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Traceability and Control in Production and Quality of Value-Added Agricultural and Food Products

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 17014

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Santiago Pereira-Lorenzo

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Guest Editor

Department of Crop Production and Engineering Projects, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Campus de Lugo, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Interests: genetic resources; phenotypic and genotypic traits; selection and breeding; domestication; crop production; agronomy; biodiversity and conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ana Ramos Cabrer

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Guest Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Traceability is defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 22005:2007 ) as the “ability to follow the movement of a feed or food through specified stage(s) of production, processing and distribution”, involving the trace of the flow of materials (feed, food, their ingredients, and packaging) and the necessary identification for each stage of production, from the seed and the plant propagation to the transformed products such as flour, sourdough, pasta, bread, wine, cider, etc. Additionally, quality schemes aim at protecting specific products and names with unique characteristics frequently linked to their geographical origin as well as traditional know-how.

Geographical indications consist of Protected Designation of Origin, Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), and Geographical Indication (GI), which safeguard the product names that originate from specific regions and have specific qualities or enjoy a reputation linked to the production territory. All of these depend on the traceability of the production from land to table.

This Special Issue will focus on “Traceability and Control in the Production and Quality of Value-Added Agricultural and Food Products”. We welcome novel research articles, reviews, and opinion pieces covering all related topics including new approaches to control food quality, quality schemes, cultivar identity, seed and plant production, food products, intellectual property rights, techniques for traceability, statistics, policies, and case studies from the land to the table.

Traceability is linked to numerous research activities and methodologies. Therefore, we aim to publish original research articles and reviews that improve our understanding of the processes and controls in the production and transformation of value-added agricultural and food products, particularly manuscripts that address the following topics:

Evaluation of phenotypic traits of crops, those related to quantitative and qualitative traits, as well as the statistics applied to diversity descriptors related to the quality of food and agricultural products.
Methodologies used in the evaluation of traceability of the flow of food production, from land to table.
Statistics used in the evaluation of the quality of the traits and the production schemes.
Regulations and policies related to protection of the quality of the names and the products, including cultivars, certification, Protected Designation of Origin, Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), and Geographical Indication (GI), and the ethnographic values associated with traditional food products.
Finally, case studies on the quality of value-added agricultural and food products.

We invite our colleagues to submit contributions describing their advances that will surely improve the knowledge of traceability and control in the agricultural production for food quality.

Prof. Dr. Santiago Pereira-Lorenzo
Dr. Ana Ramos Cabrer
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

traceability
crops
food safety
food quality
certification of seeds and trees
techniques for traceability
Denomination of Origin (DO)
Geographical Protected Indication (GPI)
legislation and policies
germplasm of special interest for DOs and GPIs

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 13970 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Diversity of Ecotypes of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.) from Northwestern Spain by Phenotypic Traits and Microsatellites

by Cristina Isabel Fernández-Otero, Ana María Ramos-Cabrer, Julio Enrique López-Díaz and Santiago Pereira-Lorenzo

Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2275; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11112275 - 10 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1381

Abstract

For more than 50 years, the CIAM-AGACAL (Agricultural Research Centre of Mabegondo, Xunta de Galicia, A Coruña, Spain) has been carrying out the important task of conserving the phytogenetic resources of ecotypes and natural populations of grassland species from northwestern Spain. The CIAM-AGACAL’s germplasm bank has 57 populations of red clover (Trifolium pratense Lam.), one of the most cultivated forage legumes in the world. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the diversity among cultivars and natural clover populations at morphological and molecular level. Twelve polymorphic SSR loci revealed 241 microsatellite alleles with an average of 20.08 alleles per locus. Two main groups were detected by the Structure software, one of them including local populations and the second clustering cultivars and related populations. Intra-specific variability was found among cultivars and natural populations. A moderate genetic differentiation of Spanish red clover cultivars was observed (Fst = 0.08) between the two main clusters. Finally, a certain relationship between phenotypic and genotypic variation was detected. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traceability and Control in Production and Quality of Value-Added Agricultural and Food Products)

