Digitalization of Fresh Chestnut Fruit Supply Chain through RFID: Evidence, Benefits and Managerial Implications

This study provides evidence of supply chain (SC) management based on the digitalization of a fresh fruit-supply chain (i.e., chestnuts) using a radio-frequency identification technology (RFID). This research adopted the value-chain operation reference (VCOR) to assess the implications, issues, and benefits of the SC digitalization, and to explore how RFID can be configured regarding the VCOR blocks. Within this framework, the SC stages, processes, and operations were assessed using a tailored performance measurement system (PMS) including a set of metrics tracked, quantified, and evaluated alongside a monitoring field campaign. The results indicated that: (i) the benefits deriving from the RFID are constrained by specific organizational procedures adopted in operations management; (ii) the PMS Indicators of the centralized warehouse, balancing the inventory between the processing line and the distribution channels, presented the most significant improvements across the whole SC

Optimizing food ordering in a multi-stage catering supply chain network using reusable containers

Reusable plastic containers (RPCs) prevent packaging waste in the food supply chains. Food Catering Supply Chain (FCSC) made of multi-stage logistic networks represents a challenging scenario for adopting RPCs to optimize, particularly when the container's flow meets the food supplies. This paper fosters the application of RPCs in such FCSC by proposing a food-ordering MILP model to aid the cross-docking player in selecting the suppliers and releasing packaged food orders efficiently. This model optimizes logistic costs and operations as well as the influence of the container pooler's facilities network in the FCSC. A numerical example extracted by a larger case study provides validation of the model and offers insights for future research investigations

a tailored maintenance management system to control spare parts life cycle

Abstract The maintenance of complex production systems became increasingly crucial to ensure the competitiveness of companies and service level to their clients. Because of product customization the number of mechanical and electrical components and functional groups of manufacturing lines enhanced with their complexity. To face this concern, the physical and logical design of such systems is typically partitioned among several groups of engineers and designers. Consequently, a holistic awareness of the whole project is lacking and the maintenance of such systems becomes even more challenging. In view of this, new tailored support-decision tools able to manage and control the life cycle of spare parts from their design, throughout the run time, and to their failure and replacement are necessary. This paper illustrates an original maintenance management system (MMS) resulting by the combination of different computerized tools able to integrate the information flow behind the life cycle of a generic component. The proposed system supports coordination among groups of engineers and practitioners through graphic user interfaces (GUIs) and performance i.e. cost, reliability, dashboards, which lead decision-making from the design phase to the planning of maintenance tasks along the life of the manufacturing line. These tools are validated with a real-world instance from the tobacco industry which allows assessing how components belonging to the same functional group may differently behave over their life cycle. The results suggest that the holistic awareness on the whole manufacturing system provided by the proposed MMS can support task design and schedule of maintenance actions providing the reduction of more than 20% of the total cost and time for maintenance actions. The practical example shown contributes to shed light on the potentials of new paradigms for maintenance management in the industry 4.0

Simulating International Shipments of Vegetable Oils: Focus on Quality Changes

This investigation evaluated the quality changes of commercial vegetable oils after different simulated shipments. In particular, the oils were placed in containers with or without thermal insulation and subjected to two simulated shipments, from Italy to Los Angeles and to Quebec. The temperature profiles were monitored to simulate the real shipments conditions in laboratory through properly developed climate chambers. Different quality parameters were evaluated before and after the simulations, showing a high degree of oxidation for samples shipped to Los Angeles in standard containers. In this study, the thermal insulation container was effective in protecting samples from potential oxidative damage during simulated shipping.The authors would like to thank Enhancement of the Palestinian University System (E- PLUS) for PhD scholarship grants financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs-Directorate General for Cooperation and Development (coordinated by the University of Pavia)

an application of collaborative robots in a food production facility

Abstract Despite the food industry being a leading sector of the European economy, the level of penetration of automation is still low. The main reasons lie on the small margin of food items which does not encourage technological investments, the extremely spread vendors market i.e. mostly small and medium enterprises, and the high level of flexibility and care required to handle food products along production, packaging, and storage operations. Nevertheless, the advent of collaborative, small and flexible robots provides great opportunities for the design and development of new effective processes integrating the human flexibility with the efficiency of automation. This paper explores the impact of adopting collaborative robots in the food catering industry, by illustrating a case study developed for the end-of-line of a catering production system. A generalizable methodology is proposed to support the study of the technical and economic feasibility of the implementation of such technology. This methodology is intended to support managers of the food industry to analyse the constraints that limit the automation of a process and to measure the expected performance of the system in terms of throughput, ergonomics and economic benefits resulting from the adoption of collaborative robots

Influence of an innovative, biodegradable active packaging on the quality of sunflower oil and “pesto” sauce during storage

