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Vegetables are among the world's most widely produced horticultural crops and are processed into salads, canned foods, juices, pickles, and powders. Processing vegetables into different value-added products generates a large quantity of byproducts, which can have significant socio-economic and environmental impacts. This review summarizes the role of vegetable byproducts, extraction methods, and applications in the food, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and related industries. It looks at future research and discovery in vegetable byproduct utilization. Vegetable byproducts provide numerous beneficial bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, antioxidants, carotenoids, vitamins, dietary fibers, enzymes, essential oils, pectin, organic acids, food additives, and minerals. These bioactive compounds can be utilized in different industries, including the food industry for the development of functional foods for various population groups and in the medicine and pharmaceutical industries. Different emerging valorization techniques have been successfully used to extract high-value-added products from vegetable byproducts. However, some methods are limited to the laboratory scale, and scaling up these techniques to the industrial scale still has impediments. Future studies are recommended to scale up the extraction methods and beneficial bioactive compounds to fully exploit these vegetable byproducts for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cheese making and vegetable processing industries generate immense volumes of high‐nitrogen wastewater that is often treated at rural facilities using land applications. Laboratory incubation results showed denitrification decreased with temperature in industry facility soils but remained high in soils from agricultural sites (75% at 2.1°C). 16S rRNA, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA), and soil respiration analyses were conducted to investigate potential soil microbiome impacts. Biotic and abiotic system factor correlations showed no clear patterns explaining the divergent denitrification rates. In all three soil types at the phylum level, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteria dominated, whereas at the class level, Nitrososphaeria and Alphaproteobacteria dominated, similar to denitrifying systems such as wetlands, wastewater resource recovery facilities, and wastewater‐irrigated agricultural systems. Results show that potential denitrification drivers vary but lay the foundation to develop a better understanding of the key factors regulating denitrification in land application systems and protect local groundwater supplies. Practitioner Points: Incubation study denitrification rates decreased as temperatures decreased, potentially leading to groundwater contamination issues during colder months.The three most dominant phyla for all systems are Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteria.The dominant class for all systems is Nitrosphaeria (phyla Crenarchaeota).No correlation patterns between denitrification rates and system biotic and abiotic factors were observed that explained system efficiency differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drying technologies have played an indispensable role in food preservation for decades. However, the qualitative and nutritional alteration in the traditionally dried fruits and vegetables led to develop the innovative drying technologies. Freeze-drying is one of the methods known to retain the almost native structure of fruits and vegetables. It also retains crucial volatiles and phytochemicals within various dried fruit matrices. Despite exhibiting the advantage of retaining original structure after drying, it is associated with huge capital and operational costs. This eventually limits the application of freezedrying to high-value end products (enzymes and bioactive compounds) both commercially and economically. However, an application of freeze-drying technology has geared up in India in recent times for the drying of fruits and vegetables due to increasing consumer awareness about health and wellness, rising disposable incomes, and changing dietary preferences. Moreover, the issues related to the overall expenses involved in the bulk production of freeze-dried fruits and vegetables need to be addressed. Therefore, the present article explores the possible ways to reduce the cost and energy consumption during freeze-drying. Furthermore, the application of freeze-drying assisted with various novel processing methods, freeze-drying associated with machine learning, artificial intelligence, and various technological advancements have been reviewed for real-time drying, process monitoring, process prediction, and optimization to reduce energy consumption and overall cost of production. It could help in the selection of appropriate processing methods assisted with freeze-drying by food industries to produce high-quality fruit-based dried snacks for extended storage periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet corn (Zea mays L.var. rugosa or saccharata) is sown across a wide range of dates to provide a steady supply of marketable ears for fresh market and processing. There is a perception in the sweet corn industry that plant density tolerance declines in late-season plantings in the midwestern United States; however, publicly available data to support this perception cannot be found. Using field experiments, the objectives of this research were to quantify the effect of the sowing date on growth responses to plant density and determine the extent to which the sowing date influences the optimum plant density and maximum yield/profit. There were few main effects or interactions of the sowing date on crop growth. More importantly, there was no effect of the sowing date on the economically optimum plant density or plant density that optimized yield. Although variations exist in sweet corn optimum plant densities in the midwestern United States, these variations are likely driven by several factors other than the sowing date that have not yet been fully characterized.

Sweet corn (Zea mays L.var. rugosa or saccharata) is sown across a wide range of dates to provide a steady supply of marketable ears for fresh market and processing. There is a perception in the sweet corn industry that plant density tolerance declines in late-season plantings in the midwestern United States; however, publicly available data to support this perception cannot be found. Using field experiments, the objectives of this research were to quantify the effect of the sowing date on growth responses to plant density and determine the extent to which the sowing date influences the optimum plant density and maximum yield/profit. There were few main effects or interactions of the sowing date on crop growth. More importantly, there was no effect of the sowing date on the economically optimum plant density or plant density that optimized yield. Although variations exist in sweet corn optimum plant densities in the midwestern United States, these variations are likely driven by several factors other than the sowing date that have not yet been fully characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) behavior in soil is a major component of the global N cycle. Climate scientists seek to accurately measure N flux to the atmosphere, farmers want to maximize plant N uptake and reduce input costs, and industries land-applying