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16 pages, 1887 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Consumer Welfare of Country-of-Origin Labelling and Traceability Policies

by Joel Bruneau and Albert I. Ugochukwu

Agronomy 2021, 11(5), 916; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11050916 - 07 May 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2361

Abstract

Traceability regulations are a way to protect consumers by forcing firms to identify and track products step-by-step through all stages of production, processing, and distribution. Traceability is often used in conjunction with country-of-origin labelling where products explicitly identify where production takes place. However, such country-of-origin regulations can conflict with WTO provisions. This paper analyzes the impact on consumer welfare of traceability and country-of-origin in an international trading regime to assess whether such regulations actually improve consumer welfare. The paper constructs a theoretical model that highlights the potential market failure that arises from traceability. The paper then introduces a simple international trade regime to identify impacts on consumer surplus. The paper compares outcomes with, and without, traceability and country-of-origin regulations. Given the inherent free-rider problem, the paper shows that, as long as costs associated with traceability are low enough, mandatory regulations are welfare improving. Free trade, in the absence of foreign traceability, can lower consumer welfare so provides a rationale for country-of-origin rules. However, mandatory country-of-origin rules need not be welfare enhancing. We show that country-of-origin rules are similar to import barriers and so are third-best solutions. The better solution is international adoption and recognition of traceability rules which would make country-of-origin rules moot. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traceability and Control in Production and Quality of Value-Added Agricultural and Food Products)

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13 pages, 4241 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Delimitation of Genetic Diversity of Native Maize and Its Relationship with Ethnic Groups in Mexico

by Alberto Santillán-Fernández, Yolanda Salinas-Moreno, José René Valdez-Lazalde, Jaime Bautista-Ortega and Santiago Pereira-Lorenzo

Agronomy 2021, 11(4), 672; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11040672 - 01 Apr 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3526

Abstract

Mexico, as a center of origin of maize, presents a high diversity of maize races. With the objective of spatially demarcating regions with high concentration of intraspecific diversity in Mexico, as a fundamental measure for the in situ conservation of their agrobiodiversity, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools have been used to generate diversity and richness indexes for 64 maize races cultivated in Mexico, using indexes to demarcate relationships to environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation, and altitude; the presence of indigenous groups; and the type of maize used. These relations allowed defining seven environmental units spatially, with characteristic maize races in each of them, which constitute priority areas for in situ conservation. In addition, a close relationship was found between the diversity of maize races and of ethnic groups, from the center to the south of the country, associated with the differences in maize use in different ethnic groups. This geographical demarcation of races and uses of maize will favor food security through specific measures of in situ conservation, as well as an increase in added value of maize by-products based on specific maize races conserved by local ethnic groups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traceability and Control in Production and Quality of Value-Added Agricultural and Food Products)

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13 pages, 2237 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Traceability of Sicilian Durum Wheat Landraces and Historical Varieties by High Molecular Weight Glutenins Footprint

by Giovanna Visioli, Gianluigi Giannelli, Caterina Agrimonti, Alfio Spina and Gabriella Pasini

Agronomy 2021, 11(1), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11010143 - 14 Jan 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2438

