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Agricultural Product Quality Safety and Sustainable Development

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 6600

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gang Liang

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Guest Editor

Institute of Quality Standard and Testing Technology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Interests: food safety; environmental risk assessment; analysis method of emerging contaminants; nanomaterial sensors; bioanalysis and functional nucleic acid biosensor

Dr. Wenshen Jia

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Guest Editor

Institute of Quality Standard and Testing Technology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Beijing 100097, China
Interests: food safety; electronic nose; authenticity assessment method

Dr. Rui Feng

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Guest Editor

School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
Interests: environmental bioanalysis; electrochemiluminescence sensors; product-quality biosensing method

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

High agricultural product quality is fundamental for economic and social development, as food safety is currently one of the world’s most pressing concerns due to rapid urbanization and the continuously increasing population, especially in developing countries. According to the reports of the World Health Organization (WHO), food regulations and safety measures have been taken into account with regard to global health concerns. Additionally, governments around the world have deeply reformed the agricultural structure and direction, aiming to improve the quality of agricultural products. However, there are still some challenges when it comes to the safety of agricultural products, as food safety incidents still frequently occur, such as the occurrence of pesticide residues, heavy metal/toxin pollution and other problems (e.g., meat adulteration, production and sale of fake agricultural products), which leads to severe health, economic and even social problems. All these events alert us to the importance and urgency of guaranteeing food safety, stimulating our interest in detection and analysis methods to ensure acceptable quality levels and nutritional quality of the agricultural products. Except for relevant policies and laws concerning food safety, the detection of food contaminants has attracted much attention over the past few decades. Food detection approaches must ensure the safety of food at every point in the food supply chain by monitoring and evaluating all hazards from every single step of food production. In addition to the traditional physicochemical methods (e.g., high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry), many efforts are using novel techniques with the advantages of being simple, rapid, nondestructive, inexpensive, reproducible and repeatable (e.g., biomolecule-based sensing methods, electronic nose and molecular imprinting technology). Many data have been produced, but much still needs to be improved about the analysis methods (selectivity, specificity, accuracy and anti-interference performance).

This Special Issue will focus on the wide aspects of “Agricultural Product Quality Safety and Detecting Techniques”, from quality/pollutant detection methods to authenticity evaluations and geographical origin identification. Authors are invited to submit original research papers, reviews and short communications. The topics of interest may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Food safety and risk assessment;
Analysis method of food contaminations;
Agricultural product quality analysis;
Authenticity assessment;
Geographical origin identification;
Nutritional quality analysis;
Environment of producing area/agricultural input risk assessment;
Early diagnosis methods of agricultural diseases;
Application of virtual reality (VR) technology to agriculture.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Gang Liang
Dr. Wenshen Jia
Dr. Rui Feng
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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

food safety
agricultural product quality analysis
bio-/sensor assay
chromatographic detection
nondestructive detecting
food additives
health risk assessment
nutritional quality
authenticity assessment
quality classification

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3047 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Innovative Solar Dryer for Sustainable Aloe Vera Gel Preservation in Colombia

by Oscar Ariza, Ingrid Casallas and Arturo Fajardo

Sustainability 2024, 16(8), 3392; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16083392 - 18 Apr 2024

Viewed by 330

Abstract

Aloe Barbadensis Miller, commonly known as Aloe vera, has been widely used in different applications, such as medicinal treatments and cosmetic products. However, its transportation and handling present challenges due to oxidation and property loss caused by direct environmental exposure. A strategy to mitigate these effects is dehydration, where different industrial-scale methods such as freeze-drying, spraying, refractory windows, and convective drying can be applied. Despite their effectiveness, those dehydration techniques are both energetically and economically costly. Solar drying technology offers a cost-effective, lower-energy alternative addressing sustainability, socioeconomic, scientific progress, and integrated sustainable development challenges. Nevertheless, solar drying through direct sunlight exposure has been minimally explored for drying high-water-content products like Aloe vera, potentially due to the inherent challenges of drying under uncontrolled environmental conditions. In response, this paper introduces a methodology for pre-treating and pre-drying Aloe vera gel using a low-cost solar dryer prototype, achieving up to 50% water activity reduction in experimental tests under uncontrolled conditions in Colombia, South America. The proposed prototype features a drying cabinet with energy autonomy and forced convection. The experimental evaluation compares the quality of pre-dried Aloe vera gel with freeze-dried samples, demonstrating comparable attributes under favorable environmental conditions. The results demonstrate the feasibility of pre-drying Aloe vera gel within 13 to 48 h, with a maximum drying rate of 0.38 g/min. During this process, water activity decreased from an initial value of 0.975 to a final value ranging between 0.472 and 0.748. Furthermore, the quality of the dehydrated gel was assessed through color analysis, comparing it with a freeze-dried sample. Subsequent color analysis of the freeze-dried samples revealed minor changes in product quality compared to those dried using the proposed solar drying method. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solar dryer in pre-dehydrating Aloe vera gel, yielding characteristics similar to those achieved through conventional methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Product Quality Safety and Sustainable Development)

