Environmental impact of a new concept of food service: A case study for the re-use of naval shipping containers

This study aims to evaluate the environmental sustainability of a new street food format for food service based on the re-use of naval shipping containers and to compare it with the conventional one (street food truck). The environmental impact analysis was performed using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The functional unit (FU) was identified in the food service, including three food preparations: a dish of pasta (100 g), one sandwich (150 g) and one portion of fries (200 g). Following a \u201cfrom cradle to gate\u201d approach, the factors studied are: (i) the customization of a shipping container in a street food format, (ii) the construction and use of the cooking appliance, (iii) the logistics, (iv) the cooking phase (including final packaging as food cup). The life cycle of ingredients for food preparations has been neglected due to the variability of the products. The results show that the two higher hotspots are electricity consumed by cooking appliance (35%) and oil used to fry (34%), attributable only to the fries preparation. The third hotspot is imputable to the customized structure, with an average percentage value equal to 15%. Considering the global warming impact category, the customization into a street food format release 1280 kg CO2eq, while the production of a new container or a new street food truck format implies the emission of 12,800 kg CO2eq and 20,900 kg CO2eq respectively. The impact of the customized container (re-used container) weight for 0.04 kg CO2eq/FU, this value increases 11.6 times for a new container street food format, and 17 times for a new street food truck format. Overall, quantifying the environmental damage, the results showed how the re-use of a naval shipping container can be a way to reduce the environmental impact of food preparation, avoiding dismissing or building activity of the structure reducing the impact of the structure of about 95% offering a more sustainable street food services

Testing of optical prototypes for the fruit and vegetable sector : case studies from pre- to post-harvest

Monitoring the ripeness progress until the harvest is a crucial issue since fruit quality is closely related to it. Therefore, the research for non-destructive methods which could explore many samples and give a rapid and comprehensive overview of ripening would be helpful. Moreover, the evaluation of the postharvest quality, e.g. senescence of ready-to-eat vegetables, could be greatly helped by new analytical methods that are rapid and integrated into the production process to meet consumer demand. The aim of the research was to design, build and test prototypes of miniaturised low-cost and userfriendly devices envisaged mainly to support small-scale growers both in pre-harvest and in postharvest monitoring. The systems were tested on two case studies: (i) to monitor the ripening of wine grape until harvest and (ii) to evaluate the postharvest life of fresh-cut salad to discriminate freshness levels during the shelf life. Pre-prototypes of fully integrated, stand-alone optical device incorporating MEMS sensors (tuned photodiode arrays, interference filters, LEDS, optics) were designed and built. Two systems equipped with digital 6-channel sensors each for spectral identification in the visible and SW-NIR. The sensors cover 12 independent on-device optical filters from 400 nm to 860 nm. Optical analyses were collected on grape bunches and on leaves of fresh-cut salad using the two prototypes. Reference parameters (i.e. soluble solids content and titratable acidity for grape, and colour and senescence classes for fresh-cut salad) were analysed on each sample for the calculation of predictive models using MLR regression technique. The correlation between the optical data and the parameters were explored and the results were encouraging underlining a small loss of information comparing data from the prototypes to models from more expensive commercial vis/NIR devices

Environmental impact evaluation of legume-based burger and meat burger

The industrial development leads to a consumption of natural resources and an increase of environmental impacts. The protection of human well-being and ecosystem are essential to obtain sustainable products. In this scenario, the reduction of environmental impact required for food productions collides with the population increase. A key aspect is the increase of the productivity and the reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions to allow continuity to the industrial development respecting the environmental system. The \u201cLegume Genetic Resources as a tool for the development of innovative and sustainable food Technological system\u201d (LeGeReTe) project is focused on the environmental impact of food products considering in particular legume-based food, which could represent an alternative to the traditional food. The object of the study is the comparison between the environmental impact of the legume-based burger production chain and of the traditional meat burger production chain. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was applied to assess the environmental sustainability of the analysed case studies. A \u201cfrom cradle to grave\u201d approach was used, therefore agricultural phase, industrial process and domestic preparation were considered. The functional unit considered is 1 burger (100 g of product). The results of the environmental impact analysis for both the burger typologies showed that the agricultural phase is the most impacting one for most of the impact categories. Analysing the two food chains, the industrial process of legume-based burger provides the higher environmental impact respect to the meat burger. Moreover, the impact assessment of meat burger production chain, for most of the impact categories, reaches a value of 3-4 times greater than a legumes-based burger. Finally, with the aim of considering nutritional aspects to compare the impact values, a quantity of 15 g of protein (corresponding to the protein content of a meat burger of 100 g) was considered as a nutritional functional unit. To reach the same protein content for the meat burger, it\u2019s necessary an intake of two legume-based burgers. Nevertheless, doubling the environmental damages of legume-based burger, the environmental impact related to meat burger remains higher

