Sustainable Food Production and High-Quality Food Supply

As climate change destabilizes food crop production, there is a growing interest in controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Although light-emitting diodes (LED) have made CEA economically viable for some high-value crops when coupled to agrivoltaics (solar photovoltaics + agriculture), it has generally not been used for root vegetables. This is the first study to demonstrate that radishes and turnips could be grown in a reasonable period of eight weeks in an agrivoltaic agrotunnel using both lighting and grow walls optimized for lettuce growth. As reduction in LED energy use is important to minimize capital costs for solar energy, this study investigated three lighting treatments (red, white, and full-spectrum as control). The normalized yields (adjusted for total energy provided by each treatment) showed that both cultivars preferred red light, and harvested green leaves provided higher masses than the roots, although turnips appeared to be far more adaptable to vertical growth than radishes (>450% for roots and >50% for leaves per pot compared to radishes for the control treatment). The results show promise for providing true net-zero carbon emission root vegetables year-round with similar agrivoltaics-powered CEAs. Future work is needed with light intensity trials to optimize light recipes. Full article

Reducing the punicalagin content is an effective strategy for eliminating the astringency of pomegranate juice. In this study, pomegranate juice was used as the raw material, and tannase was applied to convert punicalagin into ellagic acid and gallic acid. The effects of tannase concentration, reaction time, and temperature on juice deastringency were evaluated, along with the antioxidant and physicochemical properties of the treated juice. The results demonstrated that, under optimal conditions (33.9 U/100 mL tannase, 30 °C, 90 min reaction time), the punicalagin content decreased by 27.8%, while the ellagic acid and gallic acid levels increased by 24.2% and 32.3%, respectively, effectively reducing the juice’s astringency. Under these conditions, the total phenolic content reached 110 mg/100 g, with a free radical scavenging capacity of 69.8%, significantly enhancing the juice’s antioxidant properties. These results suggest that tannase treatment of pomegranate juice enhances the polyphenol content, thereby improving its health benefits without compromising the product quality. Full article

In order to obtain a highly nutritious extrudate, a combination of pseudocereals, vegetable protein, and banana flour, a fruit with high sensory acceptability, was used. The objective of the research was to produce a multi-component extrudate (ME) based on cañihua and quinoa with the addition of pea protein isolate and banana flour. The response variables evaluated were composition, expansion, hydration, colour, and hardness properties, as well as the microscopy and sensory characteristics of the flakes produced. These flakes were compared with three commercial extrudates, commercial quinoa-based extrudate (QE), commercial corn-based extrudate (CE), and commercial wheat-based extrudate (WE), which had similar characteristics. The ME showed a higher protein content compared to commercial extrudates (13.60%), and it had significant amounts of lipids, fibre, and ash. The expansion of the ME was like commercial quinoa but significantly lower than the CE and the WE in terms of expansion (p < 0.05). Regarding the absorption and solubility indices of the ME, these indicated that it had lower starch fragmentation compared to the commercial CE and WE. In addition, the instrumental hardness of the ME was higher than the commercial ones due to the complex nature of the product. Through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), it was observed that the ME showed some remaining extrusion-resistant starch granules from quinoa and cañihua with the presence of protein bodies. Finally, the flash profile described the ME as having a pronounced flavour, higher hardness, and lower sweetness, and the free sorting task allowed it to be differentiated from commercial extrudates based on its natural appearance and chocolate flavour. Full article

Cupriavidus necator can produce single-cell proteins (SCPs) using electrons produced by hydrogen as energy, oxygen as electron acceptors, and CO₂ as carbon sources. Gas fermentation is a process of microbial fermentation that uses gas substrates (such as hydrogen, carbon dioxide, etc.) which faces several challenges, mainly including the low solubility of gas substrates, the danger of hydrogen and oxygen mixing, and the optimization of fermentation conditions. To overcome these challenges, this article explores a variety of strategies—including the design of a self-developed bioreactor—to reduce the risk of static electricity. Without the addition of filler material, the results showed that the maximum cell dry weight (CDW) of 30% secondary seed inoculation was 20.41% higher than that of 10% secondary seed inoculum, and 5.99% higher than that of 20% secondary seed inoculum. Combined with the filler material and with the use of high-efficiency continuous fermentation technology, the average yield of continuous fermentation was 23.31 g/day, while the average yield of batch fermentation was 14.33 g/day. The daily yield of continuous fermentation is 1.63 times that of batch fermentation. These efforts are aimed at improving the efficiency and safety of gas fermentation. Full article