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11 pages, 1476 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Utilization of Inedible Parts of Aralia cordata with High-Content Chlorogenic Acid Cultivated in Tokyo

by Hirotaka Matsuo, Hitomi Kawakami, Yuka Otsuki, Chieto Miyashita, Nobuo Kawahara, Hiroyuki Fuchino and Kayo Yoshimatsu

Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2582; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062582 - 21 Mar 2024

Viewed by 659

Abstract

Aralia cordata is called “Udo” and is one of the famous herbaceous perennial plants found in Korea, China, and Japan. In Japan, aerial parts of A. cordata have been consumed. Furthermore, its rhizome and root are utilized as crude drugs known as “dokukatsu” and “wakyoukatsu”, respectively. A. cordata is cultivated as a vegetable in many places in Japan, and one of the production areas is Tokyo. A. cordata made in Tokyo is known as a high-quality “Udo” product (aerial part) using a unique cultivation method, known as “Udo muro”. “Udo muro” blocks light and maintains optimal temperature and humidity throughout the year, facilitating the soft cultivation of udo. However, the roots of A. cordata cultivated in Tokyo are all discarded. Thus, the utilization of the A. cordata root cultivated in Tokyo might lead to sustainability and income improvement for farmers. In this study, we investigated the effect of “Udo muro” with or without cultivation and drying temperature on chlorogenic acid (CA) contents in A. cordata root and compared it with A. cordata produced in other areas (“wakyoukatsu”) by a quantitative analysis of the CA content using high-performance liquid chromatography. The results indicate that the CA content of the roots of A. cordata grown in Tokyo was higher than those grown in other areas. Furthermore, the usefulness of A. cordata root was evaluated using inhibitory activity tests such as nitric oxide production and melanin production using Raw264.7 and B16F10 cell lines, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Product Quality Safety and Sustainable Development)

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17 pages, 1020 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy Metals and Pesticide Residues in Small Farm Cheese Production in Croatia—Challenge between Quality and Quantity

by Adela Krivohlavek, Iva Palac Bešlić, Gordana Jurak, Magdalena Gavran, Ivana Mandić Andačić, Martina Ivešić, Sandra Šikić, Ksenija Vitale, Marko Štefančić, Irena Žuntar, Fabijan Oštarić and Nataša Mikulec

Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1356; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041356 - 06 Feb 2024

Viewed by 722

Abstract

The beneficial health effects of cheese as a source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and analgesic effects are well known. The aim of this study is to determine the presence of pesticide residues and heavy metals in 79 cheese samples from small farms in Croatia. The samples were analyzed over a period of three years for the quality parameters of fat, protein, dry matter, salt, and pH to determine whether metrological conditions affect the quality of cheese and to test the correlation between the variables in different types of cheese. A total of 509 pesticide residues were analyzed using liquid and gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Piperonyl butoxide was found in two samples. Inductively coupled plasma with mass spectrometry was used for a metal content analysis, and Cd, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Pb were found in the range of <0.005–0.012 mg kg⁻¹, <0.02–0.84 mg kg⁻¹, 0.031–1.128 mg kg⁻¹, <0.03–0.67 mg kg⁻¹, and <0.01–0.12 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Cd was detected in just three samples. Mn was found in all analyzed samples. All tested samples complied with EU regulations and directives, and at the point of analysis, none posed a direct health risk for consumers. Sustainability on small farms could be ensured with the responsible use of pesticides and through a consistent and reliable supply of fresh, high-quality milk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Product Quality Safety and Sustainable Development)

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15 pages, 1847 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biochemical and Quality Parameter Changes of Wheat Grains during One-Year Storage under Different Storage Conditions

by Ivica Strelec, Vladimir Mrša, Dragana Šoronja Simović, Jovana Petrović, Jana Zahorec and Sandra Budžaki

Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1155; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031155 - 30 Jan 2024

Viewed by 661

Abstract

The selection of suitable storage conditions and monitoring of changes in the wheat grains using suitable parameters are of great importance for the sustainability of technological quality and utilization of the entire stored quantity of wheat grains without waste generation until the next harvest. Wheat grains of three varieties, stored for 12 months at three different conditions of environmental temperature and relative humidity (% RH): (1) 40 ± 1.06 °C; 45 ± 3% RH; (2) 4 ± 1.05 °C; 45 ± 4% RH, (3) 15 ± 8.51 °C; and 67 ± 4% RH, were compared for germination percentage, protein and advanced glycation end products content, oxidoreductive and proteolytic enzyme activity, wet gluten content and falling number. A decrease in the activity of guaiacol peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase, as well as an increase in the content of advanced glycosylation end products and the falling number, was observed in wheat grains during storage conditions at 40 ± 1.06 °C; 45 ± 4% RH. On the other hand, storage of wheat grains at lower temperatures resulted in much lower changes in examined parameters, among which advanced glycation end-product content, peroxidase activity and falling number values were the greatest. Based on the obtained results, it can be assumed that changes in guaiacol peroxidase activity and falling number might be used as indicators of improper wheat grain storage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Product Quality Safety and Sustainable Development)

