Search Results (20)

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs), while pivotal for agricultural productivity, pose severe environmental and health risks due to their persistence and bioaccumulation. Existing detection methods, such as chromatography and spectroscopy, face limitations in field adaptability, cost, and operational complexity. To address these challenges, this study introduces a novel dual-mode photoelectrochemical–electrochemical (PEC-EC) sensor based on a Co,N-TiO₂@ZrO₂/3DGH nanocomposite. The sensor synergistically integrates zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) for selective OP capture via phosphate-Zr coordination, cobalt-nitrogen co-doped titanium dioxide (Co,N-TiO₂) for visible-light responsiveness, and a three-dimensional graphene hydrogel (3DGH) for enhanced conductivity. In the PEC mode under light irradiation, OP adsorption induces charge recombination, yielding a logarithmic photocurrent attenuation with a detection limit of 0.058 ng mL⁻¹. Subsequently, the EC mode via square wave voltammetry (SWV) self-validates the results, achieving a detection limit of 0.716 ng mL⁻¹. The dual-mode system demonstrates exceptional reproducibility, long-term stability, and selectivity against common interferents. Parallel measurements revealed <5% inter-mode discrepancy, validating the intrinsic self-checking capability. This portable platform bridges the gap between laboratory-grade accuracy and field-deployable simplicity, offering transformative potential for environmental monitoring and food safety management. Full article

The development of active food packaging is desirable for food safety and to avoid food loss and waste. In this work, we developed antioxidant bilayer films combining extrusion and electrospinning techniques. These films consisted of a first layer of thermoplastic cornstarch (TPS), incorporated with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). The second layer consisted of gallic acid (GA) encapsulated at different concentrations in 1:1 chitosan/poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (CS/EVOH) nanofibers. This layer was directly electrospun onto the TPS/MCC film. The morphological, structural, wettability, permeability to oxygen, and antioxidant properties were investigated for the first layer and the bilayer films. Water contact angle measurements revealed the hydrophobic nature of the first layer (θ₀ = 100.6°). The oxygen permeability (OP) was accessed through the peroxide value (PV) of canola oil, kept in containers covered by the films. PV varied from 66.6 meq/kg for the TPS/MCC layer to 60.5 meq/kg for a bilayer film. Intermolecular hydrogen bonds, mediated by GA, contributed slightly to improving the mechanical strength of the bilayer films. The bilayer film incorporated with GA at 15.0% reached a radical scavenging activity against the DPPH radical of (903.8 ± 62.2) μmol.L⁻¹.Eq. Trolox.g⁻¹. This result proved the effectiveness of the GA nanoencapsulation strategy. Full article

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of selected industrial food wastes on the fate of micro- and macro-elements within an anaerobic digestion process (AD), as well as define the relationship between their content and AD efficiency. Orange peels, (OP), orange pulp (PL) and brewery spent grain (BSG) were used as co-substrates, while municipal sewage sludge (SS) was applied as the main component. The introduction of co-substrates resulted in improvements in feedstock composition in terms of macro-elements, with a simultaneous decrease in the content of HMs (heavy metals). Such beneficial effects led to enhanced methane production, and improved process performance at the highest doses of PL and BSG. In turn, reduced biogas and methane production was found in the three-component digestion mixtures in the presence of OP and BSG; therein, the highest accumulation of most HMs within the process was also revealed. Considering the agricultural application of all digestates, exceedances for Cu, Zn and Hg were recorded, thereby excluding their further use for that purpose. Full article