The E-LCA as a tool to quantify the environmental impact of meat and legumes-based burgers

Thanks to its high biological and nutritional values, the meat has always been considered an interesting food for a good diet. However, ethical reasons, religious restrictions and the high prices have driven the consumers\u2019 behaviours towards alternative products. Nowadays, the demand for new food formulations has an upward trend. This is also due to the growing awareness of consumers about the environmental impact of food productions. In this scenario, the legumes are considered an alternative food compared to meat. For this reason, one of the aims of the international project \u201cLegume Genetic Resources as a tool for development of innovative and sustainable food Technological system\u201d (LeGeReTe) is to evaluate the environmental sustainability of legume-based products. An Environmental-Life Cycle Assessment (E-LCA) was performed to evaluate the environmental profile of one meat burger and one legume-based burger. A conventional functional unit of \u20181 burger (100 g)\u2019 and an alternative one of \u201815 g of proteins\u2019 were used, applying for the study a \u201cfrom cradle to grave\u201d approach. The environmental impact assessment helped to identify the most impactful activities: for both the production chains, the agricultural phases were identified as the most damaging. Regarding the production processes, the legume-based burger was identified as the most energy demanding compared to the meat burger. Considering a functional unit of 1 burger, the results suggest that the meat burger is 3.44 times more impactful compared to the legume-based burger. While switching to a nutritional functional unit (15 g of proteins), the results showed that to reach the same protein content of a meat burger, is necessary to double the legume-based burger production which remains anyway the most sustainable option. In conclusion, the legume-based burger can be defined as the most environmentally-friendly solution both from a production and from a nutritional point of view

Application of visible/near infrared spectroscopy to assess the grape infection at the winery

The aim of this work was to investigate the applicability of vis/NIR spectroscopy for rapid grape infection assessment in a view of a grape classification directly at the check point station entering the winery. The experimentation was conducted on white and red wine varieties, using grape bunches naturally infected with Botrytis cinerea, powdery mildew and sour rot, the major grape diseases. The research applied a compact vis/NIR device (400-1600 nm) for analysis of flows and/or non-homogeneous product. The system is capable to perform measurements in reflection at a variable distance between sensor and sample of 80-600 mm. Spectral measurements were carried out on healthy and diseased bunches for a total of 2559 spectral acquisitions; Qualitative (spectral analysis and Principal Component Analysis, PCA) and quantitative (Partial Least Squares \u2013 Discriminant Analysis, PLS-DA) analyses were applied on grape and must spectra in order to test the performance of vis/NIR device to classify healthy and infected samples. The results obtained from PLS-DA models, in validation, gave a positive predictive value (PPV) of classification between 89.8% and 94.0% for grape. The results demonstrated that optical devices are capable to provide useful information for a better management of the vinification process

Life cycle thinking applied to the analyses sector : a case study on olive oil analyses using E-LCA and LCC approach

The Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) is an approach that aims to evaluate the sustainability profile of a process, a product or a service, and takes in account all the steps involved in the life cycle. In the olive oil production chain, the activities related to the analyses of olives maturity index and of the quality parameters of the olive oils were neglected by LCT studies so far. Therefore, the aim of the work was to evaluate the sustainability of the analyses performed on olives and olive oils, comparing the chemical methods with the optical one base on visible and near infrared spectroscopy (vis/NIR). The assessment considers the different ways to perform the analyses. The chemical one consists in a destructive approach using reagents, different devices and with high energy consumption for some steps; vis/NIR does not need any sample-preparation, reagents and requires less time. The Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (E-LCA) was applied to evaluate the environmental sustainability. Moreover, the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis was carried out to quantify the economic sustainability of the two method of analyses. The functional unit was defined as one analysis and for both the two methods a \u201cfrom cradle to grave\u201d approach was used identifying all the inputs (data, amount of resources or raw materials, devices or chemicals that enter in one process) and outputs (final materials and waste materials) of the chemical and optical analyses. The environmental profile comparison allows to identify that the vis/NIR analysis is sharply better, 38 times than the chemical one. Regarding the LCC evaluation, the single analysis has quite the same price and the variation is due to the chemicals and analytical tools used. Even for the LCC evaluation, the optical analysis is preferable and cheaper, showing costs 60% less compared to the chemical analysis. In conclusion, considering the E-LCA and the LCC methods, the optical analyses are more sustainable than the chemical ones. Optical analyses as vis/NIR spectroscopy can be properly defined as green technologies

