Opening up the black box: A systematic literature review of life cycle assessment in alternative food processing technologies

[EN] The last few decades have stood out because of the improvements made in food processing under two axes: plurality (conventional technologies co-existing with new alternatives) and sustainability (jointly with efficiency, quality and safety). This article aims at discussing how these technological developments in food processing are addressed in life cycle literature, regarding case studies in which different food processing alternatives are compared. From the examined case studies some methodological aspects were underscored to improve the application of LCA in food processing: the functional unit, system boundaries, scale and data source issues, as well as the relevance of process water and wastewater composition. Furthermore, different findings have emerged with a direct impact on future developments: the (re)thinking of technological and operational conditions (with an emphasis on cleaner production techniques), the inclusion of scale decision and consumption, and the importance of incorporating nutritional, sensorial and socio-economic dimensions to assist decision making.Silva, VL.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN. (2019). Opening up the black box: A systematic literature review of life cycle assessment in alternative food processing technologies. Journal of Food Engineering. 250:33-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2019.01.010S334525

Oxygen transmission rate through thermoformed trays: Modeling and influence of processing variables

[EN] The oxygen transmission rate (OTR) is a key parameter when selecting a sheet to make a thermoformed tray, as it influences the shelf life of packaged food. The OTR of a thermoformed tray depends on the distribution of the material's thickness over its walls. The goal of this study is to model the evolution of oxygen in the headspace of a thermoformed plastic tray considering the thickness distribution of its walls. PET/PE films with different thicknesses and a PET/PE/EVOH/PE structure with EVOH acting as a barrier layer were used for the thermoformed trays. The thickness of the thermoformed trays was measured at different points to determine the average thickness of the tray subsections. A model was built to predict the variation in the oxygen content inside the headspace over time. The results of the model were correlated with experimental data by regression analysis. The model can be used to perform a straightforward comparison of both different structures as well as the effect of the thickness of the layers that constitute the multilayer sheet. The model can also support decisions about the best multilayer for a particular tray design so as to achieve a specific product shelf-life.Enguix, C.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN.; Ribal, J. (2022). Oxygen transmission rate through thermoformed trays: Modeling and influence of processing variables. Polymer Engineering & Science. 62(11):3599-3610. https://doi.org/10.1002/pen.2613035993610621

Measuring regional differences in food security from access and stability dimensions: A methodological proposal based on elasticities

[EN] One constraint when dealing with food security problems is the absence of measurement tools that allow for mitigation strategies to be targeted on each region individually. The elasticities can be used as a good exploratory instrument of food security. This paper presents a proposal for measuring the food insecurity dimensions of access and stability, integrating the values of the different kinds of elasticities. The methodology was applied to Spain, using data from nine groups of protein-rich foods of animal origin during the 2004-2015 period in 17 regions. The results suggest that, as regards foods rich in animal proteins, Navarra and Galicia are the regions with the highest food insecurity, and pork meat is the most insecure food product. Comparisons can be carried out between and within regions.Supported by Doctoral Fellowship, Universidad del Tolima, Ibague, Colombia.Forero-Cantor, G.; Ribal, J.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN. (2020). Measuring regional differences in food security from access and stability dimensions: A methodological proposal based on elasticities. Agricultural Economics (Zemedelská ekonomika). 66(3):112-119. https://doi.org/10.17221/97/2019-AGRICECONS11211966

Improving the Chemical Properties of Acid Sulphate Soils from the Casamance River Basin

[EN] The anoxic conditions produced after the reflooding of acid sulphate soil (ASS) can reduce sulphate and/or Fe(III) with a consequent rise in pH. This study aimed to compare the effect of different amendments on ASS remediation and to analyse the effect on soil pH and exchangeable aluminium. Two mid-term incubation experiments were carried out to analyse the effect of amendments and water management on ASS. Soil samples were taken in the Santak Valley from four agricultural plots. During the first experiment, each soil sample was subject to two water management systems (flooded and non-flooded) and three amendment types (rice straw, manure, and lime). During the second experiment, the flooded condition was performed with three organic amendments (rice straw, manure, and biochar). In the first experiment, the amendments with organic matter (rice straw, and manure) increased the pH more under the flooded conditions, and manure was effective in reducing exchangeable aluminium (Alex) to 45% in the control soil. In the second experiment, all the organic amendments reduced soluble Al, but whereas straw increased soluble Fe, biochar diminished it. The amendment addition increased the soil pH and reduced Alex. The Alex reduction was greater for the stabler organic amendments: manure and biochar.The authors acknowledge the Centre for Development Cooperation of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (CCD-UPV) for providing funds as part of Project AD1810-UPV.Bautista, I.; Oliver Talens, J.; Lidón, A.; Osca Lluch, JM.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN. (2023). Improving the Chemical Properties of Acid Sulphate Soils from the Casamance River Basin. Land. 12(9):1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/land1209169312012

