APPLICATION OF VIS/NIR SPECTROSCOPYFOR RIPENESS EVALUATIONAND POSTHARVEST QUALITY ANALYSISOF AGRO-FOOD PRODUCTS

Agro-food composition at harvest time is one of the most important factors determining the future quality of final products (e.g. wine from grapes and oil from olives). Quality parameters change in function of different product matrix. Measurement of fruits characteristics that impacts on product quality is a requirement for production improvement. Inspection of fruits during ripening is a critical point in all agri-food production chains. This control is usually performed only on small samples that are not always representative of the whole lot. The importance of this monitoring operation is easy to understand, as it determines the economic value of the entire stock. Traditionally, fruits quality evaluation is achieved by a visual and taste assessment of them and evaluation of the traditional quality parameters such as total soluble solids, acidity and texture. The conventional methods to determine fruits quality parameters are time consuming, require preparation of samples, are often expensive, and generally highlight only one or a few aspects of fruits quality. Therefore, there is a strong need in the modern food industry for a simple, rapid, and easy\u2010to\u2010use method for objectively evaluating the quality of fruits. This kind of tool would enable real\u2010time analyses at the receiving station and would allow the preliminary decision\u2010making about grapes during consignment thank to the rapid analysis of various parameters simultaneously. Since food quality is not an individual attribute but it contains a number of inherent characteristics of the food itself, to measure the optical properties of food products has been one of the most studied non-destructive techniques for the simultaneous detection of different quality parameters. In fact, the light reflected from food contains information about constituents in the inner layers of sample and at foodstuff surface also. To achieve objectives of this work, e.g. ripeness evaluation and postharvest quality characteristics of agro-food products, visible near\u2010infrared (vis/NIR) spectroscopy was chosen. In particular, vis/NIR spectroscopy is a rapid and non-destructive technique requiring minimal sample processing before analysis; coupled with chemometric methods, appears to be one of the most powerful analytical tools for studying food products. Chemometrics is an essential part of vis/NIR spectroscopy in food sector. To extract useful information present in the spectra multivariate analysis was carried out. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for a qualitative analysis of the data and PLS regression analysis as a technique to obtain quantitative prediction of the parameters of interest. The general aim of this work is to study the application of vis/NIR spectroscopy for ripeness evaluation and postharvest quality analysis of agro-food products. In particular this technology was tested to analyse ripening parameters of olives and grapes before to be processed, or to monitor freshness decay of fresh-cut lettuce and apples during long cold storage in controlled atmosphere. Moreover, the feasibility of a simplified handheld and low-cost optical device, based on measurement and processing of diffuse spectral reflectance at a few appropriately selected wavelengths was proposed. This study was focused on identifying the most significant wavelengths able to discriminate in a quick and simple way (i) directly in the field, the blueberries, the grapes, the olives ready to be harvested, (ii) on-line, for the real time monitoring of trend of craft beer fermentation and to estimate qualitative and quantitative parameters or (iii) during shelf life, freshness levels of fresh-cut Lamb\u2019s lettuce (Valerianella locusta Laterr.). The final aim of this work is to realize a simplified modular optical device (with few selected wavelengths) for single sample, non-destructive, and quick prediction of fruit ripeness degree and quality parameters evaluation. The first prototype of simplified optical device was realized for red grapes study and is characterized by the presence of four LEDs emitting at the wavelengths of interest. LED technology was chosen as illumination source of the sample, and allows obvious advantages in term of simplification and cost reduction. The design of the prototype of the simplified optical device was realised with particular attention to versatility and modularity. The possibility to adjust the light source with a specific choice of wavelengths for LEDs, makes it possible to use the same simplified optical device for many different application. This modular design allows an easy adjustment for different objective and for different kind of food sample matrix

Environmental impact of a new concept of food service: A case study for the re-use of naval shipping containers

This study aims to evaluate the environmental sustainability of a new street food format for food service based on the re-use of naval shipping containers and to compare it with the conventional one (street food truck). The environmental impact analysis was performed using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The functional unit (FU) was identified in the food service, including three food preparations: a dish of pasta (100 g), one sandwich (150 g) and one portion of fries (200 g). Following a \u201cfrom cradle to gate\u201d approach, the factors studied are: (i) the customization of a shipping container in a street food format, (ii) the construction and use of the cooking appliance, (iii) the logistics, (iv) the cooking phase (including final packaging as food cup). The life cycle of ingredients for food preparations has been neglected due to the variability of the products. The results show that the two higher hotspots are electricity consumed by cooking appliance (35%) and oil used to fry (34%), attributable only to the fries preparation. The third hotspot is imputable to the customized structure, with an average percentage value equal to 15%. Considering the global warming impact category, the customization into a street food format release 1280 kg CO2eq, while the production of a new container or a new street food truck format implies the emission of 12,800 kg CO2eq and 20,900 kg CO2eq respectively. The impact of the customized container (re-used container) weight for 0.04 kg CO2eq/FU, this value increases 11.6 times for a new container street food format, and 17 times for a new street food truck format. Overall, quantifying the environmental damage, the results showed how the re-use of a naval shipping container can be a way to reduce the environmental impact of food preparation, avoiding dismissing or building activity of the structure reducing the impact of the structure of about 95% offering a more sustainable street food services

