Small-scale Commercial Production Research Articles

Rainwater harvesting as a sustainable solution for the production of urban hydroponic crops

Abstract Population growth and poor agricultural practices demand an improvement in the efficiency of food production. Urban hydroponic crops represent a potential solution to this challenge. However, the use of drinking water for urban agriculture is not a priority. Consequently, rainwater harvesting can reduce the use of drinking water for other purposes than human consumption. This study evaluated the efficiency of rainwater harvesting for the production of hydroponic crops in an Andean city. We developed a rainwater harvesting model to analyze the efficiency and optimization of two hydroponic production scenarios: (1) domestic production (30 plants) and (2) small-scale commercial production (200 plants). We found an efficiency of 99.71 and 75.79%, for scenarios 1 and 2, respectively. The 75.79% efficiency is given by the presence of low precipitation periods, which in the case of the study area are sporadic. Furthermore, scenario 2 could reach efficiencies of 100% if the roof capture area increases up to 40 m2. Rainwater harvesting in Andean cities, with sustained precipitation throughout the year, is enough to supply water for domestic and small-scale commercial hydroponic production with basic household modifications. We show promising results by combining rainwater harvesting and hydroponic crops for improving urban food and water security.

Changes in the condition, early growth, and trophic position of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in response to an experimental aquaculture operation

We analyzed changes in the condition, early growth, and resource use of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from a Boreal Shield lake in response to an experimental aquaculture operation. Annual small-scale commercial production of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) resulted in increased lake trout body condition during aquaculture operations, which was positively related to minnow catch per unit effort (CPUE). Incremental increases in growth led to larger lake trout following aquaculture. While the littoral energy assimilated by lake trout did not change linearly from 2002 to 2009, we observed a shift towards littoral energy use in the last year of aquaculture and for 2 years after the experiment, coincident with low densities of Mysis diluviana. Lake trout trophic position declined from 2002 to 2009, suggesting increased foraging on secondary versus tertiary consumers. Minnow and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) CPUE increased by 5.2- and 5.5-fold, respectively, and Mysis diluviana densities decreased by 93%. Changes observed in the experimental lake were much greater than those observed in a nearby reference lake. Our results suggest that moderate nutrient enrichment from aquaculture may benefit lake trout in oligotrophic Boreal Shield lakes.

Incorporating orange-fleshed sweet potato into the food system as a strategy for improved nutrition: The context of South Africa

Orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) is considered the single most successful example of biofortification of a staple crop, and presents a feasible option to address vitamin A deficiency. Though initially promoted as part of a crop-based approach focusing on production and consumption at household level, it evolved into small-scale commercial production, predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper reviews OFSP initiatives in relation to the South African food environment and food supply systems, also identifying opportunities for scaling out OFSP in a situation where sweet potato is not eaten as a staple. Current per capita consumption of sweet potato is low; the focus is thus on increasing consumption of OFSP, rather than replacing cream-fleshed varieties. For the major OFSP variety, Bophelo, 66g consumption can be sufficient to meet the recommended daily allowance for 1–3year old children (300μRE vitamin A). Despite a national Vitamin A supplementation programme and fortified staple foods in South Africa, 43.6% of children under 5years of age were reported to be vitamin A deficient in 2012, indicating a stronger need to promote the consumption of Vitamin A-rich foods, such as OFSP. To increase availability of and access to OFSP, all aspects of the food supply system need to be considered, including agricultural production, trade, food transformation and food retail and provisioning. Currently, small-scale commercial OFSP producers in South Africa prefer to deliver their produce to local informal markets. To enter the formal market, small-scale producers often have difficulties to meet the high standards of the retailers' centralised procurement system in terms of food quality, quantity and safety. Large retailers may have the power to increase the demand of OFSP, not just by improving availability but also by developing marketing strategies to raise awareness of the health benefits of OFSP. However, currently the largest scope for scaling out is through a number of public sector programmes such as the National School Nutrition Programme, Community Nutrition and Development Centres, Small-holder Farmer programmes and Agriparks. Though the major approach is focused on unprocessed, boiled OFSP, there are unexploited opportunities for processing of OFSP. However, the nutritional quality of products should be a main consideration within the context of the co-existence of undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in the country.

