Production Chain Research Articles

Challenges in the avocado production chain in Latin America: A descriptive analysis

The avocado market has experienced significant growth in recent decades, with Latin America emerging as a key player in production and export. This article provides an overview of the main challenges facing the avocado production chain in the region, examining crucial aspects such as production trends, supply dynamics, evolving demand patterns, and price fluctuations. By addressing these challenges and capitalizing on emerging opportunities, the Latin American avocado industry can enhance its competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience in the global market. This review provides valuable insights and actionable strategies for stakeholders across the avocado production chain, from producers and exporters to policymakers and researchers, offering key working areas for the sustainable development of the avocado industry.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of alternative winter salad value chains supplying the United Kingdom

Lettuce is an established food commodity in the UK increasingly facing supply challenges in winter due to adverse weather events and rising energy costs. We investigate whether an agroecologically grown salad mix of lettuce and underutilised leafy greens produced in the Azores, Portugal, could be part of a sustainable solution. We performed a Life Cycle Assessment to compare the environmental impacts of this salad mix with four other value chains for winter salad supply to the UK: conventional open-field lettuce production chains in Spain using (1) current irrigation practices; (2) 100 % desalinated irrigation water; or hydroponic controlled environment agriculture within the UK powered by (3) the national electricity mix; (4) 100 % wind-generated electricity. Results indicated that the leafy-greens agroecological value chain incurred the smallest environmental burdens across 7 to 11 of 16 impact categories studied. Substituting Spanish winter salad supply with agroecological leafy green production in the Azores, if well managed, could reduce many environmental burdens whilst diversifying leafy greens intake. Nevertheless, all winter value chains were associated with larger environmental burdens than conventional open-field production of lettuce in the UK summer, pointing to the importance of seasonal consumption and wider adoption of agroecological techniques to effectively reduce environmental impact.

Evidence for Horizontal Transmission and Recirculation of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in the Beef Production Chain in South Africa Using Whole Genome Sequencing.

We used whole genome sequencing (WGS) as an epidemiologic surveillance tool to elucidate the transmission dynamics of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains along the beef production chain in South Africa. Isolates were obtained from a cattle farm, abattoirs and retail outlets. Isolates were analysed using WGS on a MiSeq platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) and phylogenetic analysis was carried out. Of the 85 isolates, 39% (33) carried the stx gene and 61% (52) had lost the stx gene. The prevalence of stx subtypes was as follows; stx1a 55% (18/33), stx1b 52% (17/33), stx2a 55% (18/33), stx2b 27% (9/33), stx2dB 30% (10/33) and stx2d1A 15% (5/33). Thirty-five different serogenotypes were detected, of which 65% (56) were flagellar H-antigens and 34% (29) were both O-antigens and flagellar H-antigens. We identified 50 different sequence types (STs), and only nine of the isolates were assigned to three different clonal complexes. Core genome phylogenetic analysis revealed genetic relatedness, and isolates clustered mainly according to their STs and serogenotypes regardless of stx subtypes. This study provides evidence of horizontal transmission and recirculation of STEC strains in Gauteng province and demonstrates that every stage of the beef production chain plays a significant role in STEC entry into the food chain.

Patterns and Marketing Strategies of Herbal Medicine at Sukoharjo Regency

The development of the herbal industry, especially in the sector of herbal medicine, is increasingly gaining momentum. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the demand for a healthy life. Consequently, many institutions are involved in the marketing and distribution of herbal products. This study aimed to analyze the institutions involved, marketing patterns, and marketing strategies for industrially processed herbal medicine products. A qualitative approach with descriptive analysis was employed in this study. Data collection methods included observation, literature study, and interviews with informants. The key informants in this research included herbal medicine business actors and market managers. These business actors consist of herbal medicine processors and marketers. This research was conducted in Sukoharjo Regency. The results show that the institutions involved in the marketing chain of herbal medicine products comprise raw material suppliers, manufacturers functioning as distributors, retailers, and consumers. The marketing chain for processed herbal medicine products can be categorized into 6 marketing channels. The marketing strategies for industrially processed herbal medicine products that can be implemented include promotion via social media; employing a super value strategy; adding distribution agents; developing research on standardization and market opportunities; and innovation in industrially processed herbal medicine products.