Modeling of sodium nitrite and water transport in pork meat

[EN] Four models were used to simulate nitrite uptake and water loss during pork meat curing with sodium nitrite: three empirical ones (the Azuara, the Peleg and the Zugarramurdi and Lupin) and one theoretical (the diffusional). By means of the Azuara and the Peleg models, the equilibrium moisture content and the equilibrium nitrite content were properly identified. Zugarramurdi and Lupin's model did not provide information about process parameters. The effective diffusivities of water (Dwe) and nitrite (DNe) were calculated. The activation energy (ENa and Ewa) was evaluated from the parameters of both the Peleg and the diffusional models. The results were similar; the Peleg model having the advantage of simplicity of calculation. The effect of meat anisotropy was confirmed from the diffusional model; the perpendicular transport of nitrite is easier than the parallel. This study highlighted the importance of choosing the most appropriate model depending on the objective to be achieved.The authors of this paper acknowledge the financial support from CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010 (CSD2007-00016), Spain.Gómez, J.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN.; Arnau, J.; Bon Corbín, J.; Clemente Polo, G. (2019). Modeling of sodium nitrite and water transport in pork meat. Journal of Food Engineering. 249:48-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2019.01.008S485424

Assessing the environmental impact of Spanish vineyards in Utiel-Requena PDO: The influence of farm management and on-field emission modelling