Environmental benefits : conventional vs innovative packaging for olive oil

In the last years, different issues as costs and lower availability of materials and resources became a driving force to increase the sustainability of agro-food activity. In this scenario, the olive oil industry is characterized by different processes that could affect the environment. Moreover, the plastic packaging used in the sector could have a relevant environmental impact referred both to the production phase and to the disposal scenario. Therefore, the aim on the work was the evaluation of the environmental impact of two different mono-use olive oil packaging. This study is part of the project \u201cSustainability of olive oil System (S.O.S.)\u201d, funded by AGER. A conventional packaging composed by polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyurethane (PU) and aluminium was compared to a bio-based packaging composed by biopolyethylene (Bio-PE), polylactic acid (PLA) and a thin layer of aluminium. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed to identify the environmental profiles of the two packaging. The functional unit was defined as one mono-use packaging (10 mL volume). The study considered the environmental performance related to all the activities from the raw material extraction, through the transformation phases, till the disposal scenario. The comparison of the two packaging showed that the conventional packaging affects more in the impact category \u201cclimate change\u201d (1,5 times), \u201chuman toxicity\u201d (1,4 times) and in \u201cresource depletion\u201d where the results are 4 times higher respect to the innovative packaging due to the extraction of non-renewable raw materials. Nevertheless, higher impacts are attributable to the biobased packaging for ecosystem quality categories as \u201ceutrophication\u201d (1,2 times), \u201cfreshwater ecotoxicity\u201d (1,5 times) and \u201cacidification\u201d (1,2 times). Analysing the waste management scenario, it is not possible to identify a clear disposal procedure due to the composition of the packaging, the consumers\u2019 behaviour and the regional regulations. Therefore, in this study it was supposed the incineration of both the products. In conclusion it is not possible to confirm that the bio-based olive oil packaging is more environmentally friendly respect to the conventional one, due to the land use and to the need as well of impacting chemical processes also to produce the bio-based films

Environmental benefits : conventional vs innovative packaging for olive oil

In the last years, different issues as costs and lower availability of materials and resources became a driving force to increase the sustainability of agro-food activity. In this scenario, the olive oil industry is characterized by different processes that could affect the environment. Moreover, the plastic packaging used in the sector could have a relevant environmental impact referred both to the production phase and to the disposal scenario. Therefore, the aim on the work was the evaluation of the environmental impact of two different mono-use olive oil packaging. This study is part of the project \u201cSustainability of olive oil System (S.O.S.)\u201d, funded by AGER. A conventional packaging composed by polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyurethane (PU) and aluminium was compared to a bio-based packaging composed by biopolyethylene (Bio-PE), polylactic acid (PLA) and a thin layer of aluminium. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed to identify the environmental profiles of the two packaging. The functional unit was defined as one mono-use packaging (10 mL volume). The study considered the environmental performance related to all the activities from the raw material extraction, through the transformation phases, till the disposal scenario. The comparison of the two packaging showed that the conventional packaging affects more in the impact category \u201cclimate change\u201d (1,5 times), \u201chuman toxicity\u201d (1,4 times) and in \u201cresource depletion\u201d where the results are 4 times higher respect to the innovative packaging due to the extraction of non-renewable raw materials. Nevertheless, higher impacts are attributable to the biobased packaging for ecosystem quality categories as \u201ceutrophication\u201d (1,2 times), \u201cfreshwater ecotoxicity\u201d (1,5 times) and \u201cacidification\u201d (1,2 times). Analysing the waste management scenario, it is not possible to identify a clear disposal procedure due to the composition of the packaging, the consumers\u2019 behaviour and the regional regulations. Therefore, in this study it was supposed the incineration of both the products. In conclusion it is not possible to confirm that the bio-based olive oil packaging is more environmentally friendly respect to the conventional one, due to the land use and to the need as well of impacting chemical processes also to produce the bio-based films

Environmental benefits: Traditional vs innovative packaging for olive oil

The olive oil industry is an important sector in Europe, the related production process is characterized by different practices and techniques associated to several adverse effects on the environment, both for the agricultural procedures and for olive oil extraction process. The goal of this work is to develop a new packaging solution to better preserve the oil quality trying to reduce food losses and environmental impact. In detail, a comparison between traditional and innovative packaging was carried out. This work is part of a larger project \u201cSustainability of olive oil System project (S.O.S.)\u201d, financed by AGER \u2013 Agroalimentare e Ricerca, whose purpose is to improve the environmental sustainability in the olive-oil production system. The traditional packaging considered for the study is a three layers packaging: polyethylene (PE), aluminum, polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Instead, the new solution considered is a three layers packaging made from two bio-based polymers: polylactic acid (PLA) treated with metallization and Bio-polyethylene (BIO PE). To calculate the environmental impact of each packaging, raw materials, instruments and relative energy used to create the films, and material disposal phase were considered. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), \u201cfrom cradle to grave\u201d was used to assess the environmental impact of studied packaging. The functional unit was defined in the single-use packaging (olive oil content equal to 10 ml). Respect to traditional packaging, the innovative one has obtained better performances in the human health impact categories (e.g. climate change - 44% CO2 eq). On the other hand, the fermentation process of sugar cane, even if is considered a biological process, showed higher impacts in the ecosystem quality impact categories (e.g. water resource depletion, freshwater ecotoxicity and land use). The final comparison between the two packaging shows that the improvement of environmental sustainability of the innovative packaging is not confirmed for all the impact categories used to assess the environmental impact. This work shows how the bio-based product does not always represent the better way in term of environmental sustainability, especially nowadays where recycling processes have become an important topic