Project SoL was a 19-month (September 2012 to April 2014) community-based multi-component intervention based on the supersetting approach that was designed to promote healthier eating and physical activity among children and their families. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a multi-component intervention (level 1) and a mass media intervention alone (level 2) compared to a control area (level 3) on food sales. The design was quasi-experimental. Weekly sales data for all Coop supermarkets in the intervention and control areas were analysed via longitudinal linear mixed-effects analyses. Significant increases in the sales of fish (total) (29%; p = 0.003), canned fish (31%; p = 0.025) and oatmeal (31%; p = 0.003) were found for the level 1 intervention area compared to the control area. In the level 2 intervention area, significant increases in the sales of vegetables (total) (17%; p = 0.038), fresh vegetables (20%; p = 0.01), dried fruit (51%; p = 0.022), oatmeal (19%; p = 0.008) and wholegrain pasta (58%; p = 0.0007) were found compared to the control area. The sales of canned fish increased by 30% in the level 1 area compared to the level 2 area (p = 0.025). This study demonstrated significant increases in the sales of healthy foods, both in the areas with multi-component and mass media interventions alone compared to the control area. Full article

Low-income children and families do not meet the recommendations for fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. This study aimed to assess the association between FV shopping behavior and child FV intake through a cross-sectional study design analyzing self-reported surveys (n = 6074) from adult-child dyads of Hispanic/Latino and African American participants enrolled in the Brighter Bites co-op program. Through quantitative mixed effects linear regression models, accounting for school-level clustering and adjusting for covariates, child FV intake was positively associated with shopping for FV at large chain grocery stores (p < 0.001), natural/organic supermarkets (p < 0.001), warehouse club stores (p = 0.002), discount superstores (p < 0.001), small local stores/corner stores (p = 0.038), convenience stores (p = 0.022), ethnic markets (p = 0.002), farmers’ markets/co-op/school farm stands (p < 0.001), and gardens (p = 0.009) among Hispanic/Latinos participants. Among African American participants, there was significant positive association between child FV intake and shopping for FV at natural/organic supermarkets (p < 0.001), discount superstores (p = 0.005), and convenience stores (p = 0.031). The relationship between location and frequency of shopping for FV and child FV intake varied between races. Further research is needed to better understand the influence of cultural and physical environmental factors. Nutrition education programs are vital to encouraging families to make healthier food choices and purchases to improve child FV consumption. Full article

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a nutrition intervention on food insecurity among low-income households with children. Data were collected from 371 parent–child dyads in a quasi-experimental evaluation study of a 1-year intervention (n = 6 intervention schools receiving Brighter Bites, n = 6 wait-list control schools), and longitudinal follow-up of the intervention group 2 years post-intervention in Houston, Texas. Data were collected at three timepoints: at baseline and 1 year for all participants, and at 2 year follow-up for the intervention group (the wait-list control group received the intervention during that time). At baseline, most parents reported food insecurity (60.6%; 70% intervention group, 53.6% control). Food insecurity decreased significantly from 81.3% to 61.7% [(−0.32, −0.07) p = 0.002] among intervention participants immediately post-intervention. After adjusting for ethnicity, 2 years post-intervention the predicted percentage of participants reporting food insecurity decreased significantly by roughly 35.4% from 76.4% at baseline to 41.0% [(−0.49, −0.22), p < 0.001]. Between-group changes were not significant. The re-sults of this study demonstrated a significant positive impact of Brighter Bites on food security in the short and long-term among low-income households with children, albeit results should be in-terpreted with caution. Full article