Better Water Use Efficiency in Vineyard by Using Visible and Near Infrared Spectroscopy for Grapevine Water Status Monitoring

Optimizing water consumption and improving its quality are considered central issues for the future also in the wine industry which places a significant demand on the world\u2019s water resources. Grapevine growing regions are mostly characterised by water stress conditions due to high evaporative demand and low water availability. In addition to this, recently the global warming has determined an increasingly use of irrigation. Consequently, a high efficiency of water use is required both by scheduling properly the irrigation system and by measuring the use of water. Nowadays irrigation scheduling in vineyards is performed through the measurement of soil moisture status using time consuming systems that are not easy to apply in field, may be affected by cumulative errors, may not be representative because of soil heterogeneity, and these methods increase moreover the irrigation costs. The increasing water shortages are leading to develop new tools to better manage irrigation monitoring and scheduling for high water use efficiency. This results in a need of rapid water status monitoring systems in order to better manage crop and irrigation scheduling for a high water use efficiency. The objective was to predict the water status of grapevine in a rapid and non-destructive way using two portable optical devices (vis/NIR and NIR) for measurements directly on the leaves, in order to evaluate the feasibility of a compact-sized simplified handheld and low-cost optical device, based on a few wavelengths appropriately selected. The specific aims were (1) to obtain essential wavelength variables (EV) based on a variable selection method, correlating the vis/NIR and NIR spectra and the water status; (2) to choose a limited number of informative wavelengths; (3) to compare the prediction performance of the calibration models calibrated on the vis/NIR and NIR spectra and those obtained using only the selected wavelengths. As references, a Scholander pressure chamber was used to measure the water potential (\u3a8). Measurements were made during the night in pre-dawn conditions (pre-dawn leaf water potential, \u3a8plwp) (3.00 to 5.00 hours, solar time). The water potential (\u3a8) was measured immediately after spectral acquisitions. A variable selection methodology (partial least square regression coefficient analysis, PLS-RCA) was proposed to determine a reduction of variables set that are effective in the prediction of \u3a8 related to grapevine water status. Multiple linear regression (MLR) was applied to select the candidate wavelengths in order to validate the prediction ability, compared with the PLS models built using the full vis/NIR and NIR spectra. The overall prediction results of the MLR models were satisfactory. These individual fingerprint wavelengths and simply equations could be used for the design of a simplified LED technology based handheld device which would allow real-time assessment of \u3a8 directly in field. This envisaged device could be employed for the estimation of the three leaf water potentials (pre-dawn leaf water potential, \u3a8plwp; stem water potential, \u3a8swp; leaf water potential, \u3a8lwp), depending on the measurement timing across the day and the leaf sampling methodology. The simplified, low-cost, and easy-to-use device proposed allow to avoid specific chemometric analyses and trained personnel, in order to support or replace the tedious and time consuming conventional techniques in the water status assessment of the vineyard providing information useful for a better management of the irrigation scheduling

Ottimizzazione delle gestione dei magazzini frigoriferi della filiera mele attraverso sistemi innovativi

Il presente lavoro ha tentato di ampliare il campo di applicazione delle tecniche di analisi non distruttive, ormai in fase applicativa nella filiera della mela, non solo alla valutazione qualitativa del frutto ai fini commerciali, ma anche ai parametri volti alla definizione delle migliori condizioni di conservazione. Lo scopo dello studio \ue8 stato quello di valutare l\u2019applicabilit\ue0 della spettroscopia Vis/NIR per il monitoraggio e la gestione delle partite di mele durante i mesi di conservazione in cella frigorifera. Un sistema Vis/NIR da banco (600-1200 nm) \ue8 stato utilizzato per classificare mele provenienti da due diverse cultivar, Golden Delicious and Stark Red Delicious prodotte in Valtellina (SO), sulla base del loro contenuto in solidi solubili (\ub0Brix) e della durezza. E\u2019 stato analizzato l\u2019andamento durante la shelf-life in conservazione delle classi create originariamente e valutata l\u2019accuratezza delle stime Vis/NIR. I risultati sono stati molto buoni in quanto \ue8 stata evidenziata la possibilit\ue0 di selezionare e classificare le mele alla raccolta in modo non distruttivo in base al contenuto zuccherino e alla durezza, in base quindi a parametri interni di qualit\ue0 e non soltanto rifacendosi a caratteristiche di aspetto o pezzatura. Questo approccio risulta importante per gestire al meglio la sequenza di apertura delle celle di conservazione durante la stagione invernale, con l\u2019obiettivo di immettere sul mercato in ogni momento dell\u2019anno il miglior prodotto possibil