wastewater must mitigate potential N leaching to drinking water supplies. The need to quantify denitrification rates of wastewater disposed of by vegetable processing and cheese making industries in Wisconsin drove the development of an autonomous high-throughput in situ sampling and analysis system for soil N flux. The system was deployed to six unique industry sites with different soil types for 7 days once per quarter and data collected continuously. Additional seasonal data collection allowed for the determination of system N mass balances. The system can deliver quality data under challenging conditions where staffing would be impractical and provide detailed information about soil gas emissions under a range of environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inappropriate nitrogen fertilizer management for the intensive Chinese vegetable production has caused low N use efficiency (NUE), high reactive nitrogen (Nr) losses and serious environmental risks with limited yield increase. Innovative N management strategy is an urgent need to achieve sustainable vegetable production. This paper summarizes recent studies on Nr losses and identifies the limitations from Chinese vegetable production systems and proposes three steps for sustainable N management in Chinese vegetable production. The three N management steps include, but are not limited to, (1) knowledge-based optimization of N fertilizer rate strategy, which maintains soil N supply to meet the dynamic vegetable demand in time, space and quantity; (2) innovative products and technology, which regulates the soil N forms and promotes the vegetable root growth to reduce the Nr loss; (3) integrated knowledge and products strategy (IKPS). The knowledge-based optimization of N fertilizer rate strategy and innovative products and technology, can maintain or increase vegetable yield, significantly improve NUE, and mitigate the region-specific and crop-specific Nr losses. More importantly, IKPS, based on combination of in-season root-zone N management strategy, innovative products and technology, and best crop cultivation management, is needed to produce more vegetables with lower Nr losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. With the development of the food and processing industry, the matter of environmental pollution is becoming more and more acute. Environmental protection is based on the principle of rational use of natural resources and sustainable technology. Vegetable pomace is a secondary raw material; its amount depends on the production technology and equipment. The observed positive trend in the gross harvest of vegetables in open ground can increase the number of vegetable processing enterprises and the capacity of existing enterprises. Eventually, waste will start accumulating at processing sites, and it will have to be used as raw materials. The present paper features the content of biologically active substances in pomace of carrots and beets grown on the territory of the Siberian region and introduces options for their further use in functional foods. Study objects and methods. The research featured carrot pomace of the varieties Losinoostrovskaya, Nantskaya, and Queen of Autumn, as well as beet pomace of varieties Cylinder and Bordeaux. All the samples were harvested in the Kemerovo region in 2019. Determination of physical and chemical parameters was carried out using standard methods. Carotenoids, flavonoids, β-cyanine were studied using spectrometry and photocolorimetric method. Results and discussion. The experiment featured the content of bioactive substances in pomace of carrots and beets obtained during industrial processing. The content of carotenoids in carrots (mg of β-carotene per 100 g of dry weight): for Losinoostrovskaya variety – 23.56 ± 0.23; Nantskaya – 25.32 ± 0.18; Queen of Autumn – 20.78 ± 0.25. Flavonoid content (mg of catechol equivalent per 100 g of dry weight): Losinoostrovskaya – 12.02 ± 0.37; Nantskaya – 13.45 ± 0.56; Queen of Autumn – 11.50 ± 0.48. The content of β-cyanine in beets (mg per 100 g of dry weight): Cylinder – 100.0 ± 8.5; Bordeaux – 35.0 ± 1.8. The nutritional value of carrot and beet pomace with a mass fraction of moisture was 10%. The nutritional value of vegetable pomace is due to the high content of dietary fiber; therefore, the raw materials can be considered for functional food production. The content of biologically active substances in vegetable pomace (flavonoids, carotenoids, β-cyanines) can enhance the functional orientation of this secondary raw material when used in food technologies for the production of food of high nutritional value. Conclusion. The results obtained will make it possible to use the biochemical potential of plant raw materials in many aspects, as well as to obtain new functional food products, thereby expanding the range of healthy foods.

This article presents the results of studies of large-fruited purple cherry plum, large-fruited yellow and large-fruited red cherry plum. The fruits of the large-fruited purple plum contain a higher percentage of pectin compounds and fiber. The authors drew attention to this fruit due to its widespread growth in the south of Kazakhstan. Due to the presence of useful constituents, the authors justified the possibility of using this fruit and the dried fruit obtained from it for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and anemia. The problem of these diseases is relevant for Kazakhstan, in particular, for the south of Kazakhstan. Dried fruit is the product that allows to get a balanced diet in the autumn-winter-spring period. Modern methods of drying allow you to preserve the appearance and useful composition of dried fruits. Cherry plum is a perishable and perennial plant. It is drought-resistant, not fastidious to growing conditions. Based on the results of a comparative analysis of the mineral composition of the ash residues of cherry plums of different sizes and colors growing in the Turkestan region, conclusions are drawn about the high content of useful components in cherry plums. It is proved that the formation of biocomponents in cherry plum fruits is also influenced by soil and climatic conditions and environmental factors of vertical zonation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since it is well known that bread is consumed by all groups of the population, it can be convenient for the enrichment of useful components. Daily consumption of bread allows to enrich the diet, and reduce the impact of harmful environmental factors on the human body. It is worth noting that enriched varieties of bread products are in high demand among consumers of restaurants. The aim of our research was to investigate the problem of bakery products enrichment of with dietary fibers, or more precisely, adaptation of traditional technology to the conditions of mini-productions. Materials for this research was pea’s fibres “EmfibreEF 200”, by-products of vegetable processing, which was added in an amount of 3-7% by weight of flour. There was scientifically proved by many authors that a promising source of dietary fiber is pea’s food fiber. The chemical composition and influence of pea’s food fiber on the formation of wheat dough are determined by gravimetric method. We studied the influence of pea dietary fibers on biochemical processes in the dough, which characterize the balance of sugar changes during dough preparation and gas formation under the condition of using pea’s food fiber during fermentation. Also content of