Industrial raspberry plantations do not provide the domestic Russian market with products in full. Open-ground raspberries are only available in July, August, and September. These time intervals can be extended by using tunnel shelters and remontant varieties. The aim of this study was to evaluate foreign remontant raspberry varieties for industrial cultivation in the Central Russia region and their potential use in breeding programs to improve domestic varieties. The data was collected from four-year-old plants over three years. The studied varieties—including ‘Amira’, ‘Enrosadira’, ‘Maravilla’, ‘Mapema’, ‘Kwanza’, and ‘Eros’—were grown in film greenhouses. The vegetative and generative parts of the plant were assessed, as well as the characteristics of the fruits. The plants were grown in film tunnels (10 m × 100 m × 4.7 m). Thirty fruits were randomly selected for the study, in which quantitative and qualitative parameters were evaluated. The parameters of the vegetative and generative organs were also measured. According to the study results, based on raspberry fruit quality indicators, four raspberry variety groups were distinguished. The content of soluble solids was highest in the Maravilla variety, amounting to 14.14 ± 0.71 Brix. Based on a set of characteristics, it was established that if agronomic activities including irrigation and basic fertilizer application are observed, the varieties ‘Maravilla’, ‘Enrosadira’, and ‘Mapema’ are promising for use in the central zone of Russia. Full article

Integrated rice–fish farming is an innovative agricultural production pattern that combines rice cultivation with fish farming, enhancing agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. Partitioned rice–fish farming, an advancement of the traditional approach, addresses challenges such as difficulties in fish harvesting and the inconveniences of mechanized operations encountered in paddy fields. To evaluate the environmental impacts of partitioned rice–fish farming on the agricultural ecosystem, we investigated the impacts of partitioned rice–fish farming on the diversity, composition, functionality, co-occurrence networks, and assembly processes of bacterial communities within paddy water. Our results revealed significantly improved Chao1, Observed species, and Pd_faith indices for the bacterial community in the partitioned rice–fish farming system. The relative abundances of the Bacteroidota, Gemmatimonadota, Proteobacteria, and Fluviicola in paddy water were altered by the partitioned system. The partitioned system considerably impacted the bacterial co-occurrence networks within the paddy water, with the planktonic bacterial co-occurrence network in rice cultivation area having more nodes (205) and edges (2085), and its robustness being significantly higher than that of other groups, resulting in a more complex and stable structure of the planktonic bacterial community. In addition, the partitioned system significantly promoted the contribution of stochastic processes to bacterial community assembly in the paddy water, with the main enhanced stochastic processes being homogenizing dispersal and drift. The total proportion of these processes for bacterial community assembly increased from 60% to 70%. Nitrate concentrations in the paddy water were remarkably associated with the water bacterial communities and contributed most to the variations in water bacterial communities. Hence, partitioned rice–fish farming is a feasible and good agricultural production pattern, and from the perspectives of bacterial community diversity and stability it offers both theoretical insights and data-supported foundations for advancing sustainable agricultural practices. Full article

Potatoes are a crop that thrives in highland areas, and Bandung Regency is one of the major potato production centers in West Java. This production center is located in an environmentally focused village development area within the Cisangkuy Sub-Watershed of Bandung Regency. The purpose of this study is to identify risks arising from various risk sources and to formulate risk control strategies for potato production in this region. The method used is the house of risk (HOR) method. In farming activities, farmers must comply with environmental regulations. However, many farmers are still unaware of the importance of environmental sustainability, particularly in their use of chemicals. To actively engage in environmental management efforts, it is crucial to understand the characteristics of potato farmers in Bandung Regency, especially those located in the development area of environmentally focused villages within the Cisangkuy Sub-Watershed. The results of this study identified 33 risk events. The risk event with the highest impact is waterlogged plants (E10), with an impact value of 8.9. Based on the Pareto diagram, 16 priority risk sources need to be addressed. The most significant risk source identified is the use of uncertified seeds (A29). To mitigate risks in potato production, 21 preventive actions (PAs) have been proposed. One of the most effective strategies is for farmers to purchase seed potatoes directly from Balitsa (PA1), with an effectiveness ratio (ETD) of 4372. Another recommended strategy is to purchase certified seeds from other breeders (PA2). These strategies are prioritized to reduce the risks faced by potato farmers. Full article