Intelligent Packaging Systems: Sensors and Nanosensors to Monitor Food Quality and Safety

Indexación: Web of Science y Scopus.The application of nanotechnology in different areas of food packaging is an emerging field that will grow rapidly in the coming years. Advances in food safety have yielded promising results leading to the development of intelligent packaging (IP). By these containers, it is possible to monitor and provide information of the condition of food, packaging, or the environment. This article describes the role of the different concepts of intelligent packaging. It is possible that this new technology could reach enhancing food safety, improving pathogen detection time, and controlling the quality of food and packaging throughout the supply chain.https://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2016/4046061/cta

Determining consumer expectations, attitudes and buying behaviour towards “low input” and organic foods

This paper reviews the first results and achievements of the QLIF SP1 “Determining consumer expectations and attitudes towards organic/low input food quality and safety”. The paper aims to illustrate the array of methodologies used and to discuss the ongoing research in light of the first results

Effects of organic and ‘low input’ production methods on food quality and safety

The intensification of agricultural production in the last century has resulted in a significant loss of biodiversity, environmental problems and associated societal costs. The use of shorter rotations or monocropping and high levels of mineral fertilisers, pesticides and crop growth regulators may also have had negative impacts on food quality and safety. To reverse the negative environmental and biodiversity impacts of agricultural intensification, a range of different ‘low input’ farming systems have been developed and are now supported by EU and government support schemes. A range of recent reviews concluded that switching to low input, integrated or organic farming practices results in significant environmental benefits and increased biodiversity in agro-ecosystems. Some recent studies also reported higher levels of nutritionally desirable compounds (e.g. vitamins, antioxidants, mineral nutrients) in foods from organic and ‘low input’ production systems compared to food from conventional systems. The increasing demand and current price premiums achieved by foods from low input and especially organic production systems were shown to be closely linked to consumer perceptions about nutritional and health benefits of such foods. However, there are other studies reporting no significant differences in composition between low input and conventional foods, or inconsistent results. There is currently a lack of (a) factorial studies, which allow the effect of individual production system components (e.g. rotation design, fertility management, crop health management, variety choice) on food composition to be assessed and (b) dietary intervention or cohort studies which compare the effect of consuming foods from different production systems on animal and/or human health. It is therefore currently not possible to draw overall conclusions about the effect of low input production on food quality and safety. This paper will (a) describe the range of organic and other ‘low input’ standards, certification and support systems currently used, (b) summarise the currently available information on effects of organic and other low input crop production systems on the environment, biodiversity and food quality, and (c) describe the methodologies and results from subproject 2 of the EU-funded Integrated project QualityLowInputFood. This project focused on improving our knowledge about the effect of organic and low input crop and livestock production systems on food quality and safety parameters

Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Additional Information on Food Quality and Safety

Most quality properties of food products can be considered as credence characteristics, quality of which cannot be inferred before the purchase, and sometimes not even after the purchase. Our objective is to assess how much consumers are willing to pay (WTP) for meat products, of which e.g. origins and production practices are known, especially with regard to safety issues. Results indicate that 59 % of Finnish consumers are willing to pay more to get information about safety and quality of beef products. Consumers are most concerned with diseases caused by food of animal origin.beef, information, credence attributes, willingness to pay, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Food quality and safety situation in Turkey: governance and barriers to success

The institutional environment for food quality and safety in Turkey is rapidly changing in the last decade but there are still some inconsistencies compared with the EU. High costs of establishing quality assurance systems (QAS), inefficient capacity of the institutional frame, unknown consumer attitudes, low level of production techniques and lack of awareness of producers and consumers are important weaknesses, when evaluating the current food quality and safety situation in Turkey. Whereas, rapid development of QAS, increase in consumer demands, harmonisation of legislation with the EU, increase in the research and incentives for quality production, and production potentials were determined as strong points. When analysing the socio-economic situation of farms, producers’ knowledge, perception and interest in quality with Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA), it is found that producers did not accumulate capital because of the low profits, a handicap for expanding and investing into production and product quality. Moreover, the producers' knowledge is limited and their quality perception mainly focuses on food safety. As a result, academic studies and research projects needs to be extended and the adaptation of the Turkish legislation with the EU should be completed accordingly.Food Quality Governance, SMEs Barrier for Food Quality, Food Quality Assurance, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

How consumers link traceability to food quality and safety: An international investigation

It is not yet understood whether the implementation of traceability systems can contribute towards restoring consumer confidence in food quality and safety, one of the goals of the European Food Law. To date, little is known about how consumers perceive the role and potential impact of traceability within the supply chain. This paper aims to provide insight into how traceability information can offer guarantees of food quality and safety, and contribute towards increased consumer confidence. Data, collected in four EU countries, examines salient cognitions and attitudes that underpin consumer beliefs about product traceability that will influence their decision making. It will link traceability- related food attributes to perceived benefits (in terms of quality and safety) and important consumer values. Furthermore, variations between different consumer s are examined to illustrate how the concepts of food safety and food quality may have different meanings and consequences in the various European countries. Understanding which benefits consumer s associate with traceability will assist in providing consumers with traceability information in line with their requirement s.Traceability, Consumer Perception, Food Safety, Food Quality, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Multimode Hyperspectral Imaging for Food Quality and Safety

