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Sustainable Food Production: Challenges, Opportunities and Advancements (Closed)

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A topical collection in Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This collection belongs to the section "Sustainable Food".

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Editor

Dr. Antun Jozinović

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Food Technology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Franje Kuhača 18, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: valorisation of food industry by-products; development and improvement of food production and food products; food extrusion; starch modification; chocolate
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Dear Colleagues,

The food industry is one of the most important branches of national economies in the European Union as well as in the world in general, and it plays a central role in the processing of agricultural raw materials and in the food supply. While in the past it was a struggle for people to find their daily meals, and only local and seasonal products were consumed, nowadays, people in the Western world are surrounded by different types, qualities, and prices of food products. Furthermore, the situation has changed drastically, especially in the 20^th century, as a result of civilization, industrialization, technological innovations, mechanization, and economic growth, as well as an increasing global population. Until the end of the 20^th century, the prevalent policy was mainly to increase food production without improving the efficiency of the food systems. This fact caused an increase in food loss and food waste, such that the amount of lost or wasted food is now 1.3 billion tonnes globally each year. This situation has triggered a series of environmental challenges that may threaten human survival. Climate change, loss of biodiversity, accumulation of waste, resource depletion (water, fossil fuels, etc.), growing disease pandemics, and the modification of natural ecosystems are some of the results of human activities. The agri-food industry is one of the world’s largest industries and is responsible for 25% of the total emissions of greenhouse gases. Therefore, improving food production systems is one of the major actions that needs to be done urgently to reduce the global impacts on the environment. Recently, three main innovation directions for future food systems were highlighted: 1) sustainability and higher efficiency—production at the lowest possible cost; 2) innovation opportunity, which refers to new scientific and technical approaches in food processing and the introduction of novel foods; and 3) the development of functional foods focused on post-consumption health and well-being.

This Special Issue, titled “Sustainable Food Production: Challenges, Opportunities, and Advancements”, focuses on reviews and original research articles regarding all aspects of sustainable food production. Sustainable techniques and processes, sustainable packaging, life cycles of products, food waste/by-product valorization, the reduction of waste, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, sustainability, and higher efficiency are all examples of topics that may be included in this Special Issue. However, papers on other aspects of sustainable food production are also welcome.

Dr. Antun Jozinović
Guest Editor

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Keywords

sustainable processes
food waste/by-product valorization
development of functional foods
sustainable energy solutions
sustainability and higher efficiency

Published Papers (5 papers)

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2023

Jump to: 2022, 2021

17 pages, 937 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated vs. Specialized Farming Systems for Sustainable Food Production: Comparative Analysis of Systems’ Technical Efficiency in Nebraska

by Maroua Afi and Jay Parsons

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5413; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065413 - 18 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 15477

Abstract

Complementarities between crops and livestock production have the potential to increase input use efficiency and maintain a diversified livelihood. This paper uses non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) to assess the technical efficiency (TE) of integrated crop–livestock systems (ICLS) compared to specialized cropping and specialized livestock systems in the state of Nebraska, in the central United States. We classify each county of Nebraska into one of three systems according to their dominant agricultural production revenues. We use DEA to measure the TE of each county compared, first, to a group production frontier (in-system comparison) and second, to a metafrontier (cross-system comparison). Thirty percent of the cropping systems counties were evaluated as fully efficient in the in-system comparison with other cropping systems counties. Thirty-six percent of the livestock systems counties and 18% of the ICLS counties were evaluated as fully efficient in their in-system comparisons. The ICLS counties are less likely to appear on the metafrontier, with a total of only 7% compared to 39% and 32% for the specialized cropping and specialized livestock systems, respectively. These results highlight the need for further research on optimal crop–livestock integration that allows for the realization of synergies and complementarities needed for higher efficiency and sustainable intensification of food production. Full article

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2022

Jump to: 2023, 2021

14 pages, 819 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Use of a Non-Invasive Electrical Method to Assess the Chemical Composition, Hardness, and Color of Durum Wheat Grain Cultivated in an Integrated System

by Joanna Katarzyna Banach, Katarzyna Majewska, Małgorzata Grzywińska-Rąpca and Krystyna Żuk-Gołaszewska

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 3834; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073834 - 24 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1670

Abstract

Electrical properties are the least known and described among the physical properties of food products. The most widespread practical directions of their use include moisture measurements as well as dielectric and microwave heating. Less frequently, they are used to assess the physicochemical parameters of food products, including the technological features of cereal grains. Earlier research by the authors of this paper demonstrated the possibility of using an RCC substitute model of food products (conductivity and capacitance parameters) to identify the grain variety, geometric features, level of grain damage as well as grain moisture content. This model can also be used to distinguish cereal species as well as to assess the proximate chemical composition of their grain. The promising results obtained in this area encouraged us to expand the research with a material important from the food market perspective—durum wheat, obtained in the conditions of sustainable cultivation in north-eastern Europe (temperate climate). The study material was obtained from a proprietary sustainable production technology designed in a strict field experiment. The aim of this research was: (1) to assess the effect of an integrated cultivation system of native durum wheat (six variants), differentiated by a nitrogen fertilization dose (0, 80, 120 kg·ha⁻¹) and with and without growth regulator (GR, WGR) on changes in selected quality parameters (protein, lipid, and starch contents; hardness; color) and electrical parameters (Z, Cp, Cs) of the grain; and (2) to determine the correlations between the examined quality traits and electrical properties of the grain to indicate the possibility of using a non-invasive electrical method to assess grain quality. The highest contents of starch and total lipids and the highest grain hardness were obtained in the cultivation variants GR + 0N and WGR + 0N, whereas the highest protein content—upon wheat fertilization with 120N. The study demonstrated a different strength of the correlations between the tested parameters depending on the cultivation method. In the WGR + 0N variant (environmentally friendly), the strongest correlation between grain quality traits and electrical properties was obtained for both the conductive (Z) and capacitive (Cp, Cs) parameters in the entire analyzed range of current frequencies. The cultivation of durum wheat in the integrated system, especially in the WGR variant, facilitates grain quality modeling and enables using a non-invasive electrical method for a rapid assessment of the quality traits of the grain while raising no concerns over natural environment safety. The growth regulator (GR) application during native durum wheat cultivation hampers the use of the analyzed electrical method to assess its grain quality. Full article