Preliminary tests on toasted coffee beans and grinded coffee for the setup of online vis/NIR measurements to detect process failures=Prove preliminari di configurazione strumentale su caffè tostato in grani e macinato per applicazioni vis/NIR online per l’individuazione di non conformità di processo

Attualmente il processo produttivo del caff\ue8 in capsule pu\uf2 essere soggetto a non conformit\ue0 del prodotto finito definite sulla base della standardizzazione dell\u2019erogazione, con la conseguente eliminazione di interi lotti di produzione. L\u2019incidenza di tale fenomeno pu\uf2 raggiungere percentuali non trascurabili sulla quantit\ue0 complessivamente prodotta. Considerando la buona automazione del processo produttivo, le cause che determinano le non conformit\ue0 non sono facilmente individuabili, cos\uec come non \ue8 facile identificare l\u2019operazione unitaria alla quale imputare l\u2019insorgenza della non conformit\ue0, verificabile solo sul prodotto finito. Risulta pertanto fondamentale implementare sistemi di monitoraggio nelle varie fasi del processo in grado di evidenziare anomalie nei semilavorati di produzione, in modo da poter intervenire in modo tempestivo senza dover necessariamente aspettare il controllo finale sul prodotto incapsulato, in un\u2019ottica di ottimizzazione del processo e riduzione degli scarti. Una tecnologia sicuramente interessante dal punto di vista del monitoraggio real time online dei processi \ue8 la spettroscopia nel visibile e vicino infrarosso (vis/NIR). Il presente studio preliminare ha avuto come obiettivo l\u2019analisi degli spettri di caff\ue8 in grani, tostato e macinato, per valutare le modifiche spettrali e la stabilit\ue0 del segnale delle acquisizioni effettuate con strumenti differenti al fine di individuare la strumentazione pi\uf9 idonea da utilizzare per i diversi intermedi di processo. Sono stati sperimentati due sistemi vis/NIR: 1_spettrofotometro con doppio modulo di acquisizione sia nel vis/NIR (400-1030 nm) che nel NIR (1050-1650 nm) e dotato di sonda da processo in riflettanza per acquisizioni a contatto col campione; 2_spettrofotometro da processo dotato di modulo NIR (960-1650 nm) e sistema di acquisizione rotativo per acquisizione in piastre di vetro pyrex. I risultati dello studio permetteranno di progettare il set up sperimentale ottimale per le acquisizioni ottiche sulle matrici di caff\ue8 (intermedi di processo) in vista della pianificazione del campionamento massivo per l\u2019individuazione di conformit\ue0 / non conformit\ue0 di prodotto.Currently coffee in capsules production process can be subject to failures of the defined finished product flow rate, with the consequent elimination of whole production batches. These failures could reach not negligible percentages on the total produced capsules. The failures causes are not easily detectable, considering the good automation of the production process. Moreover, it is not easy to identify the unit operation to charge the failure. A product failure is currently verifiable only through sample tests on the finished product. Therefore, it is crucial to implement monitoring systems in the different process steps capable of highlighting failures in the semi-finished production. This could allow a timely correction without waiting the final control of the encapsulated product, with a view to a process optimization and to a waste reduction. Visible / near-infrared spectroscopy (vis/NIR) results as an interesting technology for an online real-time process monitoring application. This preliminary study focused on the analysis of spectral acquisitions on toasted and grinded coffee to evaluate the spectral modifications and the stability of the vis/NIR signals acquired using different optical devices. The aim was to identify the most suitable instrumentation to be used for the various process intermediates. Two vis/NIR systems were tested: 1_spectrophotometer with double acquisition module both in the visible/NIR range (400-1030 nm) and in the NIR range (1050-1650 nm), and equipped with a process reflection probe for contact measurements; 2_spectrophotometer for process with NIR module (960-1650 nm) and rotating acquisition system for acquisition through pyrex glass plate. The study results will allow to better design the sampling setup on semi-finished products based on vis/NIR spectroscopy. This approach could be useful in view of the planning of massive sampling campaigns for the identification of product failures