Lipid profile and growth of black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens, Stratiomyidae) reared on by‐products from different food chains

BACKGROUND The total amount of bio‐waste produced annually in the EU by the food and beverage chains is estimated at 37 Mtons. The possibility to use insects for the valorization of by‐products from these value chains may represent a sustainable solution. This study aims at investigating the by‐products obtained from different food chains for the rearing of black soldier fly prepupae to evaluate lipid content and profile and outline its possible applications. The substrates used in this experiment were: (i) industrial by‐products (brewery spent grains, cow's milk whey, grape stalks, and tomato peels and seeds) and (ii) by‐products from retailers (bread dough, fish scraps, and spent coffee ground). Fat extracted from prepupae using an adjusted Folch method was utilized for total lipid content and fatty acids profile. RESULTS Best larval performances were obtained from beer (0.22 gweight per prepupa), tomato (0.19 gweight per prepupa), and cheese (0.14 gweight per prepupa) food‐chain by‐products. The extremely different composition of the substrate was reflected in the differentiated lipid profile of black soldier fly prepupae and in a range of ratios between unsaturated and saturated fatty acids comprised from 0.37 for cow's milk way to 1.34 for tomato peels and seeds. CONCLUSION The high content and type of lipids, together with the proteins, and chitin extracted from prepupae are high‐value bio‐based products that could be used in the feed/food industry or for the development of innovative biomaterials, such as biodiesel. These results suggest that food chain by‐products are the best candidate for insect‐bioconversion purposes

The comparative analysis of Mediterranean coastal communities: six case studies

The aim of this study is to promote cooperation and actions for the benefit of coastal communities on the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean region by adopting an approach that integrates environmental, economic and social dimensions. These areas are traditionally based on Fisheries, especially small-scale fisheries (SSFs), which contribute to strengthen social cohesion, in that the seafood value chains still represent the backbone of the coastal economy. The six coastal communities analysed in this paper are located in Algiers port - Casbah (Algeria), Marsa Matrouh (Egypt), Tricase (Italy), Tyre (Lebanon), Nador Lagoon (Morocco), Zarzis (Tunisia). Conclusions emphasise the need to develop a comprehensive reference system for dialogue, cooperation and capacity building both at national and regional level. The cluster approach can help create a favourable cooperation and competition environment, generating income and employment opportunities for local communities.Le but de cette \ue9tude est de promouvoir la coop\ue9ration et des actions en faveur des communaut\ue9s c\uf4ti\ue8res sur les rives Sud et Est de la M\ue9diterran\ue9e, en adoptant une approche qui int\ue8gre les dimensions environnementale, \ue9conomique et sociale. Cette r\ue9gion est traditionnellement ax\ue9e sur la p\ueache, et notamment la petite p\ueache, qui contribue \ue0 renforcer la coh\ue9sion sociale, car les cha\ueenes de valeur des produits de la mer constituent encore la colonne vert\ue9brale de l\u2019\ue9conomie c\uf4ti\ue8re. Les six communaut\ue9s c\uf4ti\ue8res examin\ue9es dans ce travail sont situ\ue9es \ue0 la Casbah- port d\u2019Alger (Alg\ue9rie), \ue0 Marsa Matrouh (Egypte), \ue0 Tricase (Italie), Tyre (Liban), dans la lagune de Nador (Maroc) et \ue0 Zarzis (Tunisie). Dans les conclusions, l\u2019accent est mis sur l\u2019importance de structurer un syst\ue8me de r\ue9f\ue9rence global pour encourager le dialogue, la coop\ue9ration et le d\ue9veloppement des capacit\ue9s \ue0 l\u2019\ue9chelle nationale et r\ue9gionale. Le mod\ue8le du cluster pourrait contribuer \ue0 cr\ue9er un environnement de coop\ue9ration et comp\ue9tition favorable, g\ue9n\ue9rant des revenus et des emplois au niveau des communaut\ue9s locales

