Benchmarking the Interactions among Challenges for Blockchain Technology Adoption:A Circular Economy Perspective

The chances of food contamination and spoilage get enhanced as it passes through various stages, and prudent consumers often need transparency on the origin of food products, their production and processing facilities utilized. Blockchain, an emerging digital technology, offers food traceability solutions to consumers and supply chain partners. But presently, blockchain adoption in Indian supply chains is in the nascent stages. The present study identified the challenges of adopting blockchain technology in Indian food supply chains and modelled them using Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM). As per the ISM, the ‘regulatory structure’ and ‘lack of realised need’ emerged as the most significant driving forces that impact other challenges, viz. ‘privacy breach issues’, ‘high costs’, ‘lack of skills’, ‘lack of technology’, ‘lack of trust’ and ‘lack of infrastructure’. These challenges have an impact on the ‘scalability problem’. The paper underlines the significance of enabling regulatory structure, improved information and communication technologies infrastructure, and convincing the supply chain stakeholders to use blockchain technology to resolve the underlying challenges and achieve its adoption and scalability in the Indian food industry.<br/

Blockchain technology for enhancing sustainable food systems: a consumer perspective

This paper explores the potential of blockchain technology (BCT) in promoting sustainable food production and consumption (SFPC) from a consumer perspective. India, a significant global food producer, faces challenges related to affordability and food logistics due to transport and labour constraints. Food safety concerns, that is, foodborne illnesses and quality issues, alongside unexpected events like COVID-19 and geopolitical conflicts, threaten SFPC. In recent times, consumer focus has shifted a lot towards food safety and security. The study adopted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify the factors strengthening consumer trust through BCT. The EFA helped classify the items into five factors, that is, reliability, sustainability, impact on health, trust and switching intentions. The results reveal that these factors are the most significant reasons consumers are willing to accept a blockchain-enabled food system over a traditional system. The study findings will benefit organisations willing to introduce blockchain within their operations to improve the consumer base. It will also prove to be helpful for researchers and academicians to understand consumer perspectives towards BCT for SFPC

Study on production and utilization of minor millets in Madhya Pradesh

Neglected and underutilized species (NUS) worldwide are gaining attention as they are suited to sustainable food systems offering food and nutritional security to people in marginal regions. Minor millets are one such group of crop species that can be utilized to supplement the cereal-centric diet. But they are largely neglected in terms of research and development, policy support, and consumer demand. Present study was carried out during 2020 in selected districts of Madhya Pradesh to explore the production, consumption and utilization of minor millets and to identify the problem faced by the farmers at the field level. Farmers grow local varieties of millets with poor management under rainfed conditions. The price received by the farmers vary widely, although it is economically viable. Most sample farmers were unaware of the possibility of processing the grain into various products that suit consumer demand and fetch better prices. They perceive the unavailability of high-yielding variety as the major production constraint. The revival of millets requires a multidimensional approach involving government support, research and development, awareness campaigns, and consumer demand

Bio-nanotechnology application in wastewater treatment

The nanoparticles have received high interest in the field of medicine and water purification, however, the nanomaterials produced by chemical and physical methods are considered hazardous, expensive, and leave behind harmful substances to the environment. This chapter aimed to focus on green-synthesized nanoparticles and their medical applications. Moreover, the chapter highlighted the applicability of the metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) in the inactivation of microbial cells due to their high surface and small particle size. Modifying nanomaterials produced by green-methods is safe, inexpensive, and easy. Therefore, the control and modification of nanoparticles and their properties were also discussed

Chemical characteristics and fatty acid composition of cooking oils and their blends

Palm oil as a rich source of carotene appears to be the only oil of vegetable origin which can serve as a potent source of vitamin A and monounsaturated fatty acids mainly oleic acid. Considering the nutritive value of crude palm oil this study was directed towards blending of CPO with other commonly used cooking vegetable oils to attain ideal fatty acid composition of SFA:MUFA:PUFA (1:2:1). Palm oil was blended with safflower oil and soybean oil in two different proportions, i.e. CPO:safflower oil (65:35 and 70:30) and CPO:soybean oil (55:45 and 65:35). Chemical characteristics and fatty acid composition of crude palm oil and its blends were determined. Saponification value was highest in CPO and lowest in safflower oil. No peroxide value was detected in fresh oils. β-Carotene content was 366.19 μg g−1 in CPO and found absent in safflower and soybean oils. Fat acidity (mg KOH/g) was lowest (0.12) in CPO and highest (0.25) in safflower oil. The fatty acid composition of different oils revealed that palmitic acid was the predominant fatty acid (43.45%) in CPO followed by oleic (40.98%) and linoleic acids (14.67%). However, safflower and soybean oils contained the highest amount of linoleic acid (73.61, 54.22%) followed by oleic (18.23, 22.35%), palmitic (6.27, 11.09%) and stearic acids (1.87, 2.53%), respectively

Investigating the Adoption Barriers to Industry 4.0 Technologies in Farmer Producer Organisations

Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) are collectives formed by farmers, typically small and marginal farmers, intending to improve their economic and social conditions. This study explores the adoption barriers to Industry 4.0 technologies in FPOs and establishes the interrelationships between adoption variables for sustainable growth and income support. Twenty-eight barriers were identified after a literature review, and expert opinions were further scrutinized into five themes. The interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach was applied to explore inter-relationships between the barrier variables for industry 4.0 technology in FPO. Matrice d’Impacts Croises-multiplication Applique’ and Classement (MICMAC) analysis has been executed to classify the barriers according to their dependence and driving power. Out of the identified 28 barriers, five hinder FPO's adoption to Industry 4.0 technologies, and the financial barrier is the most significant barrier that leads to the highest driving power. Thus, this study offers a roadmap for FPOs and policymakers to support farmers towards start-ups, and a focused approach to eradicate the financial barriers will boost Industry 4.0 adoption

Adoption barriers to green logistics in the Indian food industry:A circular economy perspective

Logistics is among the leading contributors to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and needs a paradigm shift to ensure sustainability. Green logistics is an initiative to reduce environmental, social and economic damage, create a positive brand image and ensure customer loyalty to the firm. Even though green logistics yields many benefits, several factors often challenge its successful implementation. Thus, the study aims to identify and group the adoption barriers to green logistics in the food industry. The barriers perceived by food industry professionals were collected through a survey, and exploratory factor (EFA) analysis was applied to identify and group the most significant ones. EFA grouped the 19 significant barriers into six factors: organizational, regulatory, supplier, technological, customer and financial. Identifying these adoption barriers can help organizations frame suitable strategies to overcome barriers in successfully implementing green logistics. The study also suggests strategies to address the barriers to green logistics in the food industry for the Indian economy. The study also highlights implications for practice and theory