Towards a sustainable circular bioprocess: Pectic oligosaccharides (POS) enzymatic production using passion fruit peels

A bioprocess was designed using passion fruit peels for the enzymatic production of POS. For this purpose, three commercial pectinase complexes were tested, and one was selected based on the analysis of viscosity change and galacturonic acid release during the reaction. Operating conditions were further determined at laboratory and bench scale, including time and enzyme dosage. Subsequently, the bioprocess was validated at pilot scale in a 40 L reactor, obtaining a highly concentrated syrup with 73.3 g POS per 100 g total solids, and 22.6 g total POS per 100 g passion fruit peel processed. Thus, the technical feasibility of a bioprocess leading to the production of a potential prebiotic syrup was proven, contributing to the SDG 12-3, “reduce food losses along production and supply chains”. These findings highlight for the first time the utilization of passion fruit peels in creating a prebiotic POS syrup through an enzymatic process involving commercial complexes. The straightforward nature of the bioprocess, comprising just four unitary operations, combined with the utilization of agricultural waste and commercial enzymes, presents compelling advantages. Particularly appealing to food processors aiming to enhance the circularity and sustainability of their operations while reducing reliance on external prebiotic ingredients.

Research Trends in the Recovery of By-Products from Organic Waste Treated by Anaerobic Digestion: A 30-Year Bibliometric Analysis

The prevailing extractive economic model is unsustainable due to the finite nature of resources, thereby necessitating the development of alternative models and policies. The anaerobic digestion (AD) process is key to achieving this objective, as it facilitates the conversion of organic waste into biogas and nutrient-rich digestate. This approach is aligned with the principles of a circular economy and contributes to a reduction in carbon emissions. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the literature published over the past three decades (1993–2023). The analysis will be based on data drawn from the Scopus database and then analysed using the VOSviewer software, which allows for the interconnection of the revised bibliography through a series of selected keywords. The results demonstrated the existence of four clusters: (i) the beneficial valorisation of waste; (ii) volatile fatty acids and biohydrogen as added value by-products resulting from AD; (iii) lignocellulosic substrates and their by-products; and iv) the main products of AD, biogas and digestate. The bibliometric analysis demonstrates a growing interest in AD within the biorefinery concept in recent years, showcasing its potential for effective waste management and integration into the production chain through the principles of the circular economy.

The Impact of Geopolitical Risks on Global Supply Chains - The Example of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Geopolitical risk is an international risk that transcends the borders of a single country, and in response to the diversity and suddenness of the types of geopolitical risk-causing indices, there are all kinds of uncertainties in the process of global supply chain management affected by geopolitical risk, which makes the main body of the supply chain affected by the risk. With the development of globalisation, more and more enterprises extend their production and supply chains to all parts of the world, which makes geopolitical risk one of the important challenges that they must pay attention to and deal with. Factors such as regional political instability caused by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, disruptions in the transport of goods, the impact on regional supply chains, and volatility in financial markets all pose challenges to the stability and reliability of global supply chains.

