Post-harvest Products Research Articles

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.

Chitosan as A Plant Pathogen Control Agent: A Review

Pathogen attacks can cause decreased yields, even crop failure. Proper control can suppress pathogens' development and maintain yields. The concept of integrated pest management emphasizes the application of several techniques, one of which is the use of organic products as vegetable pesticides. Chitosan is a natural product obtained from crustacean shells or skins which can be used in various fields, including agriculture. Indonesia is one of the countries producing raw products from crustacean animals (shrimp, crab, lobster, and squid). This also has an impact on the amount of shell or skin waste produced. The processing of crustacean animal skin waste into chitosan can go through several stages, namely deproteinized, demineralization, and deacetylation. Chitosan application can be done by seed treatment, foliar spraying, soil application, and post-harvest products. The mode of action of chitosan against pathogenic fungi is binding to phospholipids in the plasma membrane of fungal cells, causing changes in hyphal morphology, degrading fungal enzymes, increasing levels of phenolics, sugar, and proline, and activating antimicrobial compounds and defense-related enzymes. The modes of action against pathogenic bacteria are interfering with gene expression, causing cell lysis, destroying bacterial biofilms, increasing defense enzyme activity, inducing systemic resistance, damaging and changing cell membranes, and causing cell wall permeability. The mode of action against pathogenic viruses is to increase the expression of genes related to defense, inhibit systemic viral multiplication and hypersensitivity response. The utilization of chitosan products is very important to study, especially in suppressing the use of chemical products and maintaining ecosystem sustainability.

Pemberdayaan Kelompok Wanita Tani Dalam Mengolah Produk Pasca Panen Minuman Sereh Lemon Selasih

This community service aims to empower women's farmer groups in processing post-harvest products, specifically lemongrass lemon basil drink. The target of this activity is the Garuda RW 12 Women's Farmer Group in Cipayung Village, Ciputat District, South Tangerang City, which has great potential in developing processed products from local agricultural produce. The activity was conducted on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at the RW 12 Hall Office and the local garden. The method used in this activity includes intensive training and mentoring, covering the stages of planning, implementation, and evaluation. The training encompasses processing techniques, packaging, and marketing strategies for the lemongrass lemon basil drink product. The results show that the women's farmer group can process lemongrass lemon basil drink with good quality standards. Additionally, there was an increase in the knowledge and skills of group members in technical and managerial aspects. The products also received positive feedback from the local market, reflected in increased sales and consumer interest. The implications of this activity are the enhancement of the economic welfare of the women's farmer group through the diversification of post-harvest processed products and the strengthening of their capacity to develop small-scale agricultural-based businesses. This empowerment is expected to serve as a model that can be applied in other villages with similar conditions

Dual-path lightweight convolutional neural network for automatic sorting of olive fruit based on cultivar and maturity

Identifying olive cultivars and maturity stages is crucial in the olive industry, as these traits significantly impact the nutritional and sensory properties of olive products and extracted oil. For this purpose, this study presents a novel automatic computer vision system that applies state-of-the-art deep learning technology to sort and classify two Iranian olive cultivars, Zard and Roghani, in five maturity stages, resulting in a total of ten distinct classes. The model was developed by evaluating multiple user-defined and standard structures. It was based on a dual-path lightweight convolutional neural network that uses both regular and dilated convolution operators. Dilated convolutions were used to extract more information and capture different properties by providing larger receptive fields. With a significantly lower number of trainable parameters than standard architectures, the lightweight nature of the model would enhance its potential for delivering fast responses in on-the-go applications. Four optimizers (RMSProp, SGD, Adam, and Nadam) were tested on the developed model to enhance its performance, and Nadam exhibited the greatest accuracy. The proposed model achieved a total classification accuracy of 95.79 % and a loss of 0.2214. The proposed model was completely accurate for some classes, and the classification metrics for all categories were high, ranging from 88 % to 100 % for precision, 83–100 % for recall, and 86–100 % for F1-score. The accuracy of classification within the Roghani cultivar classes stood at 98.28 %, while for the Zard cultivar classes, it achieved 97.76 %. The study found that the proposed model can be efficiently incorporated into an olive sorting system, facilitating the identification of olives with different cultivars and varying levels of maturity, thereby enhancing the production of post-harvest products and superior quality of oil.