sugars in the finished products was analyzed by iodometric semi-micromethod. Influence of pea’s food fibers on the yeast activity was analysed by gas-forming ability of semi-finished products. The total amount of released carbon dioxide in semifinished products was determined by a volumetric method at the device AG-1M. It was established that the total content of food fibers in pea’s food fibers is 61.6% to the mass of dry matter, which is 2.3 times higher than the content of food fibers in wheat bran. This makes it possible to reduce the percentage of dosage of the studied raw material compared to wheat bran to ensure a physiologically justified concentration of dietary fiber in bakery products. Pea’s food fibers contain 20.3% of pulp dry substances and 31.1% of pectin dry substances represented predominantly by protopectins, which allows predicting the potential detoxification effect of bread with this raw material. We established that the introduction of pea’s food fibers has positively affects the activity of yeast. The use of pea`s dietary fiber allows to expand the range of useful bread products and adapt the technology to the conditions of mini-production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aloe vera gel provides numerous health benefits and is considered as one of the best coating materials, which is edible, safe, and biodegradable. It facilitates a barrier against moisture and gas exchange, conserves the firmness, color, and flavor of the fruits and vegetables. Besides, owing to the antimicrobial and antioxidative properties, Aloe vera coating provides reduced microbial proliferation and improved antioxidant activity of the stored produce. Hence, Aloe vera coating has been used as a noble edible coating for fresh produce. This review aims to highlight the application of Aloe vera gel coating alone or together with other functional compounds in order to extend postharvest shelf life and preservation quality of fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables. This study also summarizes relevant biological activities and compositional characteristics of the gel. Some challenges and future aspects of the application of Aloe vera coating have discussed as there is a growing interest in this unique edible coating. This information will help the food processors to identify the most effective Aloe vera coating concentration alone or in combination with other functional ingredients for a variety of fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study gives insights on production performance of one of Bihar's most important vegetable, the cauliflower. Compound annual growth in area, production and productivity of cauliflower were analyzed to investigate the expansion or shrinkage of the cauliflower in Samastipur district of Bihar as well as for the entire state. In this investigation, resource use efficiency of the respondent farmers were also calculated to know whether the farmers are operating technically, allocatively or cost effectively or not in production of cauliflower in the study area. Significant positive growth in area, production and productivity of cauliflower in Bihar was observed during the period of investigation .The growth in area, production and productivity of cauliflower exhibited almost similar trend in case of Samastipur district. The analysis of resource use efficiency of cauliflower production revealed that the mean level of technical, allocative and cost efficiencies of all the sample respondents were estimated at 0.67, 0.61 and 0.41 which implied that the cauliflower growers could decrease the current input by 33.00%, reduce the cost of production of cauliflower by 39.00% for which they would have to be more aware of relative input prices prevailing in the market, while deciding upon quantum of various inputs, and reduce the current cost of the produce by 59.00% to achieve a potential minimum cost of production relative to the efficient farmers given current level of output. In this way the efficiency scores suggest that there is a considerable scope for decreasing inputs and thereby reducing the cost of production in cauliflower cultivation in the study area. The study pointed out that the farmers in the study area were not properly aware about the package of practices of cultivation of cauliflower and under or over utilizing the resources of productivity causing gap in output of the crop. Proper farmer's field trials and awareness campaigns on improved practices and correct method of use of inputs need to be imparted which will ultimately benefit the producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A model was developed to improve pest risk assessments and to better advise risk managers and policy makers on the relative importance of the pathways of pest entry and the strength of measures to be taken on each. The model computes the probability of the transfer of insect or mite pests from traded commodities to hosts at sites suitable for establishment. The probability is calculated from arrival of the pest on imported produce (cut flowers/branches, fruits or vegetables), up-to-and-including first egg laying, and taking into account any necessary development of the pest to a suitably mobile stage. Three case studies, Helicoverpa armigera on Rosa cut flowers, Thrips palmi on Solanum fruit and Rhagoletis mendax on Vaccinium fruit, are explained in detail. Probabilities were estimated for nine variables from which a joint probability, the probability of transfer, was calculated for each of the species–product combinations and trade chain scenarios. Although the probabilities were expressions of expert belief, rather than empirically derived, the resulting large differences in outcomes between the cases gave greater discrimination of relative risk than more qualitative approaches. The model helps to identify pest and trade-chain characteristics that are most limiting to transfer and so highlights the importance of these characteristics for future assessments. For pests that arrive as immature stages that are relatively immobile, development into an adult was identified as an important limiting factor especially for pests with a long lifecycle in relation to the shelf life of the product. For pests that have a limited dispersal ability the proximity to a suitable site was an important factor. Pests that arrive as adults, or can rapidly attain adulthood, and that can establish close to the destination of the produce are therefore a particular biosecurity concern. Highlights • A model is presented to calculate the probability of transfer of pests from produce. • The absence of an adult or other mobile stage strongly limited transfer probability. • The proximity to a suitable habitat strongly increased the probability of transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water reclamation has become a feasible option due to water scarcity in many regions of the USA. Industrial fresh produce processing wastewater streams usually do not actively employ water recycling despite the large quantities of water being consumed. Further, there is a paucity of information on water reuse options for this sector. Therefore, this study assessed selected treatment processes for washwater from vegetable processing. The work focused on turbidity, chemical oxygen demand, dissolved organic carbon at ambient and low-temperature vegetable processing environments (4 °C). Microfiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and novel biocatalyst composites were evaluated using