The aim of this research was to produce an innovative, biodegradable multilayer active packaging solution, with excellent oxygen barrier properties, to extend shelf- life of oily foods. In fact, one of the main drawbacks of biodegradable films is the low barrier they offer against external agents that can thus easily accelerate the foods degradation during shelf-life. In this study, a multilayer material obtained by the adhesion of two polylactic acid (PLA) films with cold plasma application, in place of synthetic adhesives, was realized. Moreover, cold plasma treatment was employed to immobilize the oxygen scavenger agent (ascorbic acid), chosen for the activation of the packaging material. Preliminary studies on activated PLA pouches filled with sunflower oil, used as model system, were performed. Model systems were stored at 35 ◦C to accelerate oil oxidation phenomenon and analysed for PV and colour during 64 days of storage. After that, different samples of “Genovese pesto”, were tested as real food, stored at 25 and 45 ◦C and analysed for PV, water activity, rheological parameters and microbiological loads during 41 days of storage. Obtained results showed the greater ability of the new active packaging to decrease the oxidation kinetics of “pesto”, mainly when stored at 25 ◦C. Moreover, all samples packed in the activated biodegradable pouches (both sunflower oils stored at 35 ◦C and pesto stored at 25 ◦C) showed better and more stable quality characteristics, in terms of colorimetric, microbiological and textural parameters when compared with the respective control samples. Overall obtained results highlighted the potentiality of the new biodegradable material, activated with the oxygen scavenger, to be applied successfully in food industry, to extend food products shelf-life and/or maintain high quality levels during storage

Decentralised and Collaborative Auditing of Workflows

Workflows involve actions and decision making at the level of each participant. Trusted generation, collection and storage of evidence is fundamental for these systems to assert accountability in case of disputes. Ensuring the security of audit systems requires reliable protection of evidence in order to cope with its confidentiality, its integrity at generation and storage phases, as well as its availability. Collusion with an audit authority is a threat that can affect all these security aspects, and there is room for improvement in existent approaches that target this problem. This work presents an approach for workflow auditing which targets security challenges of collusion-related threats, covers different trust and confidentiality requirements, and offers flexible levels of scrutiny for reported events. It relies on participants verifying each other's reported audit data, and introduces a secure mechanism to share encrypted audit trails with participants while protecting their confidentiality. We discuss the adequacy of our audit approach to produce reliable evidence despite possible collusion to destroy, tamper with, or hide evidence

Predicting microRNA modulation in human prostate cancer using a simple String IDentifier (SID1.0).

To make faster and efficient the identification of mRNA targets common to more than one miRNA, and to identify new miRNAs modulated in specific pathways, a computer program identified as SID1.0 (simple String IDentifier) was developed and successfully applied in the identification of deregulated miRNAs in prostate cancer cells. This computationally inexpensive Fortran program is based on the strategy of exhaustive search and specifically designed to screen shared data (target genes, miRNAs and pathways) available from PicTar and DIANA-MicroT 3.0 databases. As far as we know this is the first software designed to filter data retrieved from available miRNA databases. SID1.0 takes advantage of the standard Fortran intrinsic functions for manipulating text strings and requires ASCII input files. In order to demonstrate SID1.0 applicability, some miRNAs expected from the literature to associate with cancerogenesis (miR-125b, miR-148a and miR-141), were randomly identified as main entries for SID1.0 to explore matching sequences of mRNA targets and also to explore KEGG pathways for the presence of ID codes of targeted genes. Besides genes and pathways already described in the literature, SID1.0 has proven to useful for predicting other genes involved in prostate carcinoma. These latter were used to identify new deregulated miRNAs: miR-141, miR-148a, miR-19a and miR-19b. Prediction data were preliminary confirmed by expression analysis of the identified miRNAs in androgen-dependent (LNCaP) and independent (PC3) prostate carcinoma cell lines and in normal prostatic epithelial cells (PrEC)

Agronomic, nutritional and nutraceutical aspects of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) cultivars under low input agricultural management

Among cereals, durum wheat has a central role in the Italian diet and economy, where there is a historical tradition of pasta making. In the present study, we evaluated the nutrient and nutraceutical properties of 2 old and 6 modern durum wheat varieties grown under low input agricultural management. Considering the lack of available data on the adaptability of existing durum wheat varieties to the low input and organic sectors, the research aimed at providing a complete description of the investigated genotypes, considering the agronomic performance as well as the nutrient and phytochemical composition. The experimental trials were carried out at the same location (Bologna, Northern Italy) for two consecutive growing seasons (2006/2007, 2007/2008). No clear distinction between old and modern varieties was observed in terms of grain yield (mean values ranging from 2.5 to 4.0 t/ha), highlighting that the divergence in productivity, normally found between dwarf and non-dwarf genotypes, is strongly reduced when they are cropped under low input management. All durum wheat varieties presented high protein levels and, in addition, provided remarkable amounts of phytochemicals such as dietary fibre, polyphenols, flavonoids and carotenoids. Some of the investigated genotypes, such as Senatore Cappelli, Solex, Svevo and Orobel, emerged with intriguing nutritional and phytochemical profiles, with the highest levels of dietary fibre and antioxidant compounds. The study provided the basis for further investigations into the adaptability of the durum wheat genotypes to low input management, for the selection of genotypes characterised by higher yield and valuable nutrient and nutraceutical quality

Model-driven Information Flow Security for Component-Based Systems

International audienceThis paper proposes a formal framework for studying information flow security in component-based systems. The security policy is defined and verified from the early steps of the system design. Two kinds of non-interference properties are formally introduced and for both of them, sufficient conditions that ensures and simplifies the automated verification are proposed. The verification is compositional, first locally, by checking the behavior of every atomic component and then globally, by checking the inter-components communication and coordination. The potential benefits are illustrated on a concrete case study about constructing secure heterogeneous distributed systems