Appropriate addition of phosphate salt in food can improve the food quality and taste. However, extensive intake of phosphate salt may lead to some human diseases such as hyperphosphatemia and renal insufficiency. Thus, it is essential to establish a cost-effective, convenient, sensitive, and selective method for monitoring phosphate ion (Pi) to ensure food quality control. In this work, a Co-based metal-organic frameworks (Co-MOF) nanomaterial with dual functions (peroxidase-like activity and specific recognition) was designed for acting as a catalytic chromogenic platform for sensitive detection of Pi. The Co²⁺ nodes not only provide high enzyme-like activity to catalyze the 3,3′,5,5′--tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) substrate to blue oxTMB (652 nm) but also act as selective sites for Pi recognition. The use of cationic organic ligands (2-methylimidazole) and cationic metal ions (Co²⁺) endows the Co-MOF with a strong positive surface charge, which is beneficial to the capture of negative-charged Pi and the dramatically suppressed TMB oxidation. When Pi exists, it specifically adsorbs onto the Co-MOF through the Co-O-P bond and the strong electrostatic interaction, leading to the change of surface charge on Co-MOF. The peroxidase-like catalytic activity of Co-MOF is thus restrained, causing a different catalytic effect on TMB oxidation from that without Pi. Based on this principle, a colorimetric assay was established for rapid and sensitive detection of Pi. A good linear relationship was obtained between Pi concentration and the absorbance at 652 nm, with a linear range of 0.009–0.144 mg/L and a detection limit of 5.4 μg/L. The proposed assay was applied to the determination of Pi in actual food samples with recoveries of 92.2–108% and relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.7–7.3%, illustrating the promising practicality for actual samples analysis. Full article

Background: Local food environments are recognized by experts as a determinant of healthy eating. Food cooperatives (coop) can promote the accessibility to healthier foods and thus improve the health of the population, particularly in remote rural communities. Objective: To measure the effects of implementing a food coop in a disadvantaged community with poor access to food. We have two main research questions: (1). Does the establishment of a food coop in rural areas described as food deserts have an impact on accessibility, frequency of use, food consumption, food quality, and ultimately the health of individuals? (2). Does the establishment of a food coop in rural areas described as food deserts have an impact on food security and community vitality? Design: A natural experiment with a mixed pre/post method will be used. The sample is composed of households that came from geographically isolated communities (population: 215 to 885 inhabitants) which qualified as food deserts and located in rural areas of Quebec (Canada). All communities plan to open a food coop (in the years 2022–2023), and as their opening will be staggered over time, participants from communities with a new food coop (intervention) will be compared to communities awaiting the opening of their food coop (control). Data collection was carried out at three time points: (1) before; (2) 1 to 5 months after; and (3) 13 to 17 months after the opening of the coop. Questionnaires were used to measure sociodemographic variables, dietary intake, residents’ health, and community vitality. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with community stakeholders. Results: Few natural experiments have been conducted regarding the impact of implementing food coops. Gathering concrete data on the effectiveness and processes surrounding these interventions through natural experiments will help to quantify their impact and guide knowledge users and policymakers to make more informed decisions. Full article

The growing demand for promoting the role of higher education institutions in sustainability has contributed to creating new partnerships with other actors. In the field of education, the formation of cooperative education (co-op) partnerships was adopted as a strategy for work-integrated learning in cooperation with industry. This study investigated the effectiveness of co-op partnerships and the factors that influence them in the context of tertiary agriculture education in Saudi Arabia. A random sample of 130 co-op students was selected within the Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences delivered by the College of Food and Agriculture Sciences at King Saud University. The satisfaction level of students was explored in terms of four main areas, namely, the quality of the program design, organizational climate, personal and professional qualities, and program learning outcomes. The majority of students (70%) were highly satisfied with the quality of the program design, while they had a moderate level of satisfaction regarding the organizational climate of the co-op program (74.6%). Furthermore, 85.4% of students were highly satisfied regarding the learning outcomes they gained. The results also revealed that there were significant positive relationships between the level of satisfaction of students regarding program learning outcomes and their quality assessments of the program design, personal and professional qualities, and organizational climate. The measurement scale used in this study may assist in assessing the sustainability of co-op partnerships. Moreover, understanding the satisfaction level of students can help to identify areas that should be improved and, in turn, contribute to improving the governance and sustainability of co-op partnerships for all stakeholders. Full article

