Artificial diagnosis of sensory taints due to brettanomyces spp. contamination in Valpolicella wines

Diagnosis and intervention to avoid Brett taints in the product can be a time-consuming task for the enologist in large production facilities and an instrumental and automated detection systems assisting the local expert technician would be desirable. This paper investigates whether electronic noses, which have been tested in other wine making and classification tasks, can be of use in detecting Brett taints in Valpolicella wines

Phenolic content and antioxidant activity of einkorn and emmer sprouts and wheatgrass obtained under different radiation wavelengths

Abstract Sprouted seeds represent intriguing ready-to-eat micro-scale vegetables for the healthy food market, since they are tasty and rich in bioactive compounds. However, sprouts have been recently proposed as a source for the extraction and purification of several phytochemicals to be used in food supplementation or pharmaceutics. Recently, there has been an industrialization of sprout production, carried out indoor, often with use of artificial light, which have implications on biomass yield and composition, and on energetic and economic costs. This work investigates the effects of different radiation wavelengths from light emitting diodes (LED) on free and bound phenolics and antioxidant activity of sprouts and wheatgrass of einkorn (Triticum monococcum L. ssp. monococcum) and emmer ([(Triticum turgidum L. spp. dicoccum, (Schrank ex Schubler) Thell.)]). After 3 days of grain incubation in the dark, three light treatments were applied, labelled as BLUE (447 and 470 nm), RED (627 and 655 nm), and SUN (447, 470, 505, 530, 590, 627, 655 nm), for a same total photon flux density (PFD) of 200 μmol m−2 s−1. Sprouts were harvested at 5 days after sowing (DAS) and wheatgrass at 9 DAS. The effect of light was generally not significant for sprouts, much greater and species-specific for wheatgrass: BLUE in einkorn and RED in emmer generally increased free and total content of polyphenol (PC), tannins (TC), flavonoid (FC) and phenolic acids (PAs). The antioxidant activity was increased by BLUE in einkorn and decreased by RED in both species. BLUE and RED resulted energy saving compared to SUN

Kinematics of young star clusters with the Gaia-ESO Survey

Studying the kinematical properties of young star clusters and star forming regions may help to understand the physical mechanisms driving their dynamical evolution and dissipation into the field. However, due to the lack of high quality data this kind of studies has been carried out only for a small sample of regions. The scenario is rapidly changing thanks to the Gaia-ESO Survey that is observing high resolution spectra of a large sample of clusters in the 1 to 100 Myr age range. In this proceeding we summarize the first results of this project in the field of cluster kinematics

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet of Breastfeeding Mothers and Fatty Acids Composition of Their Human Milk: Results From the Italian MEDIDIET Study

Background and Aims: The content of fatty acids (FA) in human milk may be influenced by maternal nutrition. We evaluated the role of a Mediterranean diet in influencing the content of FA in human milk among 282 breastfeeding mothers participating in the MEDIDIET study. Materials and Methods: Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), a composite index, was used to evaluate adherence to the Mediterranean diet. It includes 9 components (i.e., vegetables, fruit, cereals, legumes, monounsaturated to saturated FA ratio – MUFA/SFA, fish, dairy products, meat, and alcohol) and therefore potentially ranges from 0 (no adherence) to 9 (complete adherence) points. None of the mothers obtained the highest score due to the low alcohol consumption in the study population. Mothers were categorized in approximate tertiles of adherence: 0–3 (34.4%), 4 (26.2%), and 5–8 points (39.4%). The mean content of FA across categories of MDS was compared using ANOVA and test for trend. Results: A high adherence of breastfeeding mothers to the Mediterranean diet was associated with lower content of SFA in human milk (42.58 ± 4.36 for MDS = 0–3, 42.58 ± 4.89 for MDS = 4, and 40.92 ± 5.22% of fats for MDS = 5–8 points; p ANOVA and p for trend = 0.02). Conversely, a high adherence was associated with higher content of MUFA in human milk (43.27 ± 4.27 for MDS = 0–3, 43.27 ± 4.47 for MDS = 4, and 45.24 ± 5.22% of fats for MDS = 5–8 points; p ANOVA and p for trend < 0.01), ω-3 FA (1.07 ± 0.25 for MDS = 0–3, 1.22 ± 0.49 for MDS = 4, and 1.31 ± 0.51% of fats for MDS = 5–8 points; p ANOVA and p for trend < 0.01), and the major types of ω-3 FA (i.e., α-linolenic acid – ALA, eicosapentaenoic acid – EPA, docosahexaenoic acid – DHA, docosapentaenoic acid – DPA). These associations were mainly driven by the adherence to the vegetables, MUFA/SFA, fish, and dairy products components of the Mediterranean diet. Conclusion: A high adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with human milk showing a lower content of SFA and higher content of MUFA and ω-3 FA, including DHA. The Mediterranean diet may contribute in human milk production with higher content of specific FA which is directly involved in infant’s neural and visual development, as reported by previous studies

Sustainability and Quality Management in the Italian Luxury Furniture Sector: A Circular Economy Perspective