both synthetic washwater and composite washwater samples collected from a commercial produce processing plant. Results showed that ultrafiltration and microfiltration were able to substantially reduce turbidity, but achieved only minimal chemical oxygen demand and dissolved organic carbon reduction. A majority of the constituents contributing to these two parameters were dissolved compounds, causing challenges for physical separation treatment techniques. The biocatalyst system demonstrated good efficiency at both 22 and 4 °C, with respect to the removal of chemical oxygen demand (72 and 66%, respectively), and dissolved organic carbon (74 and 70%, respectively). Reverse osmosis generated high-quality water that could be employed in vegetable production line; however, extensive pretreatment processes were required. This study demonstrated the potential to recover washwater in produce processing industry. Moreover, the results showed that the biocatalyst treatment could be applied at low temperature and potentially applied to water recycling schemes for wastewater streams from food industries that operate under low operating temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Peach is a perishable fruit of great importance for the Greek food export market which is prone to rapid deterioration after harvesting. Its short shelf life can be substantially prolonged by applying an appropriate osmotic dehydration (OD) pre‐treatment, which is a mild, non‐thermal procedure. The aim of this study was to describe mass transfer and quality retention induced by the OD process. RESULTS: Peach pieces were immersed in tertiary solutions of glycerol, erythritol, steviol glucosides and mineral salts at pre‐selected OD conditions (25–45 °C for 3–240 min, wfruit/wsolution = 1:5). Water loss (WL), solid gain (SG), water activity (aw) as well as representative quality indices (colour, texture) were measured during OD, showing that osmotically dehydrated peach presented significant aw reduction (from 0.97 to 0.88) combined with quality retention. CONCLUSION: This research showed that OD can be an effective pre‐processing step in the production of intermediate moisture novel products. A second‐degree polynomial model was developed describing adequately the effect of OD time and temperature and glycerol concentration on WL, SG, aw, colour and texture of osmotically dehydrated peach, and analysis of variance was applied to identify those factors that significantly affect the aforementioned parameters. It was concluded that OD using alternative osmotic agents is an efficient method with respect to product colour and texture retention, allowing for the production of novel products with extended shelf life. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Fruit and vegetable processing industries account for the largest segment of food waste which is produced worldwide. The disposal of this waste requires a huge capital investment, majority of which is the transportation costs. This results in dumping and burning of these wastes in open fields. Scope and approach In this review, we have focussed on the valorisation schemes to extract valuable biomolecules from pineapple on-farm and processing waste for food and therapeutics applications. Biorefinery approach has been highlighted for sustainable production of value added products. Key findings and conclusion The high content of carbohydrate (55%) in pineapple waste makes it an appropriate substrate for the production of valuable chemicals such as xylitol, xylooligosaccharides, lactic acid, succinic acid and others, which have potential application in the food industry. The enzyme, bromelain, which is present in pineapple, has potential for application in therapeutics as well as in the food industry. Such utilisation of waste could prove to be a better alternative in the mitigation of environmental problems and also to propose a novel method to produce valuable chemicals. Despite the opportunities, there are challenges in the valorisation of this waste, largely due to the poor understanding of its nutritional and economic value, gap in close-linked markets, logistics issues for plant scale-up. Since most of the research is limited to lab-scale studies, additional research is required to evaluate techno-economic feasibility of the processes involved in the bio-refinery with minimum environmental impact for effective transition to circular economy. Graphical abstract Valorisation of pineapple waste in food and therapeutics. Image 1 Highlights • Disposal of horticultural processing waste requires a huge capital investment. • Pineapple waste can be utilized as a source of functional food ingredients and natural antioxidants. • Extracted carbohydrates and polyphenols can further be converted into value-added chemicals. • These compounds can find applications in food and therapeutics industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alongside paper, plastic, metal and glass, an important segment in the recycling area is represented by the wastes of different vegetal processing industries. These by-products gained interest lately, in the context of food waste prevention and growing population number. In the tomato processing industry approximately, 8.5 million tons of wastes are generated globally, each year. The present study highlights the valuable bioactive constituents as lycopene, beta-carotene, glutamic acid or aspartic acid from the by-products of tomato processing industries, which can be revalorized as incorporated nutrients in functional foods. Tomato consumption is directly associated with the prevention of different chronic diseases and carcinogenesis, however the carotenoids bioavailability is a key factor in this process. Further, fiber content together with protein content of tomato seeds and benefits of their consumption are emphasized. Value-added food products obtained by tomato peels or seeds addition are exemplified in this review (bakery, meat products, pasta and noodles, dairy and oil products as well as jams and functional ice cream), in order to embrace next prototypes that can transform vegetal by-products in functional nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract There has been an increasing demand for fresh fruit and vegetables in recent years. Along the processing line in fresh-cut vegetable production, disinfection is one of the most important processing steps affecting the quality and safety, and the shelf-life of the end produce. Although a range of antimicrobial compounds commonly termed biocides or disinfectants are available, chlorine has long been used to disinfect washing waters of fresh-cut vegetables. However, since chlorine reactions with organic matter lead to the production of by-products, alternative disinfectants to chlorine must be evaluated. A synthetic washing water formula has been developed to determine the antimicrobial efficiency of different families of potential disinfectants: quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) as benzalkonium chloride (BZK), and didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC); isothiazolinones (mixture of methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone, CMIT:MIT 3:1 and 1:1); and essential oils (carvacrol, CAR). The twin configuration and higher length of the chains of alkyl groups of DDAC compared to BZK have led to a higher antimicrobial efficiency. In both cases, Gram-positive bacteria seemed to be much more sensitive to the QAC attack than Gram-negative. The opposite happened for CMIT:MIT. The chloro-substituted isothiazolinone (CMIT) has been proven to be much more effective than its unsubstituted form (MIT). In addition, in contrast to chlorine, its antimicrobial activity together with that of DDAC was not decreased when increasing the organic matter content of the water. Synergetic antimicrobial effects have been confirmed when combining BZK and CAR. MBC values were determined in SWW, during 90 s of contact time and Salmonella concentration of 103 CFU/mL, corresponding to: 100 (BZK), 30 (DDAC), 50 (CMIT:MIT 3:1), 100 (CMIT:MIT 1:1), 300 (CAR), 75 (BZK)-200 (CAR), and 9 (free chlorine) mg/L. MBC values for inactivating similar concentration of E. faecalis corresponded to: 50 (BZK), and 10 (DDAC) mg/L. Increasing contact times up to 5 min did not lead to higher antimicrobial efficiencies. CMIT:MIT 3:1 together with DDAC, and combinations of BZK-CAR seem to be a plausible alternative to chlorine. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • A synthetic water formula was developed to simulate wash waters of RTE vegetables. • Chemical structure of the tested disinfectants affected antimicrobial efficacy. • Gram(+) was more sensible to quaternary ammonium compounds than Gram(−). • The opposite occurred for a mixture of chloromethyl- and methylisothiazolinones (3:1). • Isothiazolinones (3:1) were active under waters with high organic matter unlike chlorine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the factor that Influence the willingness to pay a high price for organic vegetables by using consumer preferences data by primary sources from Islamabad in Pakistan. The determinants of willingness to pay of consumers estimated by using the probit model. The model contains the information of socioeconomic characteristics, awareness and preferences of organic vegetables and product attributes. The empirical findings indicate that age, employment status, income, education, number of children, taste, no chemical residual, high nutritional value, freshness and colour of the vegetables have positive effects on consumer to pay a high price. While in case of product size and shape has a adverse effect on consumer. Results indicate that when making choices of food, consumers in Islamabad prioritise their health. Furthermore, the households who earn more income perceive a negative impact on health from chemical usage, the more likely they would be willing to pay a high price for a fresh organic vegetable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China accounts for more than half of the world's vegetable production, and identifying the contribution of vegetable production to nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions in China is therefore important. We performed a meta-analysis that included 153 field measurements of N 2 O emissions from 21 field studies in China. Our goal was to quantify N 2 O emissions and fertilizer nitrogen (N) based-emission factors (EFs) in Chinese vegetable systems and to clarify the effects of rates and types of N fertilizer in both open-field and greenhouse systems. The results indicated that the intensive vegetable systems in China had an average N 2 O emission of 3.91 kg N 2 O-N ha −1 and an EF of 0.69%. Although the EF was lower than the IPCC default value of 1.0%, the average N 2 O emission was generally greater than in other cropping systems due to greater input of N fertilizers. The EFs were similar in greenhouse vs. open-field systems but N 2 O emissions were about 1.4 times greater in greenhouses. The EFs were not affected by N rate, but N 2 O emissions for both open-field and greenhouse systems increased with N rate. The total and fertilizer-induced N 2 O emissions, as well as EFs, were unaffected by the type of fertilizers in greenhouse system under same N rates. In addition to providing basic information about N 2 O emissions from Chinese vegetable systems, the results suggest that N 2 O emissions could be reduced without reducing yields by treating vegetable systems in China with a combination of synthetic N fertilizer and manure at optimized economic rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is economic viability of organic ajvar (vegetable caviar) production in Serbia. Ajvar (vegetable caviar) is a relish or spread, a specialty of the Balkans, which is becoming increasingly popular in many markets with the growing demand for vegan, ethnic and organic food. This paper shows an organic market overview and a thorough case study based on data gathered by desk research and a two-phase survey. In the case study the focus was on static and dynamic financial indicators of economic viability of organic ajvar production. Based on the results of financial indicators it is proven that production of organic ajvar is very profitable, but the key prerequisite for profitability as was determined after the analysis of the break-even point -- is large scale production. Profitability is achieved at around 24 tons, which requires organized industrial production. Although the Serbian market has potential for this type of production, shortcomings such as fragmented market with a lot of small farms and farmers' mistrust in both the cooperation and the financial institutions have led to slow market development. Conclusions are summarized in the end with the aim of providing practical guidelines for the improvement of the organic market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subject matter of scientific research are basic issues of the specialization of greenhouse vegetable production in national and regional aspect. The methodology used contains a system of indicators for establishing and characterizing the sectoral and regional specialization of greenhouse vegetable production (conventional and biological) in Bulgaria. In the present study the assessment at the level of specialization was done using the indicators approved in the economic literature: coefficient of the sectoral structure of the regional economy; location factor of the sectors in the region and absolute regional specialization coefficient. Finally, it is noted that the practical use of regional specialization would allow competent policy makers to draw up a science-based strategy for establishing national agrarian priorities as an initial stage in developing a unified national doctrine on agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruits and vegetables are valuable source of nutritionally important compounds. The aim of novel technologies is to preserve the bioactive compounds with minimal impact on sensory quality and to improve quality control and safety along the food chain. Besides that, the production of shelfstable semi-fresh products, the reduction of food losses through increased shelf life, the reduction of energy and water use, the generation of food ingredients from by-products are also very important objectives. To achieve the above mentioned goals new technologies, like sensor technology, sustainable packaging, non-thermal pasteurisation and sterilisation, nano and micro technology, the utilisation of rest and by-products, the application of low energy and low water technologies as well as better knowledge transfer should be applied. Recent sensor technologies that include uni-molecular sensors, bio arrays, solid state sensors, optical and spectrographic sensors, radio frequencies and sensor networks are widely tested with encouraging outcomes. In this way the quality and safety can be controlled more precisely during the storage of particular