Integrated Pest Management Decision Support System (IPM-DSS) a tool to support management of tree diseases in Kenya

Tree diseases have been noted as one of the major causes of abnormalities and malformations on perennial plants. Tree disease research in Kenya has resulted in a list of diseases identified to cause significant losses on forest plantations. The need for management of such diseases have been on the increase. The Decision Support System (DSS) was envisioned to help stakeholders make decisions to manage tree diseases on farm and in tree plantations. Information was collected across Kenya on diseases affecting seed, seedlings, plantations, natural forests and post-harvest products in sawmills. The data was entered into excel sheets and organized for database administration on MySQL software. Over 20 major fungal species were identified and their biology, distribution and management determined. This information was further fed into a query system to allow different groups of stakeholders to access the information for diagnosis and control of tree diseases. Results showed that major tree diseases in Kenya were caused by fungi belonging to the families; Botryosphaeriaceae, Nectriaceae, and Amphisphaeriaceae. The data and information availed through this query system is being used in trend analysis for proactive control and management of tree diseases in Kenya. It will also be used for farmer advisory services through closest match selection of symptom appearance based on the tree species. The query system is an innovation that will also be used for Citizen Science Data Capture to aid Kenya Forestry Research Institute in detecting emerging diseases in real-time for phytosanitary measures. The identification of commonly occurring pathogens in commercial forestry species in the country has led to research towards their control and tree improvement for resistance to tree diseases. Future plantation establishment should be based on resistant species and high-quality germplasm for maximum survival and improved yields. Key words: Advisory services, Botryosphaeriaceae, citizen science, Decision Support System, Integrated Pest Management, tree diseases.

Untargeted HR-MS Profiling and Discrimination of Coffea arabica L. Leaves under Different Postharvest Production Processes

Untargeted HR-MS Profiling and Discrimination of <i>Coffea arabica</i> L. Leaves under Different Postharvest Production Processes

Unearthing Study in Asnafs' Large-Scale SMART Paddy-Field (SMART SBBA): An Exploratory Case of Farmers in Yan, Kedah

The Asnafs' Large-Scale SMART Paddy Field (SMART SBBA) project is an initiative to consolidate rice paddy land through contract farming through a management system. It is to optimize the use of existing resources and increase the efficiency of planting activities and post-harvest production. The project initiative appears to be successful in helping rice farmers manage their fields systematically and increase the yield of higher-quality rice. SMART SBBA by the Kedah State Zakat Board (LZNK) has the potential to eradicate the poverty rate among asnafs in Kedah, in addition to boosting the local economy. Therefore, this preliminary study is to explore the SMART SBBA project through the experience and involvement of paddy farmers in the first season and the second season. This study applied exploratory and descriptive methods from focus group interview data. Results showed that the farmers were satisfied with the overall SMART SBBA LZNK management. However, most rice farmers face the challenges of agricultural input costs, including the high cost of seedlings, fertilizers, and pesticides, which is a huge obstacle for rice farmers in carrying out rice planting activities.

OPTIMASI OPTIMASI PROSES PEMBERSIHAN BERAS: STRATEGI TERAPAN UNTUK PENINGKATAN KUALITAS HASIL PERTANIAN

This community service activity (PKM) aims to introduce and train the community to process their rice harvests using appropriate technology, in the form of a grain peeling machine. The main target of this PKM activity is the people of the Jaya Mandiri Farmers Group in Batu Layang Village RT.04/RW.15, North Pontianak District, who still have limited means for their agricultural activities. The methods applied in this PKM activity are science and technology diffusion, socialization, and active community participation. So that with this PKM activity, the community has gained knowledge and skills in processing their post-harvest rice products, and it is hoped that this can help overcome their productivity problems due to limited agricultural facilities. Cleaning rice not only aims to remove empty grains, dirt and other foreign objects, but also increases the selling value per unit weight, increases the efficiency of drying and processing post-harvest products and extends shelf life. The working principle of the automatic rice cleaning tool is that when the rice is in the main reservoir, it then goes down through a small gap so that when it comes down it is cleaned with a fan so that the dirt stuck to the rice is blown away and the clean rice enters the reservoir section. The construction of this rice cleaning machine is divided into a hoper as a place to input rice, a crankshaft system, while the drive system consists of an electric motor, pulley, belt, pegs, bearings. With this device, the process of cleaning rice can be carried out simply and easily, and the process time, namely cleaning time, is shorter. With a shorter processing time, the production rate per unit time becomes greater. Improving the quality of agricultural products is very important in supporting food security and farmer welfare. One of the key aspects in ensuring the quality of agricultural products is the post-harvest processing process, especially the rice cleaning process. In this context, this research aims to optimize the rice refining process through the implementation of effective applied strategies. This study was conducted through a comprehensive series of laboratory experiments and field tests. Refining methods involving a combination of traditional and innovative technologies were evaluated to find the most efficient strategy for improving rice quality. The research results show that the use of a combination of certain technologies can increase the efficiency of rice cleaning, as well as reduce yield losses and increase the selling value of the product. This research makes a significant contribution to the development of agricultural practices that are sustainable and oriented towards quality results. These findings have direct implications for farmers in increasing the competitiveness of their products in local and global markets, as well as in supporting government efforts to achieve national food security goals.