Insects can play an important role to upgrade waste streams into high-grade proteins and fats as food and feed ingredients or non-food products. The aim of this research was to assess the feasibility to use waste streams with a low value for direct application as animal feed as substrates to grow BSF larvae in terms of larval growth rate, waste reduction index, and efficiency of conversion of ingested feed. The growth of black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens larvae and conversion of biowaste was assessed in triplicate in biowaste substrates: chicken feed (CF; reference diet), pig manure solid (PMS), Betafert^® solid (BTFS), swill (SW), olive pulp (OP), pig manure liquid mixed with chicken feed (PMLCF), and silage grass (SG). Per kilogram fresh substrate 2500 starter (8-days-old, second instar) larvae were incubated in 21 plastic containers (75 × 47 × 15 cm). The BSF larvae were fed according to a batch feeding system. Highest growth rate was found in larvae reared on SW (13.4 mg/d). Larval growth rate was even higher than in larvae reared on the reference substrate CF (7.2 mg/d). Growth rate in larvae reared on PMLCF (7.3 mg/d) did not differ from CF, whereas growth rate of larvae reared on PMS (3.2 mg/d) was lower than on CF. Growth rate of larvae reared on BTFS, OP and SG was very low (0.6, 0.2 and 0.7 mg/d, respectively). Waste Reduction Index (WRI) was highest on SW (11.3), followed by PMLCF (9.3), and both were higher than WRI on CF (8.5). Waste Reduction Index further decreased in descending order from PMS, SG, BTFS to OP (7.6, 4.0, 2.9 and 1.7, respectively). The Efficiency of Conversion of Ingested substrate (ECI) was highest on SW (0.31), followed in descending order by PMLCF, CF and PMS (0.25, 0.21 and 0.18, respectively). The substrates OP, BTFS and SG (0.16, 0.15 and 0.14, respectively) resulted in a lower ECI than other substrates. Highest CO₂ and lowest NH₃ concentrations were found above substrates with the highest larval growth performances. This study showed that BSF larvae can be reared on different biowaste substrates; the growth rate of the larvae was extremely high on SW. The effects of chemical composition and physical properties of the substrates on larval growth and gas emissions should be further considered. Full article

Agricultural product certifications have proliferated due to the growing concerns in many countries over food safety and environmental sustainability. Encouraging farmers to self-organize was regarded as a useful tool to enhance the adoption of agricultural product certifications in Taiwan. However, previous studies solely focused on the association between membership in a production organization and single food certifications. Moreover, little is known of how different types of organizational participation could improve the adoption of agricultural product certifications. This study seeks to fill this knowledge gap by employing multinomial logistic regression model (MNL) to investigate factors affecting farmers’ decisions to participate in agricultural product certification. Special attention is paid to the role of different types of organizational participation in farmers’ choices for agricultural product certification. The study used a nationally representative sample of core farmers in Taiwan, and its results revealed evident differences in farmers’ organization types. For example, the farm operators who participate in agricultural cooperatives (co-ops) tend to use organic labels. In contrast, farm operators who participate in agricultural production and marketing groups (APMGs) tend to adopt the Traceable Agricultural Products (TAP) label. Moreover, age, education level, farming experience, farm labor, farm type, agricultural facilities, and regional location have a significant effect on farmers’ choices for participating in agricultural product certification across different models. The findings suggest that policymakers should consider these differences in the organizational operation of APMGs and co-ops and provide customized measures by promoting different types of agricultural product certifications. Full article