[EN] Environmental studies into wine from different protected designations of origin (PDO) highlight farming and packaging stages as those contributing the most to the total environmental impacts of this product. However, farming impact, not only depends on the agricultural practices but also on data quality and modelling complexity. By using the life cycle assessment methodology, a twofold goal is aimed. Firstly, to analyse the environmental profile of the most widespread viticultural practices in the Utiel-Requena PDO (Spain). The second aim is to evaluate the differences between the environmental impacts estimated by means of modelling approaches using generic information (Baseline modelling) versus those using site-specific information (Alternative modelling). As regards the agricultural practices and grape cultivars, eight systems were defined and assessed per kg of grape at the farm gate. The differences between farming systems and modelling approaches were statistically assessed. The results show that, regardless of the grape cultivar, organic systems are more environmentally friendly than the conventional ones (on average, the greatest differences occur in the ionizing radiation, marine eutrophication and land use, being the values for organic vineyards 1678%, 648% and 171% lower than those of the conventional ones, respectively), the results for the Bobal cultivar being better than those for the Tempranillo because of the higher yield (differences in yield around 1.500 kg ha¿1). The use of site-specific modelling approaches guarantees the precision of the analysis; however, for some impact categories, namely climate change, fine particulate matter formation, marine eutrophication and terrestrial acidification, the possibility of using general methodologies is open; in this way, the modelling efforts can be minimised, and the results would be consistent with those of more specific methodologies. The results also underline the need for a consensus within LCA practitioners on which methodologies to use in order to estimate on-field emissions taking into account both complexity reduction and accuracy improvement.The authors gratefully acknowledge the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad for the financial support under the project CTM 2013-47,340-R and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for providing the funds for N.K. Sinisterra-Solis's research contract through Subprogram 1 (PAID-01-18).Sinisterra-Solis, NK.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN.; Estruch-Guitart, V.; Clemente Polo, G. (2020). Assessing the environmental impact of Spanish vineyards in Utiel-Requena PDO: The influence of farm management and on-field emission modelling. Journal of Environmental Management. 262:1-12. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110325S112262Bacenetti, J., Fusi, A., Negri, M., Bocchi, S., & Fiala, M. (2016). Organic production systems: Sustainability assessment of rice in Italy. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 225, 33-44. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2016.03.046Bacenetti, J., Fusi, A., Negri, M., & Fiala, M. (2015). Impact of cropping system and soil tillage on environmental performance of cereal silage productions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 86, 49-59. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.08.052Balsari, P., Marucco, P., & Tamagnone, M. (2007). A test bench for the classification of boom sprayers according to drift risk. Crop Protection, 26(10), 1482-1489. doi:10.1016/j.cropro.2006.12.012Bartocci, P., Fantozzi, P., & Fantozzi, F. (2017). Environmental impact of Sagrantino and Grechetto grapes cultivation for wine and vinegar production in central Italy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140, 569-580. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.04.090Boulay, A.-M., Bare, J., Benini, L., Berger, M., Lathuillière, M. J., Manzardo, A., … Pfister, S. (2017). The WULCA consensus characterization model for water scarcity footprints: assessing impacts of water consumption based on available water remaining (AWARE). The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 23(2), 368-378. doi:10.1007/s11367-017-1333-8Brentrup, F., Küsters, J., Lammel, J., & Kuhlmann, H. (2000). Methods to estimate on-field nitrogen emissions from crop production as an input to LCA studies in the agricultural sector. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 5(6). doi:10.1007/bf02978670Brisson, N., Mary, B., Ripoche, D., Jeuffroy, M. H., Ruget, F., Nicoullaud, B., … Delécolle, R. (1998). STICS: a generic model for the simulation of crops and their water and nitrogen balances. I. Theory and parameterization applied to wheat and corn. Agronomie, 18(5-6), 311-346. doi:10.1051/agro:19980501Cayuela, M. L., Aguilera, E., Sanz-Cobena, A., Adams, D. C., Abalos, D., Barton, L., … Lassaletta, L. (2017). Direct nitrous oxide emissions in Mediterranean climate cropping systems: Emission factors based on a meta-analysis of available measurement data. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 238, 25-35. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2016.10.006Felsot, A. S., Unsworth, J. B., Linders, J. B. H. J., Roberts, G., Rautman, D., Harris, C., & Carazo, E. (2010). Agrochemical spray drift; assessment and mitigation—A review*. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B, 46(1), 1-23. doi:10.1080/03601234.2010.515161Fenollosa, M. L., Ribal, J., Lidón, A., Bautista, I., Juraske, R., Clemente, G., & Sanjuan, N. (2014). Influence of Management Practices on Economic and Environmental Performance of Crops. A Case Study in Spanish Horticulture. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 38(6), 635-659. doi:10.1080/21683565.2014.896302Flor, F. J., Leiva, F. J., García, J. L., Martínez, E., Jiménez, E., & Blanco, J. (2018). Environmental Impact of Wine Aging Process in Oak Barrels in Wineries of La Rioja (Spain). American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, 69(3), 302-306. doi:10.5344/ajev.2018.17076Fusi, A., Guidetti, R., & Benedetto, G. (2014). Delving into the environmental aspect of a Sardinian white wine: From partial to total life cycle assessment. Science of The Total Environment, 472, 989-1000. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.11.148Gazulla, C., Raugei, M., & Fullana-i-Palmer, P. (2010). Taking a life cycle look at crianza wine production in Spain: where are the bottlenecks? The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 15(4), 330-337. doi:10.1007/s11367-010-0173-6Gil, Y., & Sinfort, C. (2005). Emission of pesticides to the air during sprayer application: A bibliographic review. Atmospheric Environment, 39(28), 5183-5193. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2005.05.019Goglio, P., Smith, W. N., Grant, B. B., Desjardins, R. L., Gao, X., Hanis, K., … Williams, A. G. (2018). A comparison of methods to quantify greenhouse gas emissions of cropping systems in LCA. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 4010-4017. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.03.133González-García, S., Silva, F. J., Moreira, M. T., Pascual, R. C., Lozano, R. G., Gabarrell, X., … Feijoo, G. (2011). Combined application of LCA and eco-design for the sustainable production of wood boxes for wine bottles storage. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 16(3), 224-237. doi:10.1007/s11367-011-0261-2Hauschild, M. Z., Huijbregts, M., Jolliet, O., Macleod, M., Margni, M., van de Meent, D., … McKone, T. E. (2008). Building a Model Based on Scientific Consensus for Life Cycle Impact Assessment of Chemicals: The Search for Harmony and Parsimony. Environmental Science & Technology, 42(19), 7032-7037. doi:10.1021/es703145tHuijbregts, M. A. J., Steinmann, Z. J. N., Elshout, P. M. F., Stam, G., Verones, F., Vieira, M., … van Zelm, R. (2016). ReCiPe2016: a harmonised life cycle impact assessment method at midpoint and endpoint level. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 22(2), 138-147. doi:10.1007/s11367-016-1246-yJuraske, R., & Sanjuán, N. (2011). Life cycle toxicity assessment of pesticides used in integrated and organic production of oranges in the Comunidad Valenciana, Spain. Chemosphere, 82(7), 956-962. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.10.081Keesstra, S., Nunes, J., Novara, A., Finger, D., Avelar, D., Kalantari, Z., & Cerdà, A. (2018). The superior effect of nature based solutions in land management for enhancing ecosystem services. Science of The Total Environment, 610-611, 997-1009. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.077Margni, M., Rossier, D., Crettaz, P., & Jolliet, O. (2002). Life cycle impact assessment of pesticides on human health and ecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 93(1-3), 379-392. doi:10.1016/s0167-8809(01)00336-xMartins, A. A., Araújo, A. R., Graça, A., Caetano, N. S., & Mata, T. M. (2018). Towards sustainable wine: Comparison of two Portuguese wines. Journal of Cleaner Production, 183, 662-676. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.057Meier, M. S., Stoessel, F., Jungbluth, N., Juraske, R., Schader, C., & Stolze, M. (2015). Environmental impacts of organic and conventional agricultural products – Are the differences captured by life cycle assessment? Journal of Environmental Management, 149, 193-208. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.10.006Mohseni, P., Borghei, A. M., & Khanali, M. (2018). Coupled life cycle assessment and data envelopment analysis for mitigation of environmental impacts and enhancement of energy efficiency in grape production. Journal of Cleaner Production, 197, 937-947. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.06.243Neto, B., Dias, A. C., & Machado, M. (2012). Life cycle assessment of the supply chain of a Portuguese wine: from viticulture to distribution. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 18(3), 590-602. doi:10.1007/s11367-012-0518-4Peña, N., Knudsen, M. T., Fantke, P., Antón, A., & Hermansen, J. E. (2019). Freshwater ecotoxicity assessment of pesticide use in crop production: Testing the influence of modeling choices. Journal of Cleaner Production, 209, 1332-1341. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.257Pereyra, M. A., Fernández, D. S., Marcial, E. R., & Puchulu, M. E. (2020). Agricultural land degradation by piping erosion in Chaco Plain, Northwestern Argentina. CATENA, 185, 104295. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2019.104295Perrin, A., Basset-Mens, C., & Gabrielle, B. (2014). Life cycle assessment of vegetable products: a review focusing on cropping systems diversity and the estimation of field emissions. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 19(6), 1247-1263. doi:10.1007/s11367-014-0724-3Perrin, A., Basset-Mens, C., Huat, J., & Gabrielle, B. (2017). The variability of field emissions is critical to assessing the environmental impacts of vegetables: A Benin case-study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 153, 104-113. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.03.159Peter, C., Fiore, A., Hagemann, U., Nendel, C., & Xiloyannis, C. (2016). Improving the accounting of field emissions in the carbon footprint of agricultural products: a comparison of default IPCC methods with readily available medium-effort modeling approaches. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 21(6), 791-805. doi:10.1007/s11367-016-1056-2Ponstein, H. J., Meyer-Aurich, A., & Prochnow, A. (2019). Greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation options for German wine production. Journal of Cleaner Production, 212, 800-809. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.11.206Prosdocimi, M., Cerdà, A., & Tarolli, P. (2016). Soil water erosion on Mediterranean vineyards: A review. CATENA, 141, 1-21. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2016.02.010Renouf, M. A., Renaud-Gentié, C., Perrin, A., van der Werf, H. M. G., Kanyarushoki, C., & Jourjon, F. (2018). Effectiveness criteria for customised agricultural life cycle assessment tools. Journal of Cleaner Production, 179, 246-254. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.170Ribal, J., Ramírez-Sanz, C., Estruch, V., Clemente, G., & Sanjuán, N. (2016). Organic versus conventional citrus. Impact assessment and variability analysis in the Comunitat Valenciana (Spain). The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 22(4), 571-586. doi:10.1007/s11367-016-1048-2Rives, J., Fernandez-Rodriguez, I., Rieradevall, J., & Gabarrell, X. (2011). Environmental analysis of the production of natural cork stoppers in southern Europe (Catalonia – Spain). Journal of Cleaner Production, 19(2-3), 259-271. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.10.001Rodrigo-Comino, J., Brevik, E. C., & Cerdà, A. (2018). The age of vines as a controlling factor of soil erosion processes in Mediterranean vineyards. Science of The Total Environment, 616-617, 1163-1173. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.204Rosenbaum, R. K., Bachmann, T. M., Gold, L. S., Huijbregts, M. A. J., Jolliet, O., Juraske, R., … Hauschild, M. Z. (2008). USEtox—the UNEP-SETAC toxicity model: recommended characterisation factors for human toxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity in life cycle impact assessment. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 13(7), 532-546. doi:10.1007/s11367-008-0038-4Schmidt Rivera, X. C., Bacenetti, J., Fusi, A., & Niero, M. (2017). The influence of fertiliser and pesticide emissions model on life cycle assessment of agricultural products: The case of Danish and Italian barley. Science of The Total Environment, 592, 745-757. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.183Seufert, V., Ramankutty, N., & Foley, J. A. (2012). Comparing the yields of organic and conventional agriculture. Nature, 485(7397), 229-232. doi:10.1038/nature11069Steenwerth, K. L., Strong, E. B., Greenhut, R. F., Williams, L., & Kendall, A. (2015). Life cycle greenhouse gas, energy, and water assessment of wine grape production in California. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 20(9), 1243-1253. doi:10.1007/s11367-015-0935-2Vázquez-Rowe, I., Villanueva-Rey, P., Moreira, M. T., & Feijoo, G. (2012). Environmental analysis of Ribeiro wine from a timeline perspective: Harvest year matters when reporting environmental impacts. Journal of Environmental Management, 98, 73-83. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.12.009Villanueva-Rey, P., Quinteiro, P., Vázquez-Rowe, I., Rafael, S., Arroja, L., Moreira, M. T., … Dias, A. C. (2018). Assessing water footprint in a wine appellation: A case study for Ribeiro in Galicia, Spain. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 2097-2107. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.210Villanueva-Rey, P., Vázquez-Rowe, I., Moreira, M. T., & Feijoo, G. (2014). Comparative life cycle assessment in the wine sector: biodynamic vs. conventional viticulture activities in NW Spain. Journal of Cleaner Production, 65, 330-341. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.08.026Wernet, G., Bauer, C., Steubing, B., Reinhard, J., Moreno-Ruiz, E., & Weidema, B. (2016). The ecoinvent database version 3 (part I): overview and methodology. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 21(9), 1218-1230. doi:10.1007/s11367-016-1087-

