Investigating the role of solvent type and microwave selective heating on the extraction of phenolic compounds from cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) pod husk

Cacao pod husk (CPH) is a primary waste in the cacao industry that contains favourable natural antioxidants based on phenolic compounds. This study reported an investigation of the effect of extraction parameters to maximise the bioactive yields of CPH extract. The preliminary extraction was focused on high total phenolic content and continued to maximise the total monomeric anthocyanin and antioxidant activity that have the potential to be applied as food additives. The solvent selection and particle size were the key parameters for extraction to reach the maximum phenolic yield (100.4 ± 0.5 mg GAE/g dw). It was confirmed that 50% (v/v) aqueous ethanol was the most appropriate solvent, either based on experimental results or Hansen Solubility parameter prediction. At the same time, the comparison of microwave and conventional heating suggested that Microwave-assisted Extraction was the best method to get high phenolic content due to its selective heating effects. The results showed that the maximum bioactive yields were 0.37 ± 0.0 mg Cy3GE/g dw of anthocyanin and 3.36 ± 0.02 mg TE/g dw of antioxidants obtained under 50 °C and 5 min extraction time. Gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, coumaric acid and quercetin were identified in CPH extract using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Shifts in national land use and food production in Great Britain after a climate tipping point

Climate change is expected to impact agricultural land use. Steadily accumulating changes in temperature and water availability can alter the relative profitability of different farming activities and promote land-use changes. There is also potential for high-impact ‘climate tipping points’, where abrupt, nonlinear change in climate occurs, such as the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Here, using data from Great Britain, we develop a methodology to analyse the impacts of a climate tipping point on land use and economic outcomes for agriculture. We show that economic and land-use impacts of such a tipping point are likely to include widespread cessation of arable farming with losses of agricultural output that are an order of magnitude larger than the impacts of climate change without an AMOC collapse. The agricultural effects of AMOC collapse could be ameliorated by technological adaptations such as widespread irrigation, but the amount of water required and the costs appear to be prohibitive in this instance

Ecosystem services:Response

C. Obst 'et al'. provide a welcome opportunity to clarify the difference between environmental-economic cost-benefit analyses (such as ours) and environmental accounting exercises [such as the UN-SEEA initiative]. Accounting studies attempt to assess the total value of goods related to ecosystem services in a manner comparable to that used for market-priced goods in national accounts. A decline in the ecosystem services account over time signals a potential need to invest in underlying natural capital. However, such accounts do not indicate the most cost-effective form of that investment. Environmental economic analyses such as ours typically consider changes in value from the status quo that alternative investments provide, and identify those that yield higher value for money. The two approaches are complements rather than substitutes and serve differing but highly compatible elements of the decision-making process

Ecosystem Services: Response

C. Obst 'et al'. provide a welcome opportunity to clarify the difference between environmental-economic cost-benefit analyses (such as ours) and environmental accounting exercises [such as the UN-SEEA initiative]. Accounting studies attempt to assess the total value of goods related to ecosystem services in a manner comparable to that used for market-priced goods in national accounts. A decline in the ecosystem services account over time signals a potential need to invest in underlying natural capital. However, such accounts do not indicate the most cost-effective form of that investment. Environmental economic analyses such as ours typically consider changes in value from the status quo that alternative investments provide, and identify those that yield higher value for money. The two approaches are complements rather than substitutes and serve differing but highly compatible elements of the decision-making process

How Property Markets Determine Welfare Outcomes: An Equilibrium Sorting Model Analysis of Local Environmental Interventions

This paper examines the pivotal role played by property markets in determining the magnitude and distribution of welfare changes resulting from localised environmental change. We address that issue using an equilibrium sorting model (ESM) calibrated, by way of example, to the circumstances of a road infrastructure project in the English town of Polegate. Previous ESM research has tended to assume that all households rent property from a fixed property stock. The narrative that arises from those models concerns environmental gentrification, wherein access to environmentally improved locations is appropriated by the relatively wealthy through their ability to out-compete the less wealthy in the rental property market. Our research shows that to be only part of a much more complex story. We develop a model that extends the sophistication with which ESMs replicate property market dynamics, allowing for households to choose whether to rent or purchase their home and introducing greater realism into housing supply responses to changing market conditions. Our research shows that property markets redistribute welfare gains across the population in complex ways in which tenure choice and housing supply constraints play central roles.This paper has been produced as part of a studentship jointly funded by the ESRC and Department of Transport (Ref ES/G018618/1). The research was additionally supported by the ESRC through the Social and Environmental Economic Research (SEER) project (Ref RES-060-25-0063).

Bringing Ecosystem Services into Economic Decision-Making: Land Use in the United Kingdom

Landscapes generate a wide range of valuable ecosystem services, yet land-use decisions often ignore the value of these services. Using the example of the United Kingdom, we show the significance of land-use change not only for agricultural production but also for emissions and sequestration of greenhouse gases, open-access recreational visits, urban green space, and wild-species diversity. We use spatially explicit models in conjunction with valuation methods to estimate comparable economic values for these services, taking account of climate change impacts. We show that, although decisions that focus solely on agriculture reduce overall ecosystem service values, highly significant value increases can be obtained from targeted planning by incorporating all potential services and their values and that this approach also conserves wild-species diversity.The UK-NEA and its Follow-On programUK DefraThe devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern IrelandNatural Environment Research Council (NERC)Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Social and Environmental Economic Research (SEER) projec

A review of planting principles to identify the right place for the right tree for ‘net zero plus’ woodlands: Applying a place‐based natural capital framework for sustainable, efficient and equitable (SEE) decisions

We outline the principles of the natural capital approach to decision making and apply these to the contemporary challenge of very significantly expanding woodlands as contribution to attaining net zero emissions of greenhouse gases. Drawing on the case of the UK, we argue that a single focus upon carbon storage alone is likely to overlook the other ‘net zero plus’ benefits which woodlands can deliver. A review of the literature considers the wide variety of potential benefits which woodlands can provide, together with costs such as foregone alternative land uses. We argue that decision making must consider all of these potential benefits and costs for the right locations to be planted with the right trees. The paper closes by reviewing the decision support systems necessary to incorporate this information into policy and decision making