Nutritional value of edible Russula griseocarnosa in Vietnam

This study examines the nutritional value of edible Russula griseocarnosa in Vietnam. Russula griseocarnosa is a popular edible wild mushroom in northern Vietnam, where it is consumed locally or exported to China. Future market development and increased trade in Russula griseocarnosa require information on the composition and quality of mushrooms being harvested from the wild. As the nutritional value of this mushroom has not been documented, mushrooms were collected from secondary forests in Bac Giang and Cao Bang provinces, and primary forests in Quang Ninh province for determining the proximate and mineral contents. We dried the mushrooms and sequentially measured the proximate content using standard protocols. For mineral content, the mushroom powder was acid digested and analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry. The study found that Russula griseocarnosa in Vietnam contained 18-29% protein, 57-68% carbohydrate, 8.7-13.7% crude fiber, 0.8-2.1% crude fat, and 0.9-1.1% ash, and has high mineral content (mg/kg dry weight) of K (19,836-24,966), P (2,631-3,335), Ca (573-1,530), Mg (350-636), Fe (143-836), Zn (60-93), and Cu (31-42). The data in this study can be used in establishing official product brands of Russula griseocarnosa, which could improve the livelihood of local people who are dependent on non-wood forest products. Further studies should explore the market chain and mushroom product opportunities, the livelihood of rural households, and the sustainability of harvesting wild mushrooms.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION OF ‘PASHACO’ AND ‘HUAYRURO’ IN THE FABACEAE FAMILY FOR TIMBER PRODUCTION IN LORETO, PERU

In Peru, forest inventories traditionally group different timber species under the same commercial name. The names "pashaco" and "huayruro" in the Amazon exemplify this practice, representing the grouping and commercialization of various Fabaceae species, a family of significant forest and commercial importance in Loreto. This study aimed to taxonomically identify the "pashaco" and "huayruro" individuals a timber company recorded in its forest census and to differentiate each group's species through dendrological characterization. The company's census identified 429 "pashaco" individuals as Albizia niopioides and 150 "huayruro" individuals as Ormosia amazonica. Botanical identification of samples from 80 individuals in each group revealed that the individuals classified as A. niopioides comprised nine species: Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum, Dimorphandra cuprea, Pseudopiptadenia suaveolens, Hydrochorea pedicellaris, Enterolobium schomburgkii, Parkia nitida, Parkia igneiflora, Parkia decussata, and Parkia multijuga, with the last being the most common. Similarly, the "huayruro" or Ormosia amazonicaclassification included Andira macrothyrsa, Batesia floribunda, Ormosia coccinea, Ormosia amazonica, Vataireopsis surinamensis, Vatairea erythrocarpa, Hymenolobium excelsum, Hymenolobium nitidum, and Hymenolobium velutinum, with the latter being the most abundant. This study underscores the need for improved species identification in forest inventories. Dendrological characteristics of stems and leaves can aid in differentiating and identifying these species in forest censuses, fostering sustainable management practices by reducing species grouping and minimizing economic impacts in the timber forest production chain.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practices towards food waste management among Nigeria dwellers

Annually, approximately 40 % of food intended for human consumption is either wasted or lost, contributing to increased hunger and global food insecurity. Nigeria faces challenges related to food insecurity and diseases, which are linked directly and indirectly to food waste. Although food waste is a complex issue, proactive steps can be taken to reduce it. Most often, food waste occurs towards the end of the production chain, particularly during meal preparation and consumption.Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices among households regarding food waste management in Nigeria. The aim was to identify the factors contributing to food waste generation, enabling the implementation of suitable corrective measures. A survey was conducted, engaging 401 households across six geographic regions of Nigeria, employing an online self-administered questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 20, with significance set at a p-value of less than 0.05.The majority of participants were male, under the age of 44, and had tertiary education. Findings indicated that most participants demonstrated a good level of knowledge and moderate attitude and behavior, except regarding inappropriate waste disposal. Nearly all respondents (97 %) were aware that infrequent waste disposal can attract flies, and 95 % recognized that inadequate disposal can lead to diseases. A significant proportion (72.5 %) strongly agreed that sufficient knowledge of food preservation could reduce waste, while 71 % believed improper disposal of food waste harmed the environment. Analysis of the relationship between the three variables of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) concerning food waste management revealed a weak positive correlation. These findings emphasize the need for sustainable improvement in knowledge and awareness of food waste management to positively influence attitudes and practices.

Oriented Synthesis of Glycine from CO2, N2, and H2O via a Cascade Process.

