Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Carla Zarba, Salvatore Bracco, Biagio Pecorino, Gioacchino Pappalardo, Gaetano Chinnici, Mario D'Amico
Summary: In recent decades, European policy has focused on supporting the development of SMEs, aiming to stimulate competitiveness and economic growth through innovation. Various tools and programs have been implemented to provide financial support and increase opportunities for SMEs. This paper examines the participation of SMEs in the agri-food sector in Italy and evaluates the impact and effectiveness of these tools.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Katri Joensuu, Eric Harrison, Hanna Hartikainen
Summary: Food waste should be prevented and utilized, and feasible solutions should be economically profitable, environmentally sustainable, and scalable. This study proposes a feasibility evaluation approach for food waste utilization and prevention solutions and evaluates two case examples based on six feasibility indicators.
Article
Agronomy
Alessandra De Chiara
Summary: The international competitiveness of Italian agri-food companies is significantly correlated with corporate social responsibility practices, particularly in terms of standards adoption. The choice of standards plays a crucial role in enhancing the international performance of the companies.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Josep Bassaganya-Riera, Elliot M. Berry, Ellen E. Blaak, Barbara Burlingame, Johannes le Coutre, Willem van Eden, Ahmed El-Sohemy, J. Bruce German, Dietrich Knorr, Christophe Lacroix, Maurizio Muscaritoli, David C. Nieman, Michael Rychlik, Andrew Scholey, Mauro Serafini
Summary: In the past five years, significant progress has been made in nutrition science, such as the integration of Sustainable Development Goals and nutritional science, as well as research on the Human Microbiome. Looking ahead to the next five years, emphasis on health and sustainability will be the main focus of nutrition science.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2021)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Qiumeng Zhong, Lan Wang, Shenghui Cui
Summary: The increase of urbanization is impacting the urban food system (UFS) in terms of production, processing, and consumption. Global research interest in UFS has significantly increased, focusing on areas such as food security, food consumption, and food waste. Future attention should be given to food sustainability and resilience, food innovation, and comparative studies between cities.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Lin Ruojue, Yi Man, Carman K. M. Lee, Ping Ji, Jingzheng Ren
Summary: The study proposes sustainability efficiency and sustainability super-efficiency indices to evaluate the integrated performance of energy storage technologies, and presents a measurement framework based on data envelopment analysis models. The concept of virtual DMUs is raised to address the instability issue of DEA due to insufficient DMUs, and a case study is used to illustrate the proposed method and validate the results. Li-Ion battery is identified as the most sustainable energy storage technology among the four alternatives, providing a feasible solution for prioritizing energy storage technologies with limited alternatives.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY STORAGE
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Foivos Anastasiadis, Maria Alebaki
Summary: The wine industry is complex with intertwined product and services supply chains involving numerous stakeholders and flows, requiring future research perspectives such as sustainability, resilience, and circular economy. The study aims to provide a tool for designing targeted future research by employing an end-to-end mapping approach using data from the Greek wine supply chain.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Paola Gualtieri, Marco Marchetti, Giulia Frank, Rossella Cianci, Giulia Bigioni, Carmela Colica, Laura Soldati, Alessandra Moia, Antonino De Lorenzo, Laura Di Renzo
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the adherence to the Mediterranean diet and its impact on health, environmental sustainability, and socioeconomic factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. The study found that adherence to the Mediterranean diet affected carbon and water footprints as well as food expenditure. The results showed that individuals with lower and medium adherence to the Mediterranean diet had higher carbon and water footprints. There were also significant differences in food expenditure among different levels of adherence to the Mediterranean diet.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ziqi Meng, Jinwei Dong, Erle C. Ellis, Graciela Metternicht, Yuanwei Qin, Xiao-Peng Song, Sara Lofqvist, Rachael D. Garrett, Xiaopeng Jia, Xiangming Xiao
Summary: This study uses 30-m cropland maps to show that cropland expansion in protected areas accelerated dramatically from 2000 to 2019, compared with the expansion of global croplands, threatening the aspirations of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Romina Santi, Paola Garrone, Mattia Iannantuoni, Barbara Del Curto
Summary: This paper proposes a comprehensive and operational definition of Sustainable Food Packaging (SFP) and builds a three-dimensional framework for SFP. The framework can be used to search and evaluate food packaging products, guide sustainable food packaging design, and coordinate supply chain actors.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Pierrick Pele, Julia Schulze, Selwyn Piramuthu, Wei Zhou
Summary: The security of food supply chains is of paramount importance, and recent advances in IoT and blockchain technology have facilitated improvements in this area. We have developed a framework that incorporates IoT and blockchain technology to ensure the security and efficient operation of food supply chains.