Synthetic promoter design for new microbial chassis.

The judicious choice of promoter to drive gene expression remains one of the most important considerations for synthetic biology applications. Constitutive promoter sequences isolated from nature are often used in laboratory settings or small-scale commercial production streams, but unconventional microbial chassis for new synthetic biology applications require well-characterized, robust and orthogonal promoters. This review provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges for synthetic promoter discovery and design, including molecular methodologies, such as saturation mutagenesis of flanking regions and mutagenesis by error-prone PCR, as well as the less familiar use of computational and statistical analyses for de novo promoter design.

Reviews and Resources:The Art of Fermentation: An In-depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World

Microbes nourished humans for millennia before humans realized what microbes are. Today we have the good fortune of being able to enjoy traditional fermentation practices and delight in our knowledge of the microbial alchemists doing the work. The current revival in home, restaurant, and small-scale commercial production of fermented foods and beverages has been fueled, in part, by two books by Sandor Katz. Published in 2003, Wild Fermentation offered practical instructions that inspired many to try their hand in their own kitchens. His subsequent book published in 2012, The Art of Fermentation, is a well-researched and documented reference covering diverse global practices that employ microbes (including fungi) to transform and preserve just about everything edible: fruits, vegetables, grains, milk, meat, and honey, to name a few of the most familiar ingredients. Organisms and their metabolic products are named, where pertinent. References are abundant.

Two-Phase Flow Oxidation of Valeraldehyde with O2 in a Microstructured Reactor

Microstructured reactors are the ideal device for highly exothermic reactions. In this work, the highly exothermic two-phase reaction of valeraldehyde with oxygen to valeric acid was carried out in a microreactor. The used device from one-A Engineering Austria GmbH is designed for process development and intensification and can be applied in the scale-up process to small-scale commercial production. The atom economic oxidation of valeraldehyde is performed at 0 to 40 °C with a catalytic amount of manganese(II) acetate. A continuous flow oxidation of aldehydes in such reactors can be a safe and beneficial alternative to commercial batch processes.

Promoting food security and enhancing Nigeria's small farmers' income through value-added processing of lesser-known and under-utilized indigenous fruits and vegetables

In Nigeria and other African countries, there are hundreds of lesser-known indigenous crops as well as other food plants gathered from the wild that contribute to food security and play vital roles in the nutrition of the people particularly the rural populace. These native crops and wild food plants that have received little research attention or extension activities and have been largely neglected by the mainstream of international science include a wide variety of wild indigenous fruits and vegetables that enrich the diet of the rural populace and could thrive with little care and without the use of costly agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. Among them are numerous fruits of Nigerian trees that grow wild in the rain forest and the woodland savanna zones or are cultivated on small, compound farms. These fruits that are consumed fresh are rich sources of nutrients including ascorbic acid, provitamin A carotenoids, minerals and nutraceuticals with health-promoting benefits. There is the need to promote the cultivation and utilization of many of these indigenous fruit trees including African star apple (Chrysophyllum albidum), African mango (Irvingia gabonensis), African or native pear (Dacryodes edulis) and hog plum (Spondias mombin) that are also of considerable environmental significance and protect them from uncontrolled wood felling activities that result in deforestation. Laboratory studies have shown that good quality fruit leathers, jams, juices and other drinks can be produced from several lesser-known and under-utilized Nigerian fruits and vegetables including African star apple (C. albidum), African mango (I. gabonensis), hog plum (S. mombin), tamarind (Tamarindus indica) and roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) using simple procedures suitable for small-scale commercial production including osmotic dehydration, open-kettle jam-making process and mechanical juice extraction followed by hot water pasteurization. Removing the constraints to the development of small-scale food industries which include inadequate electricity supply, use of inappropriate technology, inadequate working capital, high interest rates, and limited access to banks and other financial institutions would facilitate commercial production of these value-added foods in rural communities thereby reducing post-harvest losses, promoting food security, enhancing small farmers' income and contributing to sustainable rural development.