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2021

Jump to: 2023, 2022

15 pages, 2128 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Extruded Sugar Beet Pulp on Cookies’ Nutritional, Physical and Sensory Characteristics

by Sonja Simić, Jovana Petrović, Dušan Rakić, Biljana Pajin, Ivana Lončarević, Antun Jozinović, Aleksandar Fišteš, Sanja Nikolić, Marijana Blažić and Borislav Miličević

Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 5317; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095317 - 10 May 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3168

Abstract

Sugar beet pulp (SBP) is a by-product of the sugar industry in which the dietary fiber content ranges from 73% to 80%. Compared to cereal fibers mainly used in biscuit production, sugar beet fibers are gluten free and have a perfect ratio of 2/3 insoluble fiber. In this work, sugar beet pulp was extruded with corn grits (ratios of corn grits to sugar beet pulp in extrudates were 85:15, 70:30, and 55:45), and the obtained sugar beet pulp extrudates (SBPEs) were used for improving the nutritional quality of cookies. The wheat flour in cookies was replaced with SBPEs in the amount of 5, 10, and 15%. The influence of three factors (the percentage of sugar beet pulp in the SBPEs, the size of the SBPE particles, and the percentage of wheat flour substituted with SBPEs) and their interactions on the nutritional quality of cookies, as well as their physical and sensory characteristics are examined using the Box–Behnken experimental design. The addition of extruded sugar beet pulp (SBPEs) significantly increased the amount of total dietary fiber and mineral matter of cookies. On the whole, the addition of SBPEs increased cookie hardness, but the hardness decreased with an increase in extrudate particle size. Sensory characteristics (except for the taste) were the most influenced by extrudate particle size. Full article

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14 pages, 2052 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High Voltage Electric Discharge for Recovery of Chlorogenic Acid from Tobacco Waste

by Marija Banožić, Antun Jozinović, Jovana Grgić, Borislav Miličević and Stela Jokić

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4481; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084481 - 16 Apr 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2450

Abstract

Three fractions of tobacco waste (scrap, dust and midrib) were subjected to a high voltage electric discharge (HVED) assisted extraction procedure under different experimental conditions: solvent:solid ratio (300, 500, 700 mL/g), frequency (40, 70, 100 Hz) and treatment time (15, 30, 45 min), in order to study the influence of these conditions on the content of chlorogenic acid. The content of chlorogenic acid ranged from 1.54 to 3.66 mg/100 g for scrap, from 1.90 to 2.97 mg/100 g for dust, and from 2.30 to 3.38 mg/100 g for midrib extract, showing a strong dependence on the applied process parameters. The temperature change and the change in pH and electrical conductivity of the extracts after high voltage discharge treatment were also observed. The studied process parameters showed a statistically significant effect on the chemical and physical properties of the extracts from tobacco waste as well as on the content of chlorogenic acid, indicating the potential of HVED assisted processes in the separation of chlorogenic acid from tobacco industry waste. Multiple regression analysis was used to fit the results for the chlorogenic acid to a second order polynomial equation and the optimum conditions were determined. Full article

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14 pages, 1770 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physical Properties of Chocolates Enriched with Untreated Cocoa Bean Shells and Cocoa Bean Shells Treated with High-Voltage Electrical Discharge

by Veronika Barišić, Jovana Petrović, Ivana Lončarević, Ivana Flanjak, Drago Šubarić, Jurislav Babić, Borislav Miličević, Kristina Doko, Marijana Blažić and Đurđica Ačkar

Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2620; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052620 - 1 Mar 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4431

Abstract

Recently, the enrichment of chocolate has become a very interesting topic, along with the management of food industry by-products, such as cocoa shells. Cocoa shells could be a great raw material for the cocoa industry, both for economical reasons (maximized utilization of cocoa beans) and for their functional properties (increased fiber content). In this research, we used untreated and high-voltage electrical discharge (HVED)-treated cocoa shells in the production of chocolate. Different proportions of cocoa mass were replaced with cocoa shells to produce dark and milk chocolates in a ball mill. Additionally, dark chocolate with 15% and milk chocolate with 5% of shells were chosen for further research and to study the alteration of the composition. The rheology, particle size distribution, hardness, and color were determined for all the prepared samples. Treated cocoa shells provided chocolates with inferior physical properties compared to chocolates with untreated shells. Therefore, untreated cocoa shells were selected for further analysis. The addition of both treated and untreated cocoa shells resulted in softening and darkening of samples, which could have a positive effect for consumers. On the other hand, the particle size distribution and rheology were negatively affected. Further research is needed to find a solution for these problems. Full article

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Sustainable Food Production: Challenges, Opportunities and Advancements (Closed)

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Published Papers (5 papers)

2023

Jump to: 2022, 2021

2022

Jump to: 2023, 2021

2021

Jump to: 2023, 2022

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