INFORMATION SYSTEMS FRONTIERS
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Jennifer Clapp, William G. Moseley, Barbara Burlingame, Paola Termine
Summary: This article argues for updating the definition of food security to include two additional dimensions proposed by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition: agency and sustainability. The article also shows that international policy guidance on the right to food already implies these dimensions, making it logical to adopt a six-dimensional framework for food security in policy and scholarly settings.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Ivonne Angelica Castiblanco Jimenez, Stefano Mauro, Domenico Napoli, Federica Marcolin, Enrico Vezzetti, Maria Camila Rojas Torres, Stefania Specchia, Sandro Moos
Summary: The development of new waste disposal methods is crucial for eco-friendly cities, with waste management being no exception. This research explores a more ecological and sustainable solution for infectious waste treatment in Northern Italy, aiming to improve the population's quality of life. By utilizing Design Thinking, feasible results based on user needs can be obtained, contributing to the creation of better cities for all.
Article
Mathematics
Valentas Gruzauskas, Aurelija Burinskiene, Andrius Krisciunas
Summary: The increasing food demand, organic food trend, and e-commerce adaptation require new approaches for food supply chain management. Food waste and CO2 emissions due to transport pose challenges to the effectiveness of food supply chains. This paper proposes an information exchange strategy to improve food quality and reduce CO2 emissions in last-mile food deliveries. Simulation of traffic flow, accidents, CO2 emissions, and food quality was conducted to compare the impact of information sharing among vehicles in urban areas. The use of connected vehicle technology facilitates information sharing and leads to a self-organizing system for sustainable development.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Fabio Borghetti, Claudia Caballini, Angela Carboni, Gaia Grossato, Roberto Maja, Benedetto Barabino
Summary: The increasing use of e-commerce has posed challenges for last-mile delivery. Delivery by drones can provide advantages in terms of speed and sustainability, while ensuring profits for the transport provider.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Alessandro Tufano, Riccardo Accorsi, Riccardo Manzini
Summary: This study focuses on the impact of tracing data in warehouse management systems beyond simple traceability purposes. By training classifiers to predict storage system attributes, the approach supports strategic warehouse design and shows managerial relevance for 3PL providers facing SKU rotation challenges. The availability of data affects prediction accuracy, validated through a case study involving 16 real companies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Ilaria Battarra, Riccardo Accorsi, Riccardo Manzini, Sara Rubini
Summary: This paper presents a hybrid analytical-simulative model for designing AVS-RS and applies it to a case study in the beverage industry. The data-driven assessment supports decision-making and control of service time, waiting time, system throughput, and vehicle utilization.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Chemical
Riccardo Accorsi, Rajeev Bhat, Holger Meinke, Silvia Tappi
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Riccardo Accorsi, Marco Bortolini, Mauro Gamberi, Beatrice Guidani, Riccardo Manzini, Michele Ronzoni
Summary: This paper proposes a novel framework using simulation to study the effects of environmental stresses on food products and packaging in the food supply chain. It also introduces a fully equipped physical twin for validation. Case studies demonstrate the flexibility of the framework and physical twin in improving the food supply chain.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Riccardo Accorsi, Susan Cholette, Riccardo Manzini, Lorenzo Mucci
Summary: This paper explores the tactical operations of a circular containers network in the food supply chain, examining the interplay between uncertainty, service level, and transportation. Through a linear programming model and simulations, the study demonstrates the potential for improving the current solution and quantifies the impact of washing service levels and supplier travel distances on network solution and costs.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Riccardo Manzini, Riccardo Accorsi, Emilio Ferrari, Andrea Gallo, Stefano Penazzi
Summary: This paper explores the impacts of reviewing the time to replace spare parts from the perspectives of reliability- and cost-based optimization. It introduces a hierarchical procedure for predicting reliability and scheduling maintenance tasks in order to reduce maintenance costs. The study investigates the role and criticality of data entry in the scheduling problem and provides a reliability-based analysis to determine the optimal time for spare parts replacements.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RELIABILITY QUALITY AND SAFETY ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Riccardo Accorsi, Ilaria Battarra, Beatrice Guidani, Riccardo Manzini, Michele Ronzoni, Luca Volpe
Summary: This study examines the environmental sustainability of different secondary packaging systems (SPSs) using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach and highlights the advantages of reusable plastic containers compared to single-use systems. The results emphasize the sensitivity of LCA results to transport parameters and the importance of adopting supply chain digital twins to improve the accuracy of environmental profiles in complex logistic ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marialuisa Menanno, Matteo Mario Savino, Riccardo Accorsi
Summary: This study focuses on the digitalization of a fresh fruit-supply chain using RFID technology and assesses its implications and benefits using the VCOR framework. It also evaluates the performance of the supply chain stages, processes, and operations using a tailored PMS. The results show that specific organizational procedures and the centralized warehouse have the most significant impact on the benefits brought by RFID.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Automation & Control Systems
B. Guidani, R. Accorsi, G. Lupi, R. Manzini, M. Ronzoni
Summary: This study proposes an IoT-based maintenance framework for optimizing the management of geographically distributed irrigation and drainage water grids. The framework integrates the centralized inventory system with maintenance and logistics operations through the use of barcode and RFID technologies. The framework is applied to a drainage water system in Italy, improving infrastructure visibility and enabling customized and data-driven preventive maintenance plans.