product. Combining sensor technologies and produce physiology (so called dynamic control system) offers more accurate storage conditions requirement (content of O2 and CO2) to better preserve quality, the content of bioactive compounds and thus inhibit some physiological disorders without usage of phytopharmaceuticals. Non thermal technologies (pulsed electric field, cold plasma, high hydrostatic pressure) all enable inactivation of microorganisms and enzymes with minimal impact on sensory properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carrot pomace powder (CPP) is a valuable by-product of carrot processing containing nutrients and fiber and can be utilized for enrichment of gluten-free products. The main purpose of this study was to determine the effects of various levels of CPP (0, 10, 20, and 30%) and a mixture of hydrocolloids (HC) including pectin and xanthan (1.5% of each) on the quality of batter and gluten-free cakes. With increasing the level of CPP and inclusion of HC the viscosity of the batter increased significantly from 87 mPa s for the control to >7000 mPa s for 30%CCP + HC sample. The density of the control batter was 1.2 g/cm3 which reduced significantly to 0.899 g/cm3 for HC sample. The pH of the cake reduced from 7.23 to 6.78 with addition of CPP but increased slightly with inclusion of HC. The density of the cake reduced from 0.510 g/cm3 for the control to 0.395 g/cm3 for 20%CCP + C sample. The texture of the cakes became softer, more springy and chewable with addition of CPP, CPP + HC, and HC. The control sample had the lowest uniformity index (0.178) which improved with addition of CPP and CPP + HC and a highly uniform cake with a uniformity index of 0.045 was obtained for the 30%CCP + HC cake. Addition of CPP increased the dark color of the cakes while inclusion of HC had no effect on the appearance of the cake and color. It was concluded that inclusion of maximum 30%CCP and 20%CPP + HC promoted the quality and sensory attributes of gluten-free cakes. Practical applications Although different types of gluten-free products are available in the market, most of them contain insufficient amount of fiber and nutrients. Despite popularity, gluten-free cakes are poor in fiber and nutrient contents. Therefore, improving the nutritional value of these products has received an increasing attention by the food industry. Carrot pomace powder (CPP) is an available source of fiber and nutrients and hence can be utilized for enrichment of gluten-free products. This study showed that the inclusion of up to 30% CPP or 20% CPP with a mixture of xanthan and pectin (3%, 1:1) improved the quality and sensory attributes of the cakes. Industrial implications of this study may lead to new product development and improved marketing due to the enhancement of quality, sensory attributes, and nutritional value of the products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial community composition influences the formation of flavourful substances in fermented foods. However, the bacterial structure of fermented vegetables from different origins has scarcely been reported. Here, 10 different fermented vegetables of Chinese origin were collected to explore the bacterial community diversity using 16S rDNA sequencing. Of these samples, the number of identified operational taxonomic units (OTUs) ranged from 107 to 290, which could be categorized into 12 phyla, 21 classes, 52 orders, 97 families, 223 genera and 348 species. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the top two dominant phyla with a relative abundance of 88.2–99.3% of the total OTUs. Meanwhile, Lactobacillus alimentarius , L. versmoldensis , Bacillus and unclassified Weissella spp. were detected as the predominant Firmicutes bacteria, while Chromohalobacter japonicus , Halomonas jeotgali , Pediococcus and unclassified Vibrio spp. were the most abundant proteus bacteria. Hierarchical cluster and principal component analysis indicated that the 10 samples could be grouped into three groups, with the main two components explaining 49.1 and 28.6% of the total variance. These results indicated a high level of diversity in the bacterial community structure in traditional fermented vegetables and demonstrated the possible influences of manufacturing location and conditions, and/or the type of raw material, on bacterial diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shape-based classification of fruits and vegetables is one of the most important applications of image processing and machine vision technology in post-harvest processing of agricultural products. In this research, desirable (cylindrical), and undesirable (curved and conical) shapes of cucumber fruit were considered to be intelligently detected using image processing technique and artificial neural networks method. A new algorithm was programed for preprocessing and extraction of shape features from the images in MATLAB 2010a software. Beside common features, two new features including 'centroid non homogeneity' and 'width non homogeneity' were introduced and extracted. After feature selection, different neural network models were evaluated to classify the useful features. The best classifier model had accuracy of 97.1% with 4-20-2 structure. Practical applications The present research introduces new features to distinguish cucumber shape: desired (cylindrical) and undesired. The approach can be used to develop a sorting system based on machine vision to separate cucumber fruits to two classes in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use and application possibilities of the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology, as a decision support tool in food safety risk management was demonstrated in a case study on the washing of minimally processed leafy greens, a multidimensional food safety decision problem involving public health, economic, environmental and socio-cultural aspects. The washing procedure remains a critical step in the production chain of ready-to-eat leafy vegetables, as the process water could act as a vector for cross-contamination of pathogens. The use of chemical sanitizers in produce wash water is scattered over EU member states and regulations remain unharmonized. The most appropriate washing methodology was determined, for the Belgian situation, based on an evaluation of weighted criteria, following the PROMETHEE II algorithm. Hereto multiple sources of information were consulted, including scientific and grey literature, expert evaluations and information provided by vegetable processing companies. Data generated over the past 10 years and published in scientific literature were selected and aggregated into probabilistic distributions using @Risk® software. An online stakeholder consultation, organized in Belgium, had the aim to measure stakeholders' preferences. The MCDA case study indicated that washing leafy greens in potable (ice) water, should be considered the most appropriate method for the Belgian case. The MCDA methodology can be applied for building evidence-based risk management decisions in the field of food safety, as it provides a transparent framework for the collection of evidence and the inclusion of stakeholders' interests. • MCDA offers a transparent and structured method for risk management decision-making. • Environmental and societal factors' value has increased in food safety policymaking. • Probabilistic computations of metrics were made in @Risk based on scientific data. • Belgian stakeholders expressed their opinions