Quantities, determinants, and awareness of households' food waste in Italy: A comparison between diary and questionnaires quantities

Food waste at the household level accounts for a significant share of total food waste in developed economies, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. Studies have shown that this share varies between 0.3 kg to 4.5 kg per person per week, depending on the definitions and methodologies applied. In Italy, quantities, behaviors, and attitudes regarding food waste have been solely explored through the use of questionnaires, typically leading to discrepant values of food waste. In this study, we estimate and analyse the determinants of food waste over a 388 units' panel spread over the national territory, through a diary and questionnaire study. Moreover, by comparing food waste value that was declared in questionnaires and reported in diaries, we confirm that the awareness of food waste quantities is heavily biased. The results confirm that the average food waste value is significantly higher when gathered through diaries, while questionnaires are able to catch less than one-third of food waste determinants

Genomic comparison of lactobacillus helveticusstrains highlights probiotic potential

Lactobacillus helveticus belongs to the large group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which are the major players in the fermentation of a wide range of foods. LAB are also present in the human gut, which has often been exploited as a reservoir of potential novel probiotic strains, but several parameters need to be assessed before establishing their safety and potential use for human consumption. In the present study, six L. helveticus strains isolated from natural whey cultures were analyzed for their phenotype and genotype in exopolysaccharide (EPS) production, low pH and bile salt tolerance, bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity, and antibiotic resistance profile. In addition, a comparative genomic investigation was performed between the six newly sequenced strains and the 51 publicly available genomes of L. helveticus to define the pangenome structure. The results indicate that the newly sequenced strain UC1267 and the deposited strain DSM 20075 can be considered good candidates for gut-adapted strains due to their ability to survive in the presence of 0.2% glycocholic acid (GCA) and 1% taurocholic and taurodeoxycholic acid (TDCA). Moreover, these strains had the highest bile salt deconjugation activity among the tested L. helveticus strains. Considering the safety profile, none of these strains presented antibiotic resistance phenotypically and/or at the genome level. The pangenome analysis revealed genes specific to the new isolates, such as enzymes related to folate biosynthesis in strains UC1266 and UC1267 and an integrated phage in strain UC1035. Finally, the presence of maltose-degrading enzymes and multiple copies of 6-phospho-beta-glucosidase genes in our strains indicates the capability to metabolize sugars other than lactose, which is related solely to dairy niches

Adsorption of Rhodamine B from Wastewater on the Arsenic- Hyperaccumulator Pteris Vittata Waste Roots

The Pteris vittata fern, which is a perennial plant known for hyper-accumulating Arsenic, can be grown in hydroponic cultures and is often used for phytoremediation of contaminated water. To reduce the cost of disposing As-contaminated biomass, this study examined the potential of using waste roots from Pteris vittata as a new and inexpensive bio-adsorbent for removing Rhodamine B (RB) dye, which is commonly used in industrial applications. Batch tests were performed at 25°C in order to observe both the rate and the equilibrium conditions of the system. The isotherm showed a typical Langmuir behavior exhibiting a maximum adsorption capacity of 42.7 mg/g. Kinetics tests were conducted at different solid-liquid ratios and fitted by a mathematical model. The maximum likelihood method was employed to estimate the effective diffusivity of RB in the solid which resulted 4.48 10-9 cm2/min. This study lays the groundwork for future investigations into the use of this material in continuous systems to determine its feasibility for application in industrial apparatus

Last Minute Market

Crisi ambientale e crisi sociale paio-no camminare di pari passo e pregiudicano l\u2019equilibrio dell\u2019ecosistema e delle collettivit\ue0, mentre le politiche sembrano ingabbiate nelle logiche \u201ceconomicistiche\u201d, rimangono spesso troppo lontane dai problemi reali, come se mercato e aumento della produzione fossero la panacea a tutti i mali del mondo. Una quantit\ue0 non irrisoria di risorse ogni giorno viene sprecata, acqua, materie prime, cibo e tanto altro ancora, spesso viene scartato o perso pur essendo ancora perfettamente utilizzabile

E l'impresa cosa ci guadagna? Non soldi, ma responsabilit\ue0 (sociale)

Breve analisi della Responsabilit\ue0 Sociale d'Impres

La catena degli sprechi

Dal campo al frigorifero di casa misuriamo le perdite alimentari in termini di peso e di impatto economico e ambientale. Un dato in particolare ci tocca da vicino: ognuno di noi butta via mediamente 76 Kg di cibo in un ann

Last Minute Market

la storia l'evoluzione i principi e l'innovazione del progetto last minute market, letti in chiave economico politic