Proceedings Paper
Automation & Control Systems
M. Ronzoni, R. Accorsi, I Battarra, B. Guidani, R. Manzini, S. Rubini
Summary: This paper highlights the importance of adopting RPCs in the food catering supply chain to reduce packaging waste. It proposes a mixed integer linear programming model to optimize the matching between container flow and food supplies, taking into account logistic costs and the impact of container pooler's facilities network.
Proceedings Paper
Automation & Control Systems
I Battarra, R. Accorsi, R. Manzini, S. Rubini
Summary: This paper presents a set of indicators to measure the impact of storage policies and dispatching rules on space efficiency, and applies them to a real case in the food and beverage industry.
Article
Operations Research & Management Science
Andrea Gallo, Riccardo Accorsi, Renzo Akkerman, Riccardo Manzini
Summary: This paper presents the role of a cross-docking terminal in supply chain networks and proposes a solution to the uncertainty in truck arrivals using a stochastic MILP model and a tailored genetic algorithm. The results show significant improvements in the deterministic schedule and a reduction in penalty costs.
EURO JOURNAL ON TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
R. Diaz-Alvarez, S. Carpentieri, G. Ferrari, G. Pataro, L. Segura-Ponce
Summary: This study evaluated the effect of high voltage electrical discharge (HVED) on the freeze-drying process of blueberries, and found that HVED pretreatment can enhance freeze-drying rates and improve the quality of the final product.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
V. I. Tuzhilkin, S. M. Petrov, N. M. Podgornova, N. D. Lukin
Summary: The study aims to simulate the process of isobaric evaporative crystallization of sucrose and propose a three-stage crystallization technology for semi-continuous boiling of massecuites. Through computer simulation and experimental verification, optimal parameters were determined to enhance the efficiency of crystallization.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Seong Hwan Yu, Do-Yeong Kim, Youjin Baek, Hyeon Gyu Lee
Summary: This study investigated the effects of nanoencapsulation and gel incorporation on the antioxidant activity, stability, and release profile of curcumin. The results showed that CUR-loaded nanoparticles and CUR NPs-filled gelatin-genipin gels had significantly higher antioxidant activity, stability, and in vitro release profile compared to free CUR. The GL/GP-CUR NPs exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and increased stability, while the CUR NPs had a faster release rate. These findings suggest that GL/GP-CUR NPs have potential as an effective delivery system for CUR in the food industry.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Linlin He, Shihong Hu, Gang Zhang, Xiao Wang, Yanna Zhao, Qingpeng Wang, Min Liu, Zhengping Wang, Prakash Sangeeta, Zhuang Ding
Summary: This study developed solid microcapsules containing co-loaded vitamin B12 and D3 using a W1/O/W2 emulsions and spray-drying method. The addition of polysaccharides as co-encapsulants improved the morphological characteristics, encapsulation efficiency, storage stability, and gastrointestinal simulation of the microcapsules. The electrostatic bonding with chitosan and multilayer protection from the W1/O/W2 structure contributed to the high encapsulation efficiency of vitB12. Incorporating polysaccharides into W2 enhanced the particle integrity of the dried powders and improved the retention rate and encapsulation efficiency of vitamins. Sodium carboxymethylcellulose showed the best protection for vitB12 and lower degradation rates for vitD3, while sodium alginate exhibited controlled release and the highest cumulative release under simulated gastric and intestinal conditions, respectively.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ehsan Nasrnia, Morteza Sadeghi, Ali Raeisi Isa-Abadi, Seyed Ahmad Mireei
Summary: A novel mathematical model considering the concept of glass transition was developed for rice intermittent drying process. The model utilized the real 3D body-fitted geometry of rice kernel and was validated through experiments. The glass transition behavior of the rice kernels and the distributions of temperature and moisture at each stage were analyzed.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Haoran Pang, Jiaqing Xie, Xiaoyu Meng, Ruqian Sun, Jun Chen, Chengli Guo, Tianfeng Zhou
Summary: A portable organophosphorus pesticide detection device equipped with microfluidic and luminol composite nanofibers was developed in this study. By optimizing the microfluidic chip design and the mass fraction of luminol particles, efficient detection of pesticide residues was achieved.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
J. Munoz-Postigo, E. M. Valero, M. A. Martinez-Domingo, F. J. Lara, J. L. Nieves, J. Romero, J. Hernandez-Andres