Utilization of Ginger and Its Waste

Ginger has become the focus of research because of its oleoresin and essential oil content. First, the drying process can maintain the quality of post-harvest products and increase the shelf life of dry products. Applying heat by air, microwave, vacuum, and freeze-drying can remove up to 5% (w.b.) of the moisture content of the material. High temperatures provide a greater driving force and result in the best possible product damage. The involvement of an adsorption dryer can be an opportunity to carry out drying at low temperatures by involving a dehumidified air agent. Apart from drying, the extraction process is an essential component of the ginger isolation technique. In addition to temperature, the physical properties involved in this process are density and pressure (having relatively great difficulty in achieving the desired properties). Significant components with GC-MS and GLC tests gave different peak area results from the drying and extraction processes. However, β-phellandrene and camphene represent the presence of ginger essential oil in both methods. Then, the pulp and skin can also be reprocessed through extraction to produce ginger oil and ginger pulp. The sustainability of ginger residue through pyrolysis can produce ginger charcoal products. Meanwhile, the ginger pulp contains sugar, acid, and micro-fibrillation of cellulose (MFC) through hydrolysis. The results of research related to ginger provide opportunities for SMEs to produce post-harvest products in red ginger powder. The extraction process with polar solvents and the role of appropriate technology have encouraged independent economic activities. In addition, dregs from raw materials and by-products can be exploited for opportunities to reduce the waste generated.

Exogenous chlorogenic acid inhibits quality deterioration in fresh-cut potato slices

Fresh-cut potatoes are prone to surface browning and physiological degradation. Chlorogenic acid (CGA), a natural phenolic antioxidant, has demonstrated preservative properties in various postharvest products. However, the underlying mechanisms of its application on maintaining quality remain unclear. Therefore, the effect of exogenous CGA treatment on quality deterioration of potato slices and the mechanisms involved were investigated. Results revealed CGA treatment retarded the browning coloration, suppressed microbial growth and inhibited the declines in starch, and ascorbic acid contents in potato slices. Meanwhile, the treatment activated the phenylpropanoid pathway but decreased the activities of phenolic decomposition-related enzymes such as polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and tyrosinase and downregulated StPPO expression. Moreover, the treated slices exhibited reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes. Additionally, they displayed enhanced 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals scavenging capacity and higher ATP levels. Therefore, these findings indicated that CGA treatment was effective for quality maintenance and antioxidant capacity enhancement in fresh-cut potatoes, thereby providing potential strategies for the preservation and processing of fresh-cut produce.

Bi-directional hyperspectral reconstruction of cherry tomato: diagnosis of internal tissues maturation stage and composition.