Kinetic and Scale-up Investigations of a Michael Addition in Microreactors

Microreactors are an efficient tool for process development and intensification. However, the scale-up from lab studies to small-scale commercial production is challenging, since a change in the channel dimensions requires good knowledge of heat and mass transfer phenomena. In this work, complete process development for an exothermic Michael addition is presented. In a systematic scale-up approach, kinetic studies and experimental characterization of the employed reactors provide key parameters for detailed reactor modelling. The residence time distribution, reactant mixing, and removal of reaction heat are taken into account. It is exemplarily shown how preliminary experiments can be the basis for the prediction of scale-up effects and the development of a continuous production process. Plug flow behavior and short mixing times could be confirmed for all investigated flow reactors. Furthermore, interactions of reaction kinetics and the formation of hot spots in the reactor channel were investigated. For ...

Variation in growth, production and quality attributes ofPhysalisspecies under temperate ecosystem

Introduction . Diverse fruit crops with a high value reduce the risk of crop failure and offer alternatives to farmers and the market. The scope of profitable production with such quality crops along with environmental concerns make the evaluation of new species desirable. The aim of our study was to determine the most appropriate species of Physalis for small-scale commercial production in the temperate climate of western Himalayan regions. Materials and methods . Four Physalis species, viz ., P. peruviana, P. ixocarpa, P. pruinosa and P. nicandroides, were field-grown during 2010–2011 in the experimental field of the Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture, Srinagar, India, to determine the most appropriate species of Physalis suitable for a temperate climate. Results and discussion . All the species tested produced vegetative growth, flowered and fruited; however, they differed significantly. The number of basal shoots was found to be maximum for P. pruinosa (6.37), whereas the maximum number of prickles per shoot was recorded as maximum for P. nicandroides (6.48). The number of points of attachment varied significantly with species, and the maximum was recorded for P. pruinosa and P. ixocarpa (7.16 for each); the maximum size of fully developed leaves (146.8 mm) and overall plant height (168.27 cm) were recorded for P. pruinosa . Physalis pruinosa and P. ixocarpa were found to exhibit vigorous growth under a temperate climate. Significant differences were recorded for fruiting, flowering and yield potential among the Physalis species. The minimum days taken for bud burst were reported for P. nicandroides (23.55) and P. ixocarpa (24.41). Similarly, the minimum days taken to reach maturity were reported for P. peruviana (64.96). The maximum number of fruits per plant (260.23), length of fruit (33.83 mm), average fruit weight (37.19 g), husk weight (0.32 g), fruit husk ratio (121.27), maximum fruit firmness (43.96 Relative Index) and yield (9.96 Relative Index) were recorded for P. pruinosa . Significant variation was recorded in quality attributes. The highest total soluble solids were found for P. nicandroides (8.46 °Brix), whereas the minimum total titrable acidity (0.35%) and maximum ascorbic content (38.41 mg·100 g–1 ) were recorded for P. peruviana . The ‘L ’ value of fruits, showing brightness, was recorded as the highest for P. peruviana (58.97), whereas fruits of all the species showed a negative ‘a ’ value, indicating that none of them produced redness; however, the ‘b ’ value, indicating yellowness, was maximum for P. pruinosa (18.72).

