le tecniche spettroscopiche supportate da indagini chemiometriche servono ad ottenere le informazioni necessarie alla caratterizzazione delle materie prime e dei prodotti agroalimentari. Le tecniche basate sull’Hyper Spectral Imaging (HSI), ad esempio, si presentano molto versatili e scalabili per le operazioni di controllo qualità e la classificazione on-line: tra queste figurano la tecnologia di sensing per le macchine selezionatrici, per le materie prime, e per i prodotti agrifood, andando così a meglio definire le differenti tipologie di materiali.
Secondo un’indagine condotta da ALTIS (Alta Scuola Impresa e Società dell’Università Cattolica) in collaborazione con il progetto interfacoltà VIS (Valore Impresa Sostenibile) e OPERA (Osservatorio europeo per l’agricoltura sostenibile), le pratiche sostenibili nelle filiere della carne e dei salumi stentano a decollare: su un campione di 46 aziende medio-grandi della filiera in Italia solo il 30,4% riesce a rispondere a questo tipo di esigenze. Ma quali sono le principali pratiche di sostenibilità da implementare in questo settore?
One of the main by-products in cocoa industry is the cocoa bean shell (CBS), which represents approximately 12–20% of the bean. This product has been suggested as a food ingredient because of its aroma and high dietary fiber and polyphenol contents. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of the CBS particle size and extraction methods on the chemical composition and consumer acceptance of a functional beverage, in order to find the best combination of technological parameters and health benefits.
Current food systems require an unsustainable utilisation of environments and natural resources. Indeed, they are mainly based on an intensive use of rich soils and freshwater, produce large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, and are contributing to global biodiversity losses (Steffen et al., 2015; Whitmee et al., 2015). These factors have led to a sound increase in humanity’s environmental footprint to such an extent that it estimated that nowadays humans need the resources of 1.75 Earths, with EU residents requiring 2.8 Earths (Global Footprint Network, 2019). Unfortunately, the stable growth of the global poplation will exacerbate this trend over the years. The current population is estimated at 7.7 billion people, and, according to the United Nations, it will reach 9.7 billion people in 2050 (United Nations, 2019).
Over the past few years, there has been an increasing interest in the development of alternative pest control strategies to reduce environmental impact. In this contest, exclusion nets have been evaluated as a sustainable alternative to pesticides. In this study, the use of a photoselective exclusion net was investigated in semi-field conditions as a potential strategy to protect nectarine orchards from different pests (i.e., fruit moths, Halyomorpha halys and Drosophila suzukii) in NW Italy. The presence and abundance of pest populations inside and outside the net, as well as the damage they caused on fruits, were evaluated.
The effect of biofumigation, through slow-release diffusors, of thyme and savory essential oils (EO), was evaluated on the control of postharvest diseases and quality of peaches and nectarines. EO fumigation was effective in controlling postharvest rots. Naturally contaminated peaches and nectarines were exposed to EO vapors...
Roasted hazelnuts can be consumed as whole nuts, or as an ingredient in the confectionary and bakery industries and are highly appreciated for their typical taste, aroma and crunchy texture. In this work, two hazelnut types (TGT, Ordu) from two harvests were roasted using two different systems (hot air, infrared) at different time/temperature combinations, and the evolution of oxidative stability...
Aflatoxins are a group of secondary metabolites produced by members of Aspergillus Section Flavi that are dangerous to humans and animals. Nuts can be potentially contaminated with aflatoxins, often over the legal threshold. Food processes, including roasting, may have different effects...
Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus are two species able to produce aflatoxins in foodstuffs, and in particular in hazelnuts, at harvest and during postharvest phase. As not all the strains of these species are aflatoxin producers, it is necessary to develop techniques that can detect aflatoxigenic from not aflatoxigenic strains…
Bakanae, caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Fusarium fujikuroi, is one of the most important diseases of rice and is attributed to up to 75% of losses, depending on the strain and environmental conditions. Some strains cause elongation and thin leaves, whereas others induce stunting and chlorotic seedlings. Differences in symptoms are attributed to genetic differences in the strains...
Monilinia laxa and M. fructicola are two causal agents of brown rot, one of the most important diseases in stone fruit. Two species cause blight on blossoms and twigs and brown rot on fruit in pre- and postharvest. Both species are distributed worldwide in North and South America, Australia, and Japan. In Europe, M. laxa is endemic, while M. fructicola was introduced in 2001 and it is now widespread in several countries. Currently, both species coexist in European stone fruit orchards. Monilinia spp. overwinter in cankers and mummified fruit...
The airborne mycobiota has been understudied in comparison with the mycobiota present in other agricultural environments. Traditional, culture-based methods allow the study of a small fraction of the organisms present in the atmosphere, thus missing important information. In this study, the aerial mycobiota in a rice paddy has been examined during the cropping season (from June to September 2016) using qPCRs for two important rice pathogens (Pyricularia oryzae and Bipolaris oryzae) and by using DNA metabarcoding of the fungal ITS region...
Aflatoxins, produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, can contaminate different foodstuffs, such as nuts. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma has the potential to be used for mycotoxin detoxification. In this study, the operating parameters of cold atmospheric pressure plasma were optimized to reduce the presence of aflatoxins on dehulled hazelnuts...
Fusarium fujikuroi, causing bakanae disease, is one of the most important seedborne pathogens of rice, the detection of which is paramount for seed certification and for preventing field infections. Molecular tests—qPCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)—are replacing the blotter test in seed health procedures, due to higher sensitivity, specificity, fast turnaround results delivery, on-site application and the possibility of quantifying endophytic seed infections.
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