Summary: This paper presents a workflow for classifying the maturity of bell peppers using hyperspectral imaging and machine learning. The approach utilizes spectral reflectance to determine the number of maturity stages and employs optimized bands for accurate classification, achieving satisfactory results.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Artem Skrypnik, Sascha Heitkam, Christoph Gerstenberg, Eric Morelle, Christopher McHardy, Cornelia Rauh
Summary: The rheological properties of food play a crucial role in the physical interaction between food and the mouth during chewing and swallowing. This study focuses on the compression of liquid foams to simulate the idealized swallowing process and investigates the flow conditions and their impact on foam properties. The results provide insights into the haptic perception in the mouth during swallowing.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Chaojie Mo, Luciano Navarini, Furio Suggi Liverani, Marco Ellero
Summary: This study investigates the effects of swelling on espresso extraction by incorporating a particle-level swelling model into a one-dimensional bed-level extraction model. The results show that swelling only slightly affects the yield and strength at a fixed flow rate, but considerably enhances the strength at a fixed pressure drop. The finer the coffee particles, the more pronounced the enhancement. It is suggested that better control of yield and strength can be achieved by fixing the flow rate in an espresso machine. It is also indicated that numerical extraction simulations, when properly incorporated with relevant physical effects, can be used to predict the extraction kinetics and guide the design and production of espresso machines.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yang Zhong, Yi Lin, Mingxing Yang, Xiaodan Zeng, Dayu Liu, Wenlong Liu, Weijun Chen
Summary: Methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride (MeTHPA) esterified corn starches (MeCS) with degrees of substitution (DS) ranging from 0.0066 to 0.072 were prepared and found to be effective in stabilizing Pickering emulsion. The modification of MeTHPA damaged the crystal structure of corn starch, roughened its surface structure, and increased its contact angle, which were positively correlated with the DS of MeCS. The particle size of MeCS increased and then decreased with increasing DS, with the smallest size observed for MeCS with a DS of 0.072. The Pickering emulsions stabilized by MeCS with a DS of 0.072 exhibited better stability compared to those stabilized by MeCS with lower DS, which can be attributed to their smaller particle size and higher viscosity. MeCS with a DS of 0.072, at a concentration of 3% (w/v), could maintain emulsion stability even after 50 days of storage. These findings suggest that MeCS with appropriate DS and concentration levels could be effective particle stabilizers for Pickering emulsions.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Shubhajit Sarkhel, Anupam Roy
Summary: This study developed a vacuum impregnation technique to enhance the micronutrient content and bioavailability in lentils and reduce phytic acid. The results showed that vacuum impregnation led to higher migration of micronutrients and significantly reduced phytic acid without impacting the quality characteristics. The developed process achieved a substantial reduction in phytic acid-to-mineral molar ratio.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
L. J. H. Sweers, C. M. M. Lakemond, V. Fogliano, R. M. Boom, M. Mishyna, J. K. Keppler
Summary: This study investigated the use of microfiltration as a gentle processing technique for decontamination and fractionation of edible insects. The results showed that microfiltration effectively removed contaminants and produced distinct fractions with improved properties.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Wanfeng Sun, Yu Sun, Yu Wang, Haomeng He
Summary: In this study, a prediction model for the pelleting performance of multi-component mixed powders was proposed, and it was validated by conducting single pelleting experiments on mixtures of different edible powders.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Saowaluk Taechutrakul, Thananchai Piroonpan, Wanvimol Pasanphan
Summary: This original research developed active polylactic acid (PLA) film strips functionalized with gallic acid (GA) to extend the shelf-life of bananas. The PLA/mPLA-GA film strips exhibited a homogeneous matrix with improved mechanical properties and showed outstanding antioxidant and oxygen scavenging effects. The results suggest that PLA/mPLA-GA film strips show promise as an active bioplastic for extending the shelf-life of bananas and other fruits.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Julien Dupas, Florent Baldeweck, Vincent Meunier
Summary: The flow performance of food powders is crucial in product development, as it can affect the dosing and filling processes. This study investigates the influence of various parameters on the flowability of carbohydrate powders, such as particle size and moisture content.
JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
(2024)