Diffusion of nitrate and water in pork meat: Effect of the direction of the meat fiber

[EN] The effect of the direction of the meat fiber on the diffusion of sodium nitrate and water in Semimembranosus pork muscle during curing was studied at different temperatures. Nitrate and water diffusion were modelled based on Fick's second law. The nitrate diffusion coefficients ranged from 0.007·10¿10 to 0.034·10¿10 m2/s (parallel) and 0.89·10¿10 to 1.41·10¿10 m2/s (perpendicular), while for water the values ranged from 9.87·10¿9 to 12.46·10¿9 m2/s (parallel) and 5.22·10¿10 to 9.29·10¿10 m2/s (perpendicular). In every case, these values increased as the temperature rose. The activation energy for water diffusion perpendicular to the meat fiber (31.86 kJ/mol) was greater than when the diffusion was parallel (15.06 kJ/mol). The opposite was observed for nitrate diffusion (96.44 kJ/mol when parallel vs. 24.71 kJ/mol when perpendicular), which implies that nitrate needs more energy for parallel diffusion and, consequently, curing is slower in that direction.The authors of this paper acknowledge the financial support from Spanish Government ("Ministerio de Educacion y Cultura", CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010, CSD2007-00016) and from the Valencian Government ("Generalitat Valenciana", Valencia, Spain, PROMETEOII/2014/0005).Gómez, J.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN.; Arnau, J.; Bon Corbín, J.; Clemente Polo, G. (2017). Diffusion of nitrate and water in pork meat: Effect of the direction of the meat fiber. Journal of Food Engineering. 214:69-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2017.06.028S697821