Food safety and quality are becoming progressively important, and a failure to implement monitoring processes and identify anomalies in composition, production, and distribution can lead to severe financial and customer health damages. If consumers were uncertain about food safety and quality, the impact could be profound; hence, we need better ways of minimizing such risks. On the data management side, the rise of artificial intelligence, data analytics, the Internet of Things, and blockchain all provide enormous opportunities for supply chain management and liability management, but the impact of any approach starts with the quality of the relevant data. Here, we present state-of-the-art spectroscopic technologies including hyperspectral reflectance, fluorescence imaging as well as Raman spectroscopy, and speckle imaging that are all validated for food safety and quality applications. We believe a multimode approach comprising of a number of these synergetic optical detection modes is needed for the highest performance. We present a plan where our implementations reflect this concept through a multimode tabletop system in the sense that a large, real-time production-level device would be based on more modes than this mid-level one, while a handheld, portable unit may only address fewer challenges, but with a lower cost and size

INNOVATIVE DECISIONS TO IMPROVE FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY

The scope of the project consisted in research-based development of new complex food additives from lactic acid and its derivatives for enhancing microbiological safety and shelf life extension of healthy food products. The object of research included: trial samples of complex food additives from lactic acids and its derivatives. The samples were obtained chemically using the following basic components: food grade lactic acid with 79.6% base substance mass fraction; acetic acid with 99.8% base substance mass fraction; propionic acid with 99.6% base substance mass fraction; neutralizing agents for synthesis of salts of the acids used, and propylene glycol with 99.8% base substance mass fraction. The optimal balance of the ingredients in the formula of the additive delivers the optimal level of true acidity combined with antimicrobial and antioxidant effect, and enhances organoleptical performance and process parameters of food products. This complex food additive containing lactate and acetate features high counter-regulatory effect on testing cultures of pathogenic organisms of rope spoilage of wheat bread and can be used for production of non-perishable products. The use of complex food additive in the production of dressed fish preserves activates biochemical processes related to fish maturation and delivers improved product quality and extended shelf life.The scope of the project consisted in research-based development of new complex food additives from lactic acid and its derivatives for enhancing microbiological safety and shelf life extension of healthy food products. The object of research included: trial samples of complex food additives from lactic acids and its derivatives. The samples were obtained chemically using the following basic components: food grade lactic acid with 79.6% base substance mass fraction; acetic acid with 99.8% base substance mass fraction; propionic acid with 99.6% base substance mass fraction; neutralizing agents for synthesis of salts of the acids used, and propylene glycol with 99.8% base substance mass fraction. The optimal balance of the ingredients in the formula of the additive delivers the optimal level of true acidity combined with antimicrobial and antioxidant effect, and enhances organoleptical performance and process parameters of food products. This complex food additive containing lactate and acetate features high counter-regulatory effect on testing cultures of pathogenic organisms of rope spoilage of wheat bread and can be used for production of non-perishable products. The use of complex food additive in the production of dressed fish preserves activates biochemical processes related to fish maturation and delivers improved product quality and extended shelf life

Determining the effect of organic and low-input production methods on food quality and safety. QLIF subproject 2: Effects of production methods

The objectives of QLIF subproject 2 were to: (i) identify the effect of production systems (organic, low-input and conventional) on food quality and safety parameters; (ii) identify agronomic parameters responsible for differences in food quality and safety; (iii) carry out a pilot study into the effect of consumption of organic crops on hormonal balances and immune status in a model experimental animal system. The results showed that organic food production methods resulted in: (a) higher levels of nutritionally desirable compounds (e.g., vitamins/antioxidants and poly-unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3 and CLA); (b) lower levels of nutritionally undesirable compounds such as heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticide residues and glyco-alkaloids in a range of crops and/or milk; (c) a lower risk of faecal Salmonella shedding in pigs. These nutritional benefits were linked to specific agronomic practices that are prescribed by organic farming standards. Pilot studies showed that these composition differences may translate into measurable health benefits in a model experimental system with rats. Further elaboration on the complex interaction between production methods and health benefits will have to be addressed in future studies

Organic food quality & safety perception throughout Europe

Many more consumer s have tried at least once organic food, but despite higher consumer awareness, they still show a great concern about food quality and safety. Recent research showed that there is still little knowledge of how organic products are produced and processed and which characteristics are fundamental for the consumer with regard to quality and safety. In this scenario, primary producers, processors and other stakeholders in the organic supply- chain have the difficult task of understanding consumers' complex and sometimes contradictory wishes with regard to organic food. The aim of this study is to examine food quality and safety issues related to buying organic products. To provide better insight on the safety and quality issues in a cross - cultural setting, the linkages among consumer's personal values - as final expression of consumer product knowledge - are analysed, by means of laddering data on 8 EU countries.laddering, food safety, food quality, cross cultural study, values, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,