The growing attention paid to global environmental risks has gradually raised interest, both on the agendas of firms and governments towards the development of new business models such as Circular Economy. This study is focused on the luxury furniture industry and it is aimed at investigating how much furniture companies know about Circular Economy practices, what they specifically do for implementing them and what factors motivate, support or hinder their adoption. The role of product and process certifications in developing such sustainable practices is also analyzed, given their importance for implementing environmentally sustainable practices. The research method is based on a qualitative multiple case study carried out on four Italian companies operating in the luxury furniture industry. A worthy degree of awareness and knowledge of Circular Economy principles emerged from the analysis. Nevertheless, furniture companies analyzed are still little involved in Circular Economy practices, especially concerning reuse and recycle actions, which are particularly important within this perspective. Similarly, very little use of process and product certifications emerged from the study. Therefore, a potential gap seems to arise between the positive attitude towards Circular Economy practices and their actual implementation, which suggests useful implications for both institutions and managers involved in sustainable development processes

L’attitudine allo spreco alimentare tra i giovani. Un’indagine tra i Millennials spagnoli

Il paper analizza l’atteggiamento dei giovani Millennials verso lo spreco alimentare: in quale misura e perché si sperpera il cibo, quali sono gli alimenti maggiormente sprecati, quali fattori socio-comportamentali sono responsabili di questi atteggiamenti, quali comportamenti vengono attuati per ridurre l’entità degli sprechi. I risultati riportati nel paper si basano su un’indagine empirica condotta su un campione di 466 individui provenienti dalla regione iberica dell’Andalusia. L’analisi rivela una diffusa inclinazione alla sostenibilità e al contenimento del fenomeno dello spreco, sebbene il comportamento alimentare dei giovani sia, nella realtà, spesso contraddittorio. La ricerca indaga le cause di tale gap e discute alcune implicazioni manageriali utili a ridurre la discordanza attitudine-comportamentale e, in generale, a limitare il livello di spreco tra i giovani

Consumer experience e co-creazione del valore nei settori dell'arredamento, architettura e design: nuove opportunità legate all'utilizzo della Realtà Aumentata

Obiettivi. L’obiettivo del lavoro è duplice: (i) indagare se e come il comportamento d’acquisto dei consumatori può essere influenzato dall’utilizzo delle tecnologie di Realtà Aumentata (RA); (ii) comprendere le potenzialità che tali tecnologie prospettano alle imprese, in termini di sviluppo di nuovi canali di marketing e nuove modalità di creazione del valore. Metodologia. La metodologia prevede: (i) analisi della letteratura esistente, tesa ad indagare le potenzialità dei software di RA nell’ambito dei processi di creazione e distribuzione del valore - con focus sui settori dell’arredamento, architettura e design; (ii) un’indagine empirica svolta tramite la somministrazione di questionari ai retailer/progettisti (n. 40) ed ai consumatori finali (n.300); (iii) analisi dei dati raccolti mediante l’ausilio di tecniche di statistica descrittiva univariata. Risultati. Emerge perplessità tra i retailer in merito all’impiego dei software di RA, rispetto ai quali si intravedono vantaggi ma anche elevati rischi legati alle difficoltà tecniche di utilizzo ed alla potenziale perdita di potere contrattuale nei confronti del consumatore. Nella prospettiva di quest’ultimo, si riscontrano scarsi livelli di conoscenza ed un utilizzo confinato più alla fase di progettazione e visualizzazione della proposta di arredo che all’acquisto finale. Implicazioni pratiche. L’importanza dei software di RA nelle diverse fasi del processo di creazione del valore viene evidenziata alla luce delle evidenze empiriche emerse nell’indagine. Alcuni suggerimenti vengono, inoltre, proposti soprattutto in chiave promozionale, per incrementare il livello di conoscenza ed utilizzo di tali software sia a livello di consumo finale che intermedio. Limiti della ricerca. La ridotta numerosità del campione, soprattutto per quanto riguarda i retailer, e la focalizzazione su una particolare categoria merceologica limitano la generalizzabilità dei risultati. Originalità del lavoro. Il lavoro approfondisce in una prospettiva di marketing il potenziale ruolo della RA nell’intero processo di creazione del valore, mettendo il cliente nella posizione di co-progettatore della soluzione che intende acquistare

Factors affecting household food waste among young consumers and actions to prevent it. A comparison among UK, Spain and Italy

Food waste is a critical issue with multiple ethical, environmental and economic consequences. The aim of this study is to investigate which factors most affect food waste and determine what actions are undertaken to prevent it at the household level. The study, while privileging a behavioural perspective, focuses on the overall consumption process, from purchasing through final food consumption, thus assuming a broad perspective. The data for this study were collected among Italian, Spanish and English populations using three public online questionnaires administered from January to September 2017. This resulted in a total of 3323 usable questionnaires referring to a sample population aged between 18 and 35 years. As for the main motivation to waste food, the research findings provide strong evidence of the importance of in-store behaviour and food management at home in reducing the frequency of food waste in all the three countries examined. As for the actions preventingfoodwaste,theconsumption ofleftoversappearsas arelevantdeterminantinminimisingfoodwaste. The findings confirm that food waste is a complex issue that requires a broad approach of analysis considering several factors simultaneously. The study also provides further insights regarding the relationship between eating outside the home and food waste, which is a topic of debate in the extant literature. Finally, the study improves the overall knowledge about actions that prevent food waste, which have previously been poorly investigated