Precision monitoring maturity in climacteric fruits like tomato is crucial for minimising losses within the food supply chain and enhancing pre- and post-harvest production and utilisation. This paper introduces an approach to analyse the precision maturation of tomato using hyperspectral tomography-like. A novel bi-directional spectral reconstruction method is presented, leveraging visible to near-infrared (Vis-NIR) information gathered from tomato spectra and their internal tissues (skin, pulp, and seeds). The study, encompassing 118 tomatoes at various maturation stages, employs a multi-block hierarchical principal component analysis combined with partial least squares for bi-directional reconstruction. The approach involves predicting internal tissue spectra by decomposing the overall tomato spectral information, creating a superset with eight latent variables for each tissue. The reverse process also utilises eight latent variables for reconstructing skin, pulp, and seed spectral data. The reconstruction of the tomato spectra presents a mean absolute percentage error of 30.44 % and 5.37 %, 5.25 % and 6.42 % and Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.85, 0.98, 0.99 and 0.99 for the skin, pulp and seed, respectively. Quality parameters, including soluble solid content (%), chlorophyll (a.u.), lycopene (a.u.), and puncture force (N), were assessed and modelled with PLS with the original and reconstructed datasets, presenting a range of R2 higher than 0.84 in the reconstructed dataset. An empirical demonstration of the tomato maturation in the internal tissues revealed the dynamic of the chlorophyll and lycopene in the different tissues during the maturation process. The proposed approach for inner tomato tissue spectral inference is highly reliable, provides early indications and is easy to operate. This study highlights the potential of Vis-NIR devices in precision fruit maturation assessment, surpassing conventional labour-intensive techniques in cost-effectiveness and efficiency. The implications of this advancement extend to various agronomic and food chain applications, promising substantial improvements in monitoring and enhancing fruit quality.

A Modified Xception Deep Learning Model for Automatic Sorting of Olives Based on Ripening Stages

Olive fruits at different ripening stages give rise to various table olive products and oil qualities. Therefore, developing an efficient method for recognizing and sorting olive fruits based on their ripening stages can greatly facilitate post-harvest processing. This study introduces an automatic computer vision system that utilizes deep learning technology to classify the ‘Roghani’ Iranian olive cultivar into five ripening stages using color images. The developed model employs convolutional neural networks (CNN) and transfer learning based on the Xception architecture and ImageNet weights as the base network. The model was modified by adding some well-known CNN layers to the last layer. To minimize overfitting and enhance model generality, data augmentation techniques were employed. By considering different optimizers and two image sizes, four final candidate models were generated. These models were then compared in terms of loss and accuracy on the test dataset, classification performance (classification report and confusion matrix), and generality. All four candidates exhibited high accuracies ranging from 86.93% to 93.46% and comparable classification performance. In all models, at least one class was recognized with 100% accuracy. However, by taking into account the risk of overfitting in addition to the network stability, two models were discarded. Finally, a model with an image size of 224 × 224 and an SGD optimizer, which had a loss of 1.23 and an accuracy of 86.93%, was selected as the preferred option. The results of this study offer robust tools for automatic olive sorting systems, simplifying the differentiation of olives at various ripening levels for different post-harvest products.

1-methylcyclopropene combined with ethylene absorbent delays the ripening of ‘Fenjiao’ banana (Musa ABB Pisang Awak)

The 'Fenjiao' banana (Musa ABB Pisang Awak) has a high commercial and nutritional value and is harvested when it is highly plump at between 85 and 90 % commercial maturity. The fruit are less angular at this stage. However, these fruit soften rapidly after harvest. 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) significantly delays ripening, but it can cause ripening disorders when used improperly. Ethylene absorbent (EA) is also widely used to increase the postharvest life of fruit, but it has less of an effect on 'Fenjiao' banana. This study was conducted to optimize the concentrations of 1-MCP combined with EA to increase the shelf life of these bananas. The results showed that a low concentration of 1-MCP (7 g L−1) combined with EA (2 g kg−1) significantly prolonged the shelf life of the 'Fenjiao' banana and maintained its high quality. The combination of 1-MCP and EA repressed the activities of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) oxidase, ACC synthase, pectin methylesterase, polygalacturonase and pectate lyase in the peel and pulp of 'Fenjiao' banana, as well as the corresponding levels of expression of MbACS1, MbACO1, MbPG1, MbPL1, except for MbPME1, which are induced by 1-MCP. This study provides a useful technique for preserving 'Fenjiao' fruit with a study on its possible physiological mechanism, which could be applied in the postharvest production of 'Fenjiao' banana.