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15 pages, 1980 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Soybean–Corn Rotation on Crop Yield, Economic Benefits, and Water Productivity in the Corn Belt of Northeast China

by Huiqi Zhang

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11362; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411362 - 21 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 934

Abstract

The Corn Belt of Northeast China (CBNC) is the most important commercial grain base in China. However, long-term intensive cultivation has caused the productivity of black soil to decline. The sustainable development of corn and soybean is seriously threatened. Field experiments of a corn–soybean rotation were conducted to evaluate the crop yields, economic returns, and water productivity in the CBNC from 2017 to 2020. The field treatments included continuous soybean (CS), continuous corn (CC), soybean–corn (SC), and soybean–corn–corn (SCC). The total yield for 2017–2020 is compared using the equivalent yield of corn, indicating that the crop yield of the CC treatment was the highest and that of the CS treatment was the lowest. The crop yield of the CS treatment was 0.58-fold lower than that of the CC treatment. The 4-year total income of the treatments showed that the total and net revenue of the CC treatment was the highest. The 4-year total net income of the CS treatment was 0.66- and 0.72-fold lower compared with those of the SC and SCC treatments, respectively. There was no significant difference between the treatments of rotation. The crop water productivity (WP_C) and biomass water productivity (WP_B) of the CS treatment were the lowest, at 0.30- and 0.54-fold lower than those of the CC treatment in 2017–2020, respectively. The WP_C and WP_B of the CC treatment were the largest. If soybean–corn rotation was implemented in the CBNC, the SC treatment would be a better choice than the SCC treatment for the CBNC, and farmers would need to be subsidized at least USD 1047.5 ha⁻¹ to equal the income from growing corn. In considering production, financial gains, and water productivity, the CC treatment was, as a result, still the best planting pattern for the CBNC under the test site’s conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Product Quality Safety and Sustainable Development)

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12 pages, 1399 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Stocking Density on Sustainable Growth Performance and Water Quality of Nile Tilapia-Spinach in NFT Aquaponic System

by Mohammed S. Al-Zahrani, Hesham A. Hassanien, Fawaz W. Alsaade and Heider A. M. Wahsheh

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6935; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086935 - 20 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1616

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, there is a scarcity of water used for agriculture and human consumption. Therefore, the aquaponic technique needs to be considered. Aquaponics is a modern, environmentally friendly agricultural technology that combines hydroponics and aquaculture into one system. However, the key to a successful aquaponic system is optimizing the stocking density for the target species. This study estimates the effect of three stocking densities—3 kg/m⁻³, 6 kg/m⁻³, and 9 kg/m⁻³—in five replicates on the growth performance and water quality of fingerling Nile tilapia (Oreochomis niloticus), as well as the yield of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) grown in the nutrient film technique (NFT) aquaponic system. As for the planting density, 36 spinach plants are planted per m⁻² for each replicate. The experiment is set up for 8 weeks. The findings reveal that the average final body weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, and survival rate of Nile tilapia were significantly higher in the 3 kg/m⁻³ treatment. It is evident that the total yield of spinach increased as the stocking density increased (p < 0.05). Most of the water quality measurements are significant, pH values range from 6.74 to 7.47, dissolved oxygen is 4.33 to 6.35, ammonia is 0.13 to 0.17 mg/L⁻¹, nitrite is 0.045 to 0.089, and nitrate is 2.44 to 3.35. Therefore, to maximize the productivity of spinach and tilapia while achieving the maximum benefit from fresh water, it can be recommended to use the stocking density of Nile tilapia fingerlings in the range of 6 kg/m⁻³ in the aquaponic system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Product Quality Safety and Sustainable Development)

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Review

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26 pages, 2065 KiB

Open AccessReview

Tomato and Pepper Seeds as Pathways for the Dissemination of Phytopathogenic Bacteria: A Constant Challenge for the Seed Industry and the Sustainability of Crop Production

by Bekri Xhemali, Davide Giovanardi, Enrico Biondi and Emilio Stefani

Sustainability 2024, 16(5), 1808; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051808 - 22 Feb 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1008

Abstract

The seed industry plays a crucial role in global food production but it faces a persistent challenge in ensuring the health and quality of seeds, particularly those of tomato and pepper seeds, which represent key seed commodities on the global market. Seeds can serve as potential pathways for the introduction and dissemination of seed-borne bacteria, which may have devastating effects on crop yield, farmers’ remunerability, and food security. Therefore, fungicides and other antimicrobial compounds are extensively used to disinfect the seeds, thus increasing the input of chemicals in the agri-environment. In this review, we address aspects that connect disease epidemiology with seed infection and health, including seed contamination, endophytic colonization, and seed-borne infections. We focused on the main bacterial diseases affecting tomato and pepper seeds by discussing their official seed testing methods as requirements supporting a smooth seed trade. Moreover, we present a survey on the past and recent innovations for seed treatments, focusing on sustainable disinfection methods. Therefore, this review will be a short but indispensable guide for seed technologists and pathologists involved in the production of high-quality seeds, providing indications and suggestions to contrast seed-borne pathogen dissemination and avoid international controversies and complaints by phytosanitary authorities, extension services, and farmers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Product Quality Safety and Sustainable Development)

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