. After the experiments, it is found that maximum temperature rise was recorded 76°C however ambient temperature was 24 °C. At same time % reduction in weight was highly appreciable after three to four hour drying. Results of drying rates up to 50% after three hour drying. So present solar dryer is economical and potential solution to preserve the vegetables and crops to improve income of formers.

Nutrition Quality of Food Drive Donations Is Mediocre

ABSTRACT This study assessed nutritional quality of foods donated through large-scale food drives. A cross-sectional, photo-based design was used. Donated foods were categorized according to Healthy Eating Research Nutrition Guidelines for Ranking Charitable Food (HER). Means of sodium, saturated fat, and sugar were calculated and compared with HER nutrient guidelines for 4,484 foods. Only 19.4% of donations were categorized as good nutritional quality. No significant differences existed between food drive events. The association between food insecurity, poor diet quality, and poor health outcomes may be mediated by unhealthy foods donated through food drives. Strategies to facilitate healthy food availability are essential.

A Multi-Pronged Evaluation of a Healthy Food Access Initiative in Central Texas: Study Design, Methods, and Baseline Findings of the FRESH-Austin Evaluation Study.

Food insecurity and limited healthy food access are complex public health issues and warrant multi-level evaluations. The purpose of this paper was to present the overall study design and baseline results of the multi-pronged evaluation of a healthy food access (i.e., Fresh for Less (FFL)) initiative in Central Texas. The 2018–2021 FRESH-Austin study was a natural experiment that utilized a cluster random sampling strategy to recruit three groups of participants (total n = 400): (1) customers at FFL assets, (2) residents that lived within 1.5 miles of an FFL asset, and (3) residents from a comparison community. Evaluation measures included annual cohort surveys, accelerometers and GPS devices, store-level audits, and built environment assessments. Data are being used to inform and validate an agent-based model (ABM) to predict food shopping and consumption behaviors. Sociodemographic factors and food shopping and consumption behaviors were similar across the three groups; however, customers recruited at FFL assets were lower income and had a higher prevalence of food insecurity. The baseline findings demonstrate the need for multi-level food access interventions, such as FFL, in low-income communities. In the future, ABM can be used as a cost-effective way to determine potential impacts of future large-scale food environment programs and policies.