Abstract

Over the last new decade, there has been a strong interest in landraces and historical wheat varieties from farmers, manufacturers and consumers. They are agronomically and nutritionally interesting but the supply chain (from seed to end-product) is not solid and traceable. High molecular weight glutenins (HMW-GS) can act as markers to trace the varietal correspondence and to verify the genetic purity of the grain and consequently of the flours, marketed and labeled as mono-varietal. In the present work, HMW-GS of different durum wheat Sicilian landraces (Timilia, Russello, Perciasacchi) and one historical variety Margherito were analyzed. At first, specific protein profiles were assigned to each Sicilian landrace by SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF/MS analyses, thanks to the availability of pure seeds. Analysis of the protein profiles were then carried out from random samples of seed batches of the same landraces grown on a farm in South-East Sicily. The results highlighted the presence of different protein bands within the individual seed batches, which are reflected in complex profiles in the corresponding commercial flours labelled as mono-varietal. The bread wheat landrace Maiorca cultivated in the same farm was also found as a contaminant at different percentages in the durum wheat batches. The results of this study offer opportunities to improve the supply chain of the different Sicilian landraces or historical varieties cultivated, underlining the need for accurate controls from the field to the transformation process to be labelled as mono-varietal products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traceability and Control in Production and Quality of Value-Added Agricultural and Food Products)

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18 pages, 1657 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analytical Concentrations of Some Elements in Seeds and Crude Extracts from Aesculus hippocastanum, by ICP-OES Technique

by Caterina Durante, Marina Cocchi, Lisa Lancellotti, Laura Maletti, Andrea Marchetti, Fabrizio Roncaglia, Simona Sighinolfi and Lorenzo Tassi

Agronomy 2021, 11(1), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11010047 - 28 Dec 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2347

Abstract

The metal content in some samples of horse chestnut seeds (Aesculus hippocastanum) was monitored over time (years 2016–2019) considering the two most common and representative Mediterranean varieties: the pure species (AHP, which gives white flowers) and a hybrid one (AHH, which gives pink flowers). The selected elemental composition of the samples was determined by applying the Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) technique. Several samples obtained from different preliminary treatments of the peeled seeds were examined, such as: (i) floury samples (wild-type) mineralized with the wet method; (ii) the ashes of both AHP and AHH varieties; (iii) the fraction of total inorganic soluble salts (TISS). Furthermore, the hydroalcoholic crude extracts (as a tincture) were obtained according to the official Pharmacopoeia methods, and the relevant results were compared with those of a commercial sample, an herbal product-food supplement of similar characteristics. The main characteristics of this research work underline that the two botanical varieties give different distinctive characters, due to the Fe content (80.05 vs. 1.42 mg/100 g d.s., for AHP and AHH wild-type flour samples, respectively), along with K, Ca, Mn, Ni and Cu, which are more abundant in the AHP samples. Furthermore, the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to the experimental dataset in order to classify and discriminate the samples, in relation to their similar botanical origin, but different for the color of the bloom. These results can be useful for the traceability of raw materials potentially intended for the production of auxiliary systems of pharmacological interest. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traceability and Control in Production and Quality of Value-Added Agricultural and Food Products)

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Review

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17 pages, 926 KiB

Open AccessReview

Assuring Effectiveness in Consumer-Oriented Traceability; Suggestions for Food Label Design

by Angelo Corallo, Maria Elena Latino, Marta Menegoli and Roberta Pizzi

Agronomy 2021, 11(4), 613; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11040613 - 24 Mar 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3808

Abstract

Traceability is an important tool used by food companies and regulators in assuring food safety and quality, especially when consumers’ needs for food information transparency are the driver. Consumers consult the label to find out more details about a food product and, although many factors influence their perceptions and purchasing acts, the label remains the primary means of communicating food information affecting consumer choice. Therefore, it represents the final step in a consumer-oriented traceability path. It follows that a suitable label design can improve the food traceability process and reduce the information asymmetry between producer and consumer. According to this view, this paper aimed to identify suggestions about food label design, in order to create a support framework for food companies in food information communication increasing label readability, customer satisfaction, and the effectiveness of traceability. A systematic literature review method with content analysis was chosen to conduct the study. Eleven specific suggestions from food labeling design theories were recognized. The novelty of the present study consisted in mapping the food label design field, synthesizing the current knowledge, and providing a support framework for food companies that would increase the readability of food labeling and enhance customer satisfaction through a well-proposed food information communication in line with the “farm to fork” strategy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traceability and Control in Production and Quality of Value-Added Agricultural and Food Products)

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