on vegetable wash water sanitization. • The MCDA indicated that washing leafy greens in water is the optimum technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularity of the consumption of fresh ready-to-eat (RTE) products has increased globally. Simultaneously, the number of outbreaks and cases of foodborne illness associated with the consumption of contaminated fresh produce continues to escalate. Thus, it becomes clear that fresh and fresh-cut vegetables are not processed in ways that effectively eliminate human pathogens. Processing of fresh vegetables involves the application of several unit operations that can provide opportunities for cross-contamination whereby a small proportion of contaminated product may cause the contamination of a large proportion of processed product. Some of these unit operations where contamination and cross-contamination may occur are selection, cleaning, washing, trimming, peeling, cutting and shredding, sanitizing and packing. It is recommended that processors ensure that their suppliers (growers, harvesters, packers and distributors) adopt the principles outlined in the Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. A variety of intervention methods may be used such as mild preservation and/or disinfection techniques to enhance safety of minimally processed produce. Traditional methods of reducing microbial populations on produce involve chemical and physical treatments. This review brings an overview of the main microbial risks faced by the producers and the available alternative strategies to reduce these risks. The information shown gives insights on microbial contamination throughout the processing operations involved in RTE vegetable production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial replacement of sodium chloride by potassium and calcium chlorides has been proposed as a strategy for reducing the sodium content of osmodehydrated eggplant. The influence of sodium substitutes and vacuum application (VA) on mass transfer parameters and chemical, mechanical and optical properties were investigated. Kinetics of water loss, solid gain and water activity were performed and fitted by the model of Barbosa Junior et al. This model was satisfactorily adjusted, mainly for the osmotic dehydration at atmosphere pressure. VA and the calcium increased the ascorbic acid retention in 29.33 and 85.06%, respectively. VA increased water loss up to 53% and ions incorporation, especially that of potassium (648%). The VA caused a higher total color difference, maximum stress and elasticity as compared to the osmotic dehydration at atmospheric pressure. Industrial relevance The present paper evaluates the osmotic process with atmospheric and reduced pressures and the production of osmodehydrated eggplant slices with reduced sodium content by the partial replacement of sodium chloride by potassium chloride and calcium chloride. Vacuum can accelerate the osmotic process and enhance the diffusion of water and solutes within the products. The coupling of sodium substitution with reduced pressure could offer an interesting array of different processes and healthier products. This project is a feasibility study of the partial replacement of NaCl by KCl and CaCl 2 and the application of vacuum with regard to effects on mass transfer parameters and the chemical, optical and mechanical properties of osmodehydrated eggplant slices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended shelf life and convenient industrial application have led to increasingly wide use of drying technology in fruits and vegetables processing. However, drying process usually has a negative effect on the active ingredients in fruits and vegetables. In this study, the effects of three thermal drying methods (hot air drying (HD), microwave drying (MD) and combined microwave-hot-air-drying (CD)) on phenolic profiles, their bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity in Rhodomyrtus tomentosa berries were estimated. The total phenolics, flavonoids and anthocyanins contents of CD-berries were significantly higher than those of HD- and MD-ones. CD-berries had higher contents of individual phenolics and showed stronger antioxidant activity than HD- and MD-ones. Conversely, the bioaccessibility of phenolics in HD-berries was remarkably higher than that of MD- and CD-ones, although the latter 2 provided more bioaccessible phenolics than the former after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Thus, combined microwave-hot-air-drying (CD) is a more suitable drying technique for Rhodomyrtus tomentosa berries to maintain their phenolics and antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most typical approaches for measuring color and texture properties are time consuming. An image-based method was used to evaluate the texture and color in freeze-dried potatoes. Microstructure of cooked, cooked freeze-dried and rehydrated potatoes were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Texture properties were analyzed by a texture analyzer and image analysis. Color was determined with a spectrocolorimeter and a digital camera. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were obtained for cooked and cooked freeze-dried rehydrated potatoes. A linear trend was applied for instrumental and image features for texture and color values. Results showed that texture features of images, such as contrast, entropy, energy, and homogeneity (calculated from grey level co-occurrence matrix), showed correlations with instrumental texture features, such as hardness, adhesiveness, chewiness, cohesiveness, and resilience. Similar results were also obtained for color features. This study showed that image processing techniques could be applied as a useful tool to analyze quality in potatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article concerns converting waste from vegetable processing facilities into methane in anaerobic reactors with a small amount of inoculum (8.4%). Anaerobic digestion of vegetable waste with a high content of organic acids and carbohydrates makes it possible to achieve a methanogenesis productivity of 273-436 L CH/kg of volatile solidis, which is comparable to or higher than the productivity of such reactors in the world (according to the literature). The contents of ammonia nitrogen and soluble phosphorus in the form of on undiluted substrate basis in the digested vegetable wastes ranged from 3.39 to 5.06 and from 0.78 to 1.03 g/L respectively. Thus, mineralized vegetable waste can be used as an organic fertilizer with a high nutrient content. The results show the feasibility of the technology of conversion of organic waste from vegetable processing facilities into methane and organic fertilizer in anaerobic fermenters (digesters). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large nitrogen (N) fertilizer applications are a feature of intensive vegetable production systems, and optimal N management is required to maximize N use efficiency and minimize N losses. Vegetation indices (VIs) of canopy reflectance, measured with proximal sensors, are generally strongly related to crop N status. For practical application, sufficiency values that distinguish between N deficiency and sufficiency are required. In this work, sufficiency values of VIs for maximum crop growth and for yield were determined for two cucumber crops grown in contrasting seasons (Autumn and Spring). Canopy reflectance was measured with a Crop Circle ACS-470 sensor. Sufficiency values for maximum growth were based on the relationships of VIs with the Nitrogen Nutrition Index (NNI), i.e. the ratio between actual and critical crop N contents. Sufficiency values for maximum yield were based on linear-plateau relationships of yield with VIs. Strong relationships were obtained between all VIs and both NNI and yield for most of the weekly measurements during both crops. For NNI, best-fit relationships were linear, quadratic, power or exponential, and had coefficients of determination (R 2 ) of 0.61–0.98. For yield, most linear-plateau relationships between yield and VIs had R 2 values of 0.47–0.89. VIs based on reflectance in green and red edge had slightly better relationships with NNI and yield than VIs in the red, with the Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI) and the Green Ratio Vegetation Index (GRVI) being the most sensitive and consistent indices for estimating both crop NNI and yield. Relationships between VIs and NNI and yield for all weekly measurements of each crop, and for the two crops combined, were also analyzed to provide unique sufficiency values for maximum growth and yield that applied to the entire crop cycle of each crop and of both crops considered together. Overall, there were slight differences between sufficiency values for maximum growth and for maximum yield and the unique sufficiency values were generally intermediate to the weekly sufficiency values. This study demonstrated the potential for using VIs for monitoring crop N nutrition and yield in cucumber. The calculated sufficiency values of VIs may facilitate the use of proximal optical sensors in farming practice for optimal N management through periodic monitoring for deviation from sufficiency values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the drying of thin layers of the “Violet de Galmi” onion (a variety mainly grown in West Africa) is presented in this article, along with the reaction engineering approach (REA) modeling for a comprehensive understanding of the drying kinetics. The experiments were conducted on a lab-scale dryer to form thin layer of cylindrical onion slice. By performing this experiment, the standard activation energy is evaluated and modeled. The model is validated by simulating the drying rates under various drying conditions. The comparison of simulation and experimental data is found to be satisfactory. This approach allows the determination of the internal characteristics of the onion for the further studies such as design of solar dryer for onion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of this study was scientifically investigate the impact of the sequence of different thermo-mechanical treatments on the volatile profile of differently processed broccoli puree, and to investigate if any relationship persists between detected off-flavour changes and microstructural changes as a function of selected process conditions. Comparison of the headspace GC–MS fingerprinting of the differently processed broccoli purees revealed that an adequate combination of processing steps allows to reduce the level of off-flavour volatiles. Moreover, applying mechanical processing before or after the thermal processing at 90 °C determines the pattern of broccoli tissue disruption, resulting into different microstructures and various enzymatic reactions inducing volatile generation. These results may aid the identification of optimal process conditions generating a reduced level of off-flavour in processed broccoli. In this way, broccoli can be incorporated as a food ingredient into mixed food products with limited implications on sensorial consumer acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to examine perceptions of the farmers and key informants on the use of low-quality irrigation water for vegetable production in urban and peri-urban areas in Morogoro, Tanzania. The methods used to collect data were farmer surveys ( n = 60), focus group discussions ( n = 4) and key informants interviews ( n = 15). The results showed that the respondents had a positive perception on using low-quality irrigation water for vegetable production. The reported benefits include availability of water throughout the year, highest soil and crop nutrients in irrigation water, less costs of buying commercial fertilizers, vegetable production all year round, sustainable income generation from selling vegetables and also jobs creation in the community among farmers and vegetable sellers. Findings from Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test score on farmers perception scales indicate an association between the source of low-quality water used and the respondents' sex. Accordingly, female farmers had higher positive perception on the benefits of low-quality water compared to male farmers. Higher perception score was also observed among farmers who used polluted river water in irrigation vegetable production compared to farmers who used wastewater. Since low-quality irrigation water is a good strategy of coping with scarcity of freshwater for communities which have no alternative source of irrigation water, the study recommends multi-sectorial agencies across the country to be involved in formulating policies and creating health promotion awareness for safe use of low-quality water for benefit maximization and health risk reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato has been considered as a serious food security option worldwide and about 15.5% of potato tubers are processed into various products. This study undertakes analysis of patents data for having insight into the direction and extent of global research on potato processing. North America has demonstrated that protection of intellectual properties create global businesses, however massive efforts from China in recent years indicate their gigantic future plans in potato processing. The study indicates that western developed world was skewed towards french fries and Potato Chips/ Crisps while China has greater balance in their focus as Other Potato products, Dehydrated Products and Processing Machinery have also been adequately focussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) are important materials when making different products like sun screens, textiles, and paints. In the current study, the photocatalytic effect of prepared ZnO NPs from Moringa oleifera ( M. oleifera) was evaluated on degradation of crystal violet (CV) dye, which is largely released from textile industries and is harmful to the environment. Preliminarily, ZnO NP formation was confirmed using a double beam ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer; further, the NP size was estimated using XRD analysis and the functional group analysis was determined using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The morphology of the synthesized NPs was found to be a hexagonal shape using SEM and TEM analysis and elemental screening was analyzed using EDX. ZnO NPs were shown sized 40-45 nm and spherical in shape. The degradation percentage of ZnO NPs was calculated as 94% at 70 min and the rate of the reaction -k = 0.0282. The synthesized ZnO NPs were determined for effectiveness on biological activities such as antifungal, hemolytic, and antibacterial activity. ZnO NPs showed good antifungal activity against Alternaria saloni and Sclerrotium rolfii strains. Further, we have determined the hemolytic and antibacterial activity of ZnO NPs and we got successive results in antibacterial and hemolytic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]