Life Cycle Thinking for the environmental and financial assessment of rice management systems in the Senegal River Valley

[EN] Rice is a staple food in Senegal, which however imports more than 70% of the rice consumed annually to meet its domestic demand. Despite governmental efforts to increase rice self-sufficiency, both rice supply and yields remain low. Senegalese farmers face challenges related to irrigation infrastructure and fertiliser access, besides those derived from climate change. This study applies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) combined with financial Life Cycle Costing (LCC) to evaluate alternative scenarios for rice management in the Senegal River Valley and identify sustainability hotspots and potential improvements. Specifically, rice cultivation in Ross Be & PRIME;thio (Saint Louis, Senegal) is assessed based on the observed agricultural practices during the dry seasons of 2016 and 2017. Two scenarios capturing conventional (CONV) and intensive (INT) practices are compared to two reference scenarios (SAED scenarios) according to the recommendations of the official agricultural advisory service. The INT scenario generates the lowest impacts per kg of paddy rice in seven out of thirteen impact categories, including climate change, freshwater and marine eutrophication, ozone depletion and water scarcity. This is due to the higher yields (7.4 t ha(-1)) relative to CONV (4.8 t ha(-1)) and the two reference SAED scenarios (6.0 t ha(-1)). The two latter scenarios show the lowest values in the remaining categories, although they also generate slightly lower profits than INT (138 euro t(-1) vs. 149 euro t(-1)) due to increased labour costs for additional fertilisation treatments. The results from both LCA and LCC underline the importance of increasing yields to decrease environ -mental impacts and production costs of rice when estimated per kg of product. Well-designed fertiliser application doses and timing and increased mechanisation can deliver further environmental benefits. Additional improvements (e.g. in irrigation, crop rotations, straw management) could be considered to promote the long -term sustainability and profitability of rice production in Senegal. LCA in combination with financial LCC is identified as a decision-support tool for evaluating the sustainability of alternative crop management practices. Life Cycle Thinking can still benefit from experiential learning based on information exchange between farmers, researchers and extension agents to contribute to a sustainable agriculture and ultimately to food security in Africa.Authors acknowledge the Office of Development Cooperation of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (CCD-UPV) for providing funds as part of the project AD1511-UPV. Authors also thank the support of Caritas Spain (especially Vittoria Garoffalo, Soledad Gutierrez, and Pablo Reyero) and Caritas Senegal (especially Alex Tendeng, Andre Diarigne Sene and Michael Diedhiou) for facilitating its implementation.Escobar, N.; Bautista, I.; Peña, N.; Fenollosa Ribera, ML.; Osca Lluch, JM.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN. (2022). Life Cycle Thinking for the environmental and financial assessment of rice management systems in the Senegal River Valley. Journal of Environmental Management. 310:1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.11472211531

Calibración de la potencia de un microondas mediante un balance de energía en régimen estacionario

Mediante este objeto de aprendizaje se podrá obtener la potencia estimada de un microondas para cada posición de su dial. Para ello, se recurrirá a la aplicación de un balance de energía en estado estacionario que dará lugar al test de los 2LCastelló Gómez, ML.; Cárcel Carrión, JA.; Fito Suñer, PJ.; Tarrazo Morell, J.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN. (2019). Calibración de la potencia de un microondas mediante un balance de energía en régimen estacionario. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/121661DE

Predicción del tiempo de calentamiento por microondas de un alimento

Con este objeto de aprendizaje se explican las herramientas de cálculo para poder predecir el tiempo de calentamiento de un alimento obtenidas a partir de un balance de energía calorífica. En concreto, se pone como ejemplo la estimación del tiempo de calentamiento de la leche en función de la temperatura que se desea que alcanceCastelló Gómez, ML.; Cárcel Carrión, JA.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN.; Fito Suñer, PJ.; Tarrazo Morell, J. (2019). Predicción del tiempo de calentamiento por microondas de un alimento. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/121943DE