Review article: Commercialization of whole-plant systems for biomanufacturing of protein products: evolution and prospects

Technology for enabling plants to biomanufacture nonnative proteins in commercially significant quantities has been available for just over 20 years. During that time, the agricultural world has witnessed rapid commercialization and widespread adoption of transgenic crops enhanced for agronomic performance (herbicide-tolerance, insect-resistance), while plant-made pharmaceuticals (PMPs) and plant-made industrial products (PMIPs) have been limited to experimental and small-scale commercial production. This difference in the rate of commercial implementation likely reflects the very different business-development challenges associated with 'product' technologies compared with 'enabling' ('platform') technologies. However, considerable progress has been made in advancing and refining plant-based production of proteins, both technologically and in regard to identifying optimal business prospects. This review summarizes these developments, contrasting today's technologies and prospective applications with those of the industry's formative years, and suggesting how the PM(I)P industry's evolution has generated a very positive outlook for the 'plant-made' paradigm.

The Influence of Microwave Heating on the Characteristics of Polyelectrolytes

Results obtained by microwave (MW) and simultaneous microwave and electron beam (MW+EB) application in the chemistry of acrylamide and acrylic acid co-polymers (PA type polyelectrolytes) are presented. Comparative results concerning the molecular weight (Mw) and Huggins’ constant for the acrylamide copolymers obtained by classical heating, MW heating, EB irradiation and simultaneous MW+EB treatment are reported. MW heating produces high PA water solubility but median Mw values; EB irradiation gives high Mw values but associated with a cross-linked structure (poor water solubility) while MW energy addition to EB energy gives simultaneously high Mw values and high PA water solubility. AMW installation of 2.45 GHz and 2.5 kW, designed to provide small-scale commercial production of PA polyelectrolytes, is described.

Progress of PHA production in transgenic plants

With its completely biodegradable ability, good physical and processing properties, and biocompatability, PHA has become the most attractive alternative to take the place of chemo-plastics and eliminate environmental pollution caused by chemo-plastics. Small-scale commercial production has been realized by bacterial fermentation, but thus produced PHA is too expensive to compete with chemo-plastics. However, it is very prospective to lower biodegradable plastic price by producing PHA in transgenic plants. Presently PHB/PHBV biosynthetic genes have been transferred into plants and expressed, but it is still far away from meeting the demands of commercial production. Enhancing research on the regulation of carbon and fatty acid metabolisms, and their biochemical and molecular mechanisms is the key to achieving this aim.

Sugarcane hybrids of biomass

Agricultural products have the potential for providing a renewable source of both energy and raw materials if they can be grown and harvested at high yield and processed efficiently. This paper presents the results of studies into the agricultural aspects of high yielding sugarcane hybrids. In 1975 several selections were made from among hybrid progenies of a cross between CP 52–68 a standard variety of sugarcane and Tianan 96 a wild clone of Saccharum spontaneum L., collected in Argentina. Yields of over 220 Mg ha −1 year −1 have been recorded for 8 years. One selection, L 79-1002, has been the most productive. These clones are high in fiber and low in juice content, and are not suited for conventional sugar production. No significant insect or disease problem has occurred. Yields of 240 Mg ha −1 have been recorded at St Gabriel, Louisiana (30·4° lat.) in conventional 180 cm rows and 265 Mg ha −1 at Shreveport, Louisiana (32·1° lat.) in 120 cm rows. In small-scale commercial production no difficilties have been encountered in harvesting or handling. Milling the excess fiber has resulted in the slowing down of the milling process by about one-third with double the excess bagasse.

The bacteriology of dehydrated fish. III. Observations and experiments made during small-scale commercial production.

The present communication completes the series of war-time studies (Shewan, 1945, 1953) on the dehydration of fish, and is concerned with certain aspects of the bacteriology of the small-scale commercial production of dehydrated fish (herring, kipper, fresh and smoked cod), carried out in the summers of 1944 and 1945 by the Ministry of Food in a factory at Aberdeen. During these commercial trials, samples of fish were taken each day for a routine bacterial count and examined for the presence of food-poisoning pathogens. Several other tests were made from time to time in order to elucidate special points, such as the adequacy of the cooking procedure and the occasional incidence of high bacterial counts. The following is a summary and review of these results; with some recommendations for future production.