Air contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen elements that are essential for the constitution of amino acids. Converting the air into amino acids, powered with renewable electricity, provides a green and sustainable alternative to petrochemical-based methods that produce waste and pollution. Here, taking glycine as an example, we demonstrated the complete production chain for electrorefining amino acids directly from CO2, N2, and H2O. Such a prospective scheme was composed of three modules, linked by a spontaneous C-N bond formation process. The high-purity bridging intermediates, separated from the stepwise synthesis, boosted both the carbon selectivity from CO2 to glycine of 91.7% and nitrogen selectivity from N2 to glycine of 98.7%. Under the optimum condition, we obtained glycine with a partial current density of 160.8 mA cm-2. The high-purity solid glycine product was acquired with a separation efficiency of 98.4%. This work unveils a green and sustainable method for the abiotic creation of amino acids from the air components.

Adoption of Sustainable Dairy Management Practices and its Effect on Farm Income: A Case of Dairy Farmers in Rubaya Sub-County, Mbarara District

Sustainable dairy management (SDM) practices aim to minimize environmental impact, promote animal welfare, ensure economic viability, and support social responsibility throughout the dairy production chain. The SDM practices that could improve sustainability of dairy farming systems in Uganda include milk management, animal health, feeding and breeding practices. Despite the numerous advantages that scientific literature reports for these dairy management practices, they are not always adopted by farmers because of various factors. The objectives of this study were to examine farmers’ adoption decisions towards Sustainable Diary Management (SDM) practices, as well as the economic impact of this adoption among dairy farmers in Rubaya Subcounty. The cross-sectional research design was applied to collect both quantitative and qualitative data using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were collected using a household survey of 160 randomly selected respondents, from different villages within the study area. R Software Version 4.4.0 was used for data analysis. The results reveal that most of the SDM practices were adopted by over 50% of the dairy farmers. Only Artificial insemination, drying off animals, conservation fodder and concentrate feeding practices were adopted by less than 50% of the dairy farmers. The Multivariate logistic regression model results show that the adoption of SDM practices is significantly associated with varied demographic (Gender, age, household size); socio-economic (land size and household income); and institutional factors (access to agricultural credit, access to extension services, and membership to a farmer association). The study found out that adoption of SDM practices increased their farm income by UGX. 2,930,429/=, highly significant at 5% (p=0.02). The study recognizes two main pathways to increase the adoption of SDM practices: i) utilizing farmers’ knowledge and information sharing platforms; and addressing broader market and institutional failures

Enhancing Enterprise Efficiency through Cross-Domain Supply Chain Linkage Management

In recent years, with the complexity and variability of international finance, debt, and geopolitical risks, the growth rate of domestic economic operations has slowed down. More enterprise groups are facing the transformation and upgrading from domestic leadership to internationalization, achieving revenue growth of nearly 10 billion yuan per year against the trend. The severe and complex internal and external environment has brought many challenges to the supply chain for enterprises. This article focuses on the goal of an “enterprise supply chain system focusing on value creation, strengthening system linkage, and improving overall chain efficiency,” aiming to find solutions to problems such as strong demand variability, frequent emergency needs, coexistence of project shortages and inventory surplus, long material turnover cycles, and high organizational complexity. By searching for key activities in the entire business chain of demand, design, production, service, and finance, implementing source planning, process control, system linkage, analysis and summary, and team collaboration, we have achieved more scientific demand forecasting, more accurate planning, more effective procurement cost reduction, more stable production performance supply, more convenient inventory sharing services, and more efficient integration of business and financial policies.

Genomic insights and biocontrol potential of ten bacterial strains from the tomato core microbiome.