Observation of changes in Fusarium mycotoxin profiles in maize grain over the last decade in Poland

Fungi of the genus Fusarium annually cause significant losses in maize production, one of the world's most cultivated cereals. These fungi infect plants, leading to the contamination of kernels with toxic metabolites, both in the field and in postharvest products. As Poland ranks the third largest corn producer in the European Union (EU), after France and Romania, with an 11% share of EU production, monitoring the health and purity of corn crops remains a pertinent issue. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the mycotoxin profiles in maize ears harvested between 2013 and 2021 and to estimate the impact of different growing seasons on the types and quantities of mycotoxins. Additionally, the presence of toxigenic Fusarium species in maize kernels was considered. The research was conducted at two locations in Poland: Kobierzyce and Złotniki. The results showed that the growing seasons significantly impacted the occurrence of the most analyzed toxins, namely deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, Enn A, Enn A1, Enn B, Enn B1, and beauvericin. However, this relationship was not observed for zearalenone and moniliformin in the Kobierzyce samples and for zearalenone in the Złotniki samples. Interestingly, the maize samples from 2014 to 2017 exhibited similar toxin profiles at both locations, while significant differences were observed in the years 2016 and 2020, as well as 2017 and 2021, between Kobierzyce and Złotniki, respectively.

Thermal Study of the Utilization of Rice Husks Using the Forced Convection Method as Energy for a Rotating Cylinder Dryer

Small farmers in rural areas use the sun as their main energy source to dry post-harvest products. Due to limited knowledge and technology, farmers depend on the sun through direct drying. Direct use of the sun for the drying process has disadvantages in uncertain weather such as cloudy or rainy. This results in the drying process not being optimal or even stopping. This research aims to use rice husks as energy to replace direct sun drying to produce optimal temperatures so that drying time is shorter and the quality of the dried food is hygienic. Rice husk as an energy source is applied through a rotating cylinder dryer. This dryer is tailored to farmers' needs, namely easy to operate at an affordable price. This energy can be utilized sustainably because it is abundant through a forced convection system and energy conversion using a heat exchanger. The design of the compact rotary dryer includes an integrated drying chamber in one unit with the combustion furnace and a heat exchanger. The drying chamber includes a rotating cylinder and a fixed cylinder. The test results show that hot air from burning rice husks flows through the heat exchange pipes by conduction from the furnace to the walls of the drying chamber and by forced convection through an exhaust fan installed in the drying chamber. The average environmental temperature of 29.55-29.69oC has increased when using one exhaust fan to 64.46oC and two exhaust fans to 60.11oC. This drying temperature can produce shorter drying times, so it can be applied to post-harvest product drying, which is energy-efficient and sustainable for small farmers. Based on research results, rotating cylinder dryers powered by rice husks are very suitable for small farmers to replace direct sun drying.

Performance Evaluation of CAAMS Teff Thresher

Teff is the most important indigenous cereal crops of Ethiopia, where it is thought to have originated, despite its versatile merits, teff production processes are dominated by traditional methods. To solve one of its postharvest production problems, the traditional threshing and the resulted losses of quantity and quality, engine powered threshers have been developed by different institutions, including Asella Agricultural Engineering Research Center (AAERC). Nevertheless, as most of the existing machineries are constrained with low output and cleaning problems. An imported CAAMS teff thresher was evaluated and tested with the objective of evaluating its performances. The machine was tested at drum speeds of 800, 1000 and 1200 rpm and feed rates of 6, 8 and 10 kg/min respectively. From the test results, the grand mean of threshing efficiency, cleaning efficiency, threshing capacity, separation loss and fuel consumption of 100%, 97.34%, 2.511%, 111.32 kg/hr, 2.7% and 0.2 lit/hr were obtained, respectively. In addition, the result of statistical analysis showed that, the drum speed have significant effects on cleaning efficiency and separation loss, whereas the feed rate have a significant effects on threshing capacity.

Women Farmers Group Participation in Empowering Local Food Security

Women's participation in socio-economic development at the local level is important and strategic because women have two roles as actors in developing a household by taking care of children and helping in the family economy. This study aims to the participation of farmer women's groups in empowering local food security as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program in Cilacap Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia. This study used the Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) method to involve 20 informants from members and administrators of the Women Farmers Group (WFG) of Sumber Pathedan and 14 academics, namely lecturers and students. Data were collected through interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), observation, and documentation with participatory analysis to produce natural and sustainable reality constructions. The results showed that WFG had the motivation and cohesiveness to become an entrepreneur after receiving socio-economic empowerment in the form of cultivating food security for vegetables and post-harvest processed products from the CSR program. However, it requires program sustainability such as assistance to continue to be able to harvest productively in the dry season. Then it requires the support of home production equipment and supplies to increase the productivity of postharvest products.

