Effects of Dietary Fibers on Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Gut Microbiota Composition in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review

Abstract There is an increasing interest in investigating dietary strategies able to modulate the gut microbial ecosystem which, in turn, may play a key role in human health. Dietary fibers (DFs) are widely recognized as molecules with prebiotic effects. The main objective of this systematic review was to: (i) analyze the results available on the impact of DF intervention on short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production; (ii) evaluate the interplay between the type of DF intervention, the gut microbiota composition and its metabolic activities, and any other health associated outcome evaluated in the host. To this aim, initially, a comprehensive database of literature on human intervention studies assessing the effect of confirmed and candidate prebiotics on the microbial ecosystem was developed. Subsequently, studies performed on DFs and analyzing at least the impact on SCFA levels were extracted from the database. A total of 44 studies from 42 manuscripts were selected for the analysis. Among the different types of fiber, inulin was the DF investigated the most (n = 11). Regarding the results obtained on the ability of fiber to modulate total SCFAs, seven studies reported a significant increase, while no significant changes were reported in five studies, depending on the analytical methodology used. A total of 26 studies did not show significant differences in individual SCFAs, while the others reported significant differences for one or more SCFAs. The effect of DF interventions on the SCFA profile seemed to be strictly dependent on the dose and the type and structure of DFs. Overall, these results underline that, although affecting microbiota composition and derived metabolites, DFs do not produce univocal significant increase in SCFA levels in apparently healthy adults. In this regard, several factors (i.e., related to the study protocols and analytical methods) have been identified that could have affected the results obtained in the studies evaluated. Future studies are needed to better elucidate the relationship between DFs and gut microbiota in terms of SCFA production and impact on health-related marker

How to address specific target groups: a comparison between fashion and orthopaedic footware supply chains

This research is a part of the European 7th Framework Program RTD project named CoReNet (Customer-ORiented and Eco-friendly NETworks for healthy fashionable goods), that aims at implementing innovative tools and methods for supply chain management to meet consumer needs and expectations for specific target groups \u2013 such as elderly, obese, disabled, or diabetic persons \u2013 by producing small series of functional and fashionable footwear and clothing with the following characteristics: high quality, affordable price and eco-compatibility. This paper focuses on footwear companies and compares the fashion and the orthopaedic footwear supply chains, through multiple case studies conducted to understand how the production for the target groups mentioned before could be industrialized through an integration of these two supply chains. Through business processes and requirements analysis, the paper proposes a supply chain topology that maps the most relevant characteristics, procedures and techniques, related to production, customization and supply chain management

A Comparison between Fashion and Orthopaedic Footwear Supply Networks to address the needs of specific Target Groups

In order to stay competitive, European manufacturing companies need to enter new markets implementing innovative production methodologies based on networking economy. Taking as reference the SMART network model [12] and comparing the literature and the \u201cas-is\u201d fashion and orthopaedic footwear supply networks through multiple case studies, this paper aims at highlighting the guidelines for designing an innovative reference model for footwear supply networks. The model will allow to industrialize fashion footwear production for new niche markets \u2013 i.e. elderly, obese, disabled and diabetic people \u2013integrating practices of the fashion and orthopaedic supply networks

A supply network model to produce sustainable and fashionable footwear

Nowadays, European footwear manufacturing companies need to enter new markets, implement innovative production methodologies and strengthen their collaborative networks to achieve competitive advantages. Consumers’ needs and expectations are posing new challenging opportunities for European companies which are asked to supply small series of functional and fashionable products of high quality, affordable price and eco-compatible. The objective of this research is to develop an innovative reference model that allows footwear manufacturing firms to fulfill needs of specific target groups – elderly, obese, disabled and diabetic people – redesigning their supply network to produce small series of functional and fashionable footwear

Lean and Green in Action: Drivers, Interdependencies and Performance of Enviromental Projects

The relationship of lean manufacturing and environmental performance on the one side and environmental management and operational performance on the other side has widely been investigated but final benefits are still uncertain. Anyway, several researches have shown that some lean and green practices actually synergistically interact to improve plant performance. Using a case study methodology, the present paper aims to understand how the two sets of practices interact together and how they affect operational and environmental performance. Based on the analysis of three successful projects of two Italian plants, we find that timing of implementation, i.e. sequential vs simultaneous, defines modes of managing lean and green practices, i.e. planning vs mutual adjustment, that ultimately affect plant performance. Finally, our findings identifies what drivers foster lean practices and green practices to be synergic and jointly produce a positive impact on both environmental and operational performance

Supply chain capabilities for customisation: a case study

Despite the growing interest in supply chain management (SCM), there is little literature on knowledge and competences needed to properly configure and manage a supply chain. There are some interesting methodologies to map the knowledge and the techniques used in the supply chain of a sector and transfer them in another sector. This is particularly important when cross-fertilisation of practices can support sectors facing global competition as the footwear industry. New business opportunities can in fact be exploited addressing the needs of specific target groups searching for customised fashion and healthy shoes. Based on literature review and case study analysis of twelve companies within the fashion and orthopaedic footwear supply networks, this work compares the relevant processes and the distinctive capabilities necessary in managing supply networks to implement customisation, identifying and highlighting the interchangeable best practices that could serve as a new common knowledge base to be shared by the two sector

Redesigning supply networks to produce sustainable and fashionable footwear

Based on case study research, the paper compares fashion and orthopaedic footwear best practices to develop an innovative reference model that supports fashion footwear supply networks to meet the needs of specific consumers (such as elderly, obese, disabled, or diabetic persons), by producing small series of sustainable and fashionable footwear

Are Lean and Green Complementary? Evidence from two Case Studies

The aim of our research is to study the relationship between sustainable operations and lean management, assessing how green and lean practices are intertwined. We conducted two case studies (Alfa Laval and ITT-Lowara) to understand if and how lean management and environmental sustainability can generate synergies and impact on the performance. Our results suggest that lean manufacturing, in association with sustainable practices, may improve operational and environmental performance. Furthermore, we support prior literature on the positive impact of environmental management on firm performance

Implementation of customisation strategies in collaborative networks through an innovative Reference Framework

Consumer needs and expectations of specific target groups \u2013 such as elderly, obese, disabled or diabetic persons \u2013 are arising as challenging opportunities for European companies which are asked to supply innovative customised goods of high quality at affordable price. This is particularly true in the fashion as well as in the orthopaedic sector where there are many different competences to conjugate to offer dedicated products to the mentioned target groups. This paper aims at proposing a reference model to support companies in defining collaborative supply networks for customised production. In particular, this work describes the implementation of the developed model in a real case highlighting the changes implied at network level to address the need for fashionable and healthy products