The agricultural industry is highly underdeveloped and requires transformation in technology for food safety and reliability. A digital world is relying on blockchain technology for the successful implementation of sustainable e-agricultural supply chain management (e-Agri-SCM). In current advancements of blockchain in digital marketing, product website design (web design) is essential to streamline the requirements of the customer and the expectations of supply chain partners. The current research has incorporated the blockchain effect by web design elements into the agricultural supply chain management (Agri-SCM) study. In addition, partners in the digital marketing supply chain (DM-SCM) are also facing issues to identify significant web design elements-based blockchain technology to gain maximum profit. Therefore, a cooperative (Co-op) sustainable e-agricultural SCM model is developed in this study by considering the web design index and variable demand to decide shipments, selling price, cycle time, and advertisement cost for agriculture products. The uncertainties in the model due to intangible web design elements and basic costs are dealt with by the application of the fuzzy system whereas carbon emission is also considered for providing cleaner production. A real-time application of the proposed model is done by undertaking five different cases based on mutual share, demand curve, and advertisement budget among participants. The sensitivity analysis is also performed to identify important factors of the total profit. Findings of this work include significant web design elements (WDEs) i.e., web graphics, search engine optimization, cyber-security, fast loading, and navigation, as essentials for digital marketing to convince customers towards the product in a global SCM. The numerical results and managerial insights are advantageous for managers to get maximum profit by cooperative and digital marketing strategies to attain e-Agri-SCM. Full article

Background: olive pomace extract (OPE) is a rich source of health promoting polyphenols (hydroxytyrosol (HTS) and tyrosol (TS)) and can be used as a nutraceutical ingredient of dietary supplements and functional foods. Its adequate bioavailability is a prerequisite for excreting biological activity and can be significantly and specifically affected by different food matrices. Methods: in order to investigate food effects on polyphenol bioaccessibility, OPE was co-digested with different foods according to internationally harmonized in vitro digestibility method. Impact of particular nutrients on HTS and TS permeability was assessed on Caco-2 cell monolayer. Results: HTS and TS bioaccessibility and transepithelial permeability can be significantly affected by foods (nutrients), especially by casein and certain types of dietary fiber. Those effects are polyphenol-and nutrient-specific and are achieved either through complexation in gastrointestinal lumen and/or through direct effects of nutrients on intestinal monolayer. Conclusions: obtained results emphasize the significance and complexity of polyphenol interactions within the food matrix and the necessity of individual investigational approaches with respect to particular food/nutrient and interacting phenolic compounds. Full article

The aim of this study was to collect, for the first time, comprehensive information about the backyard poultry sector in Turkey. This included a profile of the poultry owners, flock characteristics, husbandry, housing conditions, the owners’ biosecurity measures and the challenges of backyard poultry farming in residential areas of Turkey. An online semi-structured survey was fully completed by 1094 respondents. The majority of respondents (91%) owned fewer than 50 birds and reported raising other poultry species besides chickens (64%). Most of the participants indicated that they kept poultry as food for family use (83%) and had been involved in chicken-raising activities for less than 10 years (86%). Free-range coops were the type of housing most preferred by the respondents (86%). However, there was a lack of awareness about poultry diseases and poultry health care conditions. Respondents that confirmed wild bird and rodent access to their feeders and drinkers reported high rates of internal-external parasites, Escherichia coli infections and chronic respiratory diseases (p < 0.001). Lack of regional regulations (84%), animal theft (80%), lack of information on poultry management (79%), minimizing predation (75%), and the need for vaccination and veterinary services (73%) were the most cited challenges. The results highlighted the need for improved biosecurity measures and for a regulatory framework that takes into account the risks to commercial poultry flocks and public health. Full article

Only 5% of Australian children and adults eat enough fruit and vegetables. Two common barriers are high cost and limited access. Food co-operatives (‘co-ops’) may have the potential to reduce these barriers. We conducted a scoping analysis of food co-ops in the Sydney region to describe their characteristics and objectives. We also conducted a survey of members and non-members of co-ops to assess their fruit and vegetable intake using validated questions. Fifteen food co-ops were identified in the Sydney region and the most common objective was to provide cheap affordable produce. Most co-ops (61%) were in areas of high socio-economic status (SES). Members of food co-ops had a higher vegetable intake than non-members [mean difference (MD) = 0.54 serves/daily; 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.15 to 0.93] and were also more likely to meet the recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake [odds ratio (OR) = 4.77 (95% CI = 1.15, 19.86)]. Implications of this study are that if food co-ops can be implemented on a wider scale, they hold potential for improving fruit and vegetable intakes. Full article