SWOT Analysis of Rice Plants in Nganjuk Regency

The economic development of the Indonesian nation includes the fields of agriculture, services, fisheries, animal husbandry and others, this is related to the sufficient availability of food needs for all Indonesian people. The availability of food is closely related to the pattern of developing food strategic areas, good cultivation systems, good post-harvest management systems and good distribution and storage systems. Problems that can be done by farmers related to post-harvest production of food crops and horticulture in Nganjuk. The aim of the research is to conduct a study and SWOT analysis of storage of rice products in Nganjuk Regency. The research uses a descriptive method of SWOT analysis with a case study approach to the community (stakeholders). The results of the analysis In Nganjuk Regency there are 12 Village Barns spread across 10 Districts. All of the Village Granaries are Warehouses for Paddy Commodities. So the conclusions in this qualitative and quantitative descriptive study using SWOT analysis are as follows: Strength: Using internal strengths with the vision of making the most of an external opportunity. Weakness: Minimizing internal weaknesses aims to obtain available external opportunities. Opportunity: Utilizing internal strengths in the face of an external threat intensively. Threat: Minimizing internal weaknesses aimed at avoiding and overcoming external threats.

Development of Synbiotic Preparations That Restore the Properties of Cattle Feed Affected by Toxin-Forming Micromycetes

A synbiotic preparation based on two strains of B. licheniformis was developed to reduce the harmful effects of mycotoxins in postharvest products used for cattle feed. The genomes of these strains were sequenced to analyze their potential for producing bioactive secondary metabolites. An optimal substrate was selected from the variety of plant substrates, with soybeans being identified as the optimal choice. Based on the results of experiments conducted on experimental animals for a month, the introduction of a synbiotic preparation leveled the negative effect of mycotoxins on weight gain in heifer calves, bringing it to the level of the control groups. There was also a decrease in the level of alkaline phosphatase in serum to normal values, which may indicate the probiotic effects of the preparation, not associated with the elimination of the effect of mycotoxins. The activity of these strains against mycotoxins correlates with the presence of lactonase genes in their genomes. Antimicrobial and bioactive metabolites, such as lichenicidin and lichenisin synthesized by strains CL 33 and CL 56, also seem to contribute to the probiotic effect. The results of the study open up prospects for the creation of new synbiotic preparations to fight contamination with mycotoxins.

Sustainability status, sensitive and key factors for increasing rice production: A case study in West Java, Indonesia.

The Indonesian rice production balance has managed to show a slightly consistent surplus recently, in the period of 2010 to 2021, but the country has continued to import rice to secure its rice reserve. The country has also made some efforts to increase its domestic rice production and, at the same time, faced ecological, socio-cultural, economic, institutional, and technological sustainability challenges. Previous studies on rice sustainability have shown varied results on the sustainability statuses and sensitive factors in Indonesia, yet there have been limited studies identifying key factors systematically. To provide more solid empirical evidence on this subject, a study to expand the scope to other sites with an additional analysis of the key factors is perceivably needed. This study aims to verify the sustainability status and identify sensitive factors as well as key factors for increasing rice production. The primary data were collected by interviewing officials from various agencies at the central and regional levels and several discussion groups of 40 participants, including farmers. In addition, secondary data were also collected from various ministries/agencies at the central and regional levels. Data analyses use a set of indicators, i.e., the Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) approach and the Matrix of Cross Impact Multiplications Applied to Classification (MICMAC) approach. The results show that the multidimensional sustainability status of increasing rice production in Bandung district is moderate, whereas sustainability status per dimension shows variations from poor to moderate. Fourteen out of 50 attributes are identified as sensitive factors influencing the sustainability of rice production. Six key factors are found to influence the sustainability of rice production. The study concludes that the sustainability status of increasing rice production in Bandung district is moderate, with variation across dimensions. The sustainability of increasing rice production in the study site is influenced by those 14 sensitive factors and those six key factors. This study recommends a number of major policies/programs to increase the sustainability of rice production, which are as follows: implementation of the Regional Spatial Plan, promotion of the application of best practices of farming management (organic fertilizers and pesticides), promotion of the use of agricultural machinery, and provision of farmer assistance for pre-harvest and postharvest production facilities, as well as farm financing. Future research should expand study sites to some other rice production centers with different attributes to enrich our understanding of the subject of rice sustainability.