"Delirium Day": A nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool

Background: To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods: This is a point prevalence study (called "Delirium Day") including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium was assessed on the same day in all patients using the 4AT, a validated and briefly administered tool which does not require training. We also collected data regarding motoric subtypes of delirium, functional and nutritional status, dementia, comorbidity, medications, feeding tubes, peripheral venous and urinary catheters, and physical restraints. Results: The mean sample age was 82.0 \ub1 7.5 years (58 % female). Overall, 429 patients (22.9 %) had delirium. Hypoactive was the commonest subtype (132/344 patients, 38.5 %), followed by mixed, hyperactive, and nonmotoric delirium. The prevalence was highest in Neurology (28.5 %) and Geriatrics (24.7 %), lowest in Rehabilitation (14.0 %), and intermediate in Orthopedic (20.6 %) and Internal Medicine wards (21.4 %). In a multivariable logistic regression, age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.05), Activities of Daily Living dependence (OR 1.19, 95 % CI 1.12-1.27), dementia (OR 3.25, 95 % CI 2.41-4.38), malnutrition (OR 2.01, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), and use of antipsychotics (OR 2.03, 95 % CI 1.45-2.82), feeding tubes (OR 2.51, 95 % CI 1.11-5.66), peripheral venous catheters (OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.06-1.87), urinary catheters (OR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.30-2.29), and physical restraints (OR 1.84, 95 % CI 1.40-2.40) were associated with delirium. Admission to Neurology wards was also associated with delirium (OR 2.00, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), while admission to other settings was not. Conclusions: Delirium occurred in more than one out of five patients in acute and rehabilitation hospital wards. Prevalence was highest in Neurology and lowest in Rehabilitation divisions. The "Delirium Day" project might become a useful method to assess delirium across hospital settings and a benchmarking platform for future surveys

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.): effect on the fat integrity using different approaches to the killing of the prepupae

The increase of waste, due to the rise of the world population, renders the use of the black soldier fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens) as agri-food leftover biotransformer very attractive. Indeed, feeding on these substrates, BSF is capable of transforming them into valuable fat, proteins, and chitin. The present study is aimed at evaluating different approaches to the killing of the prepupae in order to assess which is associated with the lowest production of artefacts, notably free fatty acids. Folch extraction method, via an Ultra-Turrax homogeniser, was selected to isolate and analyse prepupal fat. The same method was also applied for a direct grinding method to kill black soldier fly prepupae. The integrity of fat originated from this direct grinding approach to the killing was compared in terms of fatty acid profile with the samples obtained with two other killing procedures, i.e. freezing and blanching. Direct grinding proved to be a better preservative of fat integrity in terms of lowest amount of free fatty acids (about 2.5%) in comparison with freezing (about 15%), but also with blanching (about 10%). Furthermore, the direct grinding is a killing strategy that reduces energetic demand and process time and helps lower analytical costs

A structural equation modeling analysis of relational governance and economic performance in agri-food supply chains: evidence from the dairy sheep industry in Sardinia (Italy)

This study investigates the factors affecting the inter-organizational relationships and governance of firms in agri-food supply chains and assesses the influence that the current conditions of vertical coordination have on the economic performance of these firms. Research hypotheses describing the causal effects between the environment, product characteristics, inter-organizational relationships, relational governance, and firm economic performance are formulated and tested using a structural equation modeling approach. Data were gathered from a questionnaire administered via a direct survey to both farmers and processors in a traditional high-quality dairy sheep supply chain in the Italian region of Sardinia: the Pecorino Romano Protected Designation of Origin. Results point out the role of informal contractual arrangements in this local production system characterized by social cohesion, entailing higher product quality and better economic performance. Further, the study highlights the role of trust as a key variable for attaining collaborative paths along the agri-food supply chain, particularly between farmers and processors

A structural equation modeling analysis of relational governance and economic performance in agri-food supply chains: evidence from the dairy sheep industry in Sardinia (Italy)

Abstract This study investigates the factors affecting the inter-organizational relationships and governance of firms in agri-food supply chains and assesses the influence that the current conditions of vertical coordination have on the economic performance of these firms. Research hypotheses describing the causal effects between the environment, product characteristics, inter-organizational relationships, relational governance, and firm economic performance are formulated and tested using a structural equation modeling approach. Data were gathered from a questionnaire administered via a direct survey to both farmers and processors in a traditional high-quality dairy sheep supply chain in the Italian region of Sardinia: the Pecorino Romano Protected Designation of Origin. Results point out the role of informal contractual arrangements in this local production system characterized by social cohesion, entailing higher product quality and better economic performance. Further, the study highlights the role of trust as a key variable for attaining collaborative paths along the agri-food supply chain, particularly between farmers and processors