Percorrer por autor "Silva, Beatriz Q."
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- Comparative environmental and nutritional sustainability analysis of kabuli and desi chickpea (cicer arietinum l.) types at the farm and product levelPublication . Silva, Beatriz Q.; Silva, Marta Nunes da; Smetana, Sergiy; Vasconcelos, Marta W.Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted to evaluate the environmental impact of cultivating black (Desi type) and white (Kabuli type) chickpeas in Europe under both organic and conventional farming systems. The LCA on a mass basis (1 kg of product) showed that Kabuli chickpea cultivation had a lower global warming potential, water use, and land occupation due to higher yields and more established farming practices for this variety in conventional systems. This study also examined the environmental impact of producing hummus derived from these two raw materials. The LCA on a mass basis (1 kg of product) showed that hummus production generally had a lower environmental impact when using Kabuli chickpeas primarily due to higher yield efficiency and optimised farming practices for the Kabuli type. However, when nutritional LCA is considered, using Nutrient Density as a functional unit (NDU), Desi hummus demonstrates lower environmental impacts in most categories, particularly regarding eutrophication and acidification potential. The study highlights the trade-offs between environmental impacts and nutritional benefits while comparing organic and conventional farming systems, suggesting that incorporating underutilised types such as Desi chickpeas could contribute to a more sustainable and nutritionally diverse food system.
- Conceptualisation of an ecodesign framework for sustainable food product development across the supply chainPublication . Silva, Beatriz Q.; Vasconcelos, Marta W.; Smetana, SergiyAs the world population grows, the pressure to intensify an unsustainable food production system increases. At the same time, one-third of all the food produced is lost or wasted along the value chains. Therefore, it is crucial to develop methods to increase food production while decreasing resource usage and minimising the environmental impact. Ecodesign concepts have already been implemented in various sectors, reducing the environmental impact of products. However, published work has yet to analyse the potential of ecodesign for food production across the value chain. This review assesses the existing literature on ecodesign principles and proposes a conceptual framework of strategies to be applied to current food chains, addressing the challenges posed by current agrifood systems. We suggest that the relevant ecodesign principles fall into three main categories depending on the supply chain stage: “design for sustainable sourcing (DfSS)”, “design for optimised resource use (DfORU)”, and “design for end-of-life optimisation (DfEO).” Applying this framework across the supply chain could significantly reduce the environmental impact of food production and indirectly contribute to dietary change.
- Life cycle assessment of hemp-based milk alternative production in Lower Saxony, Germany, based on a material flow analysis of a pilot scalePublication . Ferdouse, Jannatul; Silva, Beatriz Q.; Baune, Marie Christin; Terjung, Nino; Smetana, SergiyPurpose: Recently, demand for plant-based milk products (PBMP) has increased for multiple reasons, such as the rapid population growth expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, health concerns such as lactose intolerance, nutritional aspects, ethical reasons, and environmental concerns. This leads to increased demand for food and competition for natural resources. Hemp-based milk is an emerging dairy alternative, and stakeholders in the supply chain are becoming increasingly interested in learning about the environmental effects of its production. This article aims for a comparative life cycle assessment of hemp-based and bovine milk with fat and protein correction to account for the differences in macronutrient content. Methods: The cradle-to-factory gate LCA relied on experimental cultivation and milk production in Lower Saxony, Germany