Trasporto di pesce dal punto vendita al domicilio del consumatore : prove preliminari di monitoraggio e valutazioni qualitative

La catena del freddo applicata alla filiera del pesce (filetti di branzino) \ue8 scelta obbligata data l\u2019elevata deperibilit\ue0 che lo caratterizza, e interessante oggetto di analisi in virt\uf9 della rilevanza che questo prodotto ha assunto in termini di consumo in Italia. L\u2019attenzione \ue8 stata focalizzata sulla fase di trasporto dal punto di vendita al domicilio del consumatore, un aspetto poco studiato della catena del freddo. Sono state indagate le condizioni microclimatiche (temperatura e umidit\ue0 relativa) del sistema di trasporto del prodotto (busta termica e sacchetto di stoffa), le cinetiche di riscaldamento del prodotto nel corso del trasporto, quindi gli effetti, in termini di sicurezza e qualit\ue0, sui filetti di branzino. Il trasporto del prodotto \ue8 stato simulato all\u2019interno di una stufa impostata a 40\ub0C per tempi stabiliti (30 minuti il tempo minimo e 120 minuti come tempo massimo), in seguito ai quali il pesce \ue8 stato conservato in condizioni refrigerate per tutta la durata della shelf-life (3 giorni). Nel corso della simulazione di trasporto le temperature registrate all\u2019interno dei sacchetti di stoffa non sono risultate significativamente differenti dalle temperature rilevate nelle buste termiche (fatta eccezione per i primi 25 minuti). Al fine di valutare gli effetti del trasporto sul pesce sono stati determinati: la carica batterica totale (CBT), come indicatore di sicurezza del prodotto, e parametri qualitativi oggettivi quali, il colore, e il profilo aromatico. Sulla base dei risultati microbiologici ottenuti, \ue8 possibile affermare che l\u2019andamento della CBT sia influenzato dal tempo di trasporto ma non dal tipo di sacchetto impiegato. In relazione ai parametri qualitativi di colore e odore, non sono state evidenziate differenze in grado di discriminare i campioni in funzione delle diverse modalit\ue0 di trasporto

Testing of optical prototypes for the fruit and vegetable sector : case studies from pre- to post-harvest

Monitoring the ripeness progress until the harvest is a crucial issue since fruit quality is closely related to it. Therefore, the research for non-destructive methods which could explore many samples and give a rapid and comprehensive overview of ripening would be helpful. Moreover, the evaluation of the postharvest quality, e.g. senescence of ready-to-eat vegetables, could be greatly helped by new analytical methods that are rapid and integrated into the production process to meet consumer demand. The aim of the research was to design, build and test prototypes of miniaturised low-cost and userfriendly devices envisaged mainly to support small-scale growers both in pre-harvest and in postharvest monitoring. The systems were tested on two case studies: (i) to monitor the ripening of wine grape until harvest and (ii) to evaluate the postharvest life of fresh-cut salad to discriminate freshness levels during the shelf life. Pre-prototypes of fully integrated, stand-alone optical device incorporating MEMS sensors (tuned photodiode arrays, interference filters, LEDS, optics) were designed and built. Two systems equipped with digital 6-channel sensors each for spectral identification in the visible and SW-NIR. The sensors cover 12 independent on-device optical filters from 400 nm to 860 nm. Optical analyses were collected on grape bunches and on leaves of fresh-cut salad using the two prototypes. Reference parameters (i.e. soluble solids content and titratable acidity for grape, and colour and senescence classes for fresh-cut salad) were analysed on each sample for the calculation of predictive models using MLR regression technique. The correlation between the optical data and the parameters were explored and the results were encouraging underlining a small loss of information comparing data from the prototypes to models from more expensive commercial vis/NIR devices

Crystal structure of pirfenidone (5-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyridin-2-one): an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)

The crystal structure of pirfenidone, C12H11NO [alternative name: 5-methyl-1-phenylpyridin-2(1H)-one], an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) approved in Europe and Japan for the treatment of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), is reported here for the first time. It was crystallized from toluene by the temperature gradient technique, and crystallizes in the chiral monoclinic space group P2(1). The phenyl and pyridone rings are inclined to each other by 50.30 (11)degrees. In the crystal, molecules are linked by C-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonds involving the same acceptor atom, forming undulating layers lying parallel to the ab plane