Despite their adverse environmental effects, modern agriculture relies heavily on agrochemicals to manage diseases and pests and enhance plant growth and productivity. Some of these functions could instead be fulfilled by endophytes from the plant microbiota, which have diverse activities beneficial for plant growth and health. We therefore used a microbiome-guided top-down approach to select ten bacterial strains from different taxa in the core microbiome of tomato plants in the production chain for evaluation as potential bioinoculants. High-quality genomes for each strain were obtained using Oxford Nanopore long-read and Illumina short-read sequencing, enabling the dissection of their genetic makeup to identify phyto-beneficial traits. Bacterial strains included both taxa commonly used as biofertilizers and biocontrol agents (i.e. Pseudomonas and Bacillus) as well as the less studied genera Leclercia, Chryseobacterium, Glutamicibacter, and Paenarthorbacter. When inoculated in the tomato rhizosphere, these strains promoted plant growth and reduced the severity of Fusarium Crown and Root Rot and Bacterial Spot infections. Genome analysis yielded a comprehensive inventory of genes from each strain related to processes including colonization, biofertilization, phytohormones, and plant signaling. Traits directly relevant to fertilization including phosphate solubilization and acquisition of nitrogen and iron were also identified. Moreover, the strains carried several functional genes putatively involved in abiotic stress alleviation and biotic stress management, traits that indirectly foster plant health and growth. This study employs a top-down approach to identify new plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs), offering an alternative to the conventional bottom-up strategy. This method goes beyond the traditional screening of the strains and thus can expand the range of potential bioinoculants available for market application, paving the way to the use of new still underexplored genera.

A Method for Extracting Fine-Grained Knowledge of the Wheat Production Chain

The knowledge within wheat production chain data has multiple levels and complex semantic relationships, making it difficult to extract knowledge from them. Therefore, this paper proposes a fine-grained knowledge extraction method for the wheat production chain based on ontology. For the first time, the conceptual layers of ploughing, planting, managing, and harvesting were defined around the main agricultural activities of the wheat production chain. Based on this, the entities, relationships, and attributes in the conceptual layers were defined at a fine-grained level, and a spatial–temporal association pattern layer with four conceptual layers, twenty-eight entities, and forty-two relationships was constructed. Then, based on the characteristics of the self-constructed dataset, the Word2vec-BiLSTM-CRF model was designed for extracting the knowledge within it, i.e., the entity–relationship–attribute model and the Word2vec-BiLSTM-CRF model in this paper were compared with the four SOTA models. The results show that the accuracy and F1 value improved by 8.44% and 8.89%, respectively, compared with the BiLSTM-CRF model. Furthermore, the entities of the pest and disease dataset were divided into two different granularities for the comparison experiment; the results show that for entities with “disease names” and “pest names”, the recognition accuracy at the fine-grained level is improved by 32.71% and 31.58%, respectively, compared to the coarse-grained level, and the recognition performance of various fine-grained entities has been improved.

Measuring climate transition risk at the regional level with an application to community banks

We develop a measure of climate transition risk for regional economies in the U.S., based on the mix of firms that produce emissions in each region. To quantify transition risks, we consider the introduction of an emissions tax levied on companies emitting greenhouse gases and estimate changes in the market values of industries due to a carbon tax using Merton's (1974) model. We find that transition risks are highly concentrated in a few sectors and counties with heavy exposures to transition-sensitive sectors. The size and geographic concentration of the tax effects depend significantly on assumptions about the elasticity of demand for inputs in the production chain. When applying county-level estimates for transition risks to banks’ deposit footprint, we find mild to moderate transition risks for community banks as a whole, although transition risks are high for a few banks.

Current Trends in Food Processing By-Products as Sources of High Value-Added Compounds in Food Fortification.

Along the food production chain of animal, fish, and vegetable products, a huge amount of by-products are generated every year. Major nutritional, financial, and environmental advantages can be achieved by transforming them into functional ingredients for food formulation and fortification. In this review, we investigated various conventional and emerging treatments recently employed to obtain functional ingredients rich in proteins, fibers, and bioactive compounds from vegetables, fish, meat, and dairy by-products. The optimal enrichment level in food as well as the nutritional, techno-functional, and sensory properties of the final food were also discussed. Novel technologies such as ultrasounds, microwaves, and high pressure have been successfully adopted to enhance the extraction of target compounds. The functional ingredients, added both in liquid or powder form, were able to improve the nutritional quality and antioxidant potential of food, although high levels of fortification may cause undesired changes in texture and flavor. This review provides important considerations for further industrial scale-up.

Assessing the Competitive Advantage of Ecuador’s Shrimp Industry in the Global Market Using the Balassa Index for 2018–2022

Increased shrimp production in Ecuador might significantly boost the nation’s economic development while allowing for the sustainable exploitation of its natural resources. Business owners in Ecuador still require diagnostic tools for investment, marketing, and production planning. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the competitive position of Ecuador’s shrimp industry and direct competitors in the global shrimp market. Export data on shrimp from the International Trade Centre and Ecuador’s National Chamber of Aquaculture were used for the top five shrimp-exporting countries. The period 2018–2022 was chosen as the information was available at the start of the research. Balassa’s methodology was employed for the competitiveness analysis, and statistical analysis was conducted to validate the findings. The results show Ecuador has a significant competitive edge compared to its main rivals, Argentina, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. This analysis indicates that Ecuador has the potential to win bigger market shares in the global shrimp trade despite being placed 70th and 97th, respectively, in the 2017–2018 Global Competitiveness Index and the 2018 Logistics Performance Index. Therefore, it is necessary to establish strategic production plans for Ecuadorian shrimp enterprises to adapt to the global shrimp trade demands and to advance production and supply chain technology so that Ecuador can access additional worldwide markets.

Crystallization kinetics as a tool to fine-tune the catalytic activity of Na-LTA zeolite precursors in the transesterification of glycerol to glycerol carbonate

Glycerol carbonate is a versatile molecule used as a fuel additive and a chemical building block. It is a prominent route for glycerol valorization, improving the biodiesel production chain. This base-catalyzed reaction can be carried out using sodium-type zeolites if accessibility to the basic sites is ensured. Herein, we report a facile strategy to fine-tune the number and access to basic sites of Na-LTA zeolite precursors via monitoring the crystallization kinetics of the microporous material. It is demonstrated that an optimal glycerol to glycerol carbonate conversion is obtained when using the solid obtained at the beginning of the crystallization (90 min at 100 °C of hydrothermal step). Textural and spectroscopy characterization reveals that semicrystalline material presents many basic aluminate anions in a very open structure, allowing facile access to glycerol and propylene carbonate. Moreover, it is shown that this catalyst is stable in four successive reaction cycles and active in different reactions conditions

Carbon dioxide resource utilization in methanol products: Carbon emission projections, visual analysis, life cycle assessment

China is becoming the world's biggest energy consumer and carbon dioxide emitter due to the excessive worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide. As a result, resource utilization and carbon emission reduction have taken center stage in China's energy growth. This paper provides an overview and analysis of China's annual total carbon emissions from 2012 to 2021, as well as a projection of the country's key carbon emission industries' carbon dioxide emissions over the next several decades. With the help of the Web of Science bibliometric analysis function and the CiteSpace software visual analysis function, it analyzes the systematic knowledge mapping of the research literature related to carbon emission reduction, which corroborates that carbon emission reduction is the future. Further strengthening the research on carbon dioxide resource utilization is expected to add bricks and mortar to the beautiful vision of "carbon neutrality" by 2060. The consumption of hydrogenated carbon dioxide (CO2) for the production of one ton of methanol can reach up to 1431 tons. This process is an effective and environmentally friendly method for reducing carbon emissions. The methodology and mechanism of utilizing carbon dioxide resources for methanol preparation are systematically summarized, with a specific focus on the application of green methanol as ship fuel. The analysis primarily examines the calculation of carbon emissions throughout the entire life cycle of carbon dioxide and the production of green hydrogen for methanol. The hypothesis is that low-carbon methanol emissions are one-third lower than those of fuel oil, and this conclusion is further supported by evidence showing that low-carbon methanol has a significant carbon reduction effect. Simapro 9.0 software was used to evaluate the life cycle of carbon dioxide preparation for methanol production. The results indicated that the factors with the greatest influence are CO2 utilization and green hydrogen production. To make the process more environmentally friendly, the capture process should be improved, and efforts should be made to reduce electricity consumption and coal usage. These measures can effectively reduce the environmental impact of the entire production chain. Furthermore, it anticipates the future utilization of carbon dioxide resources in the application market of the new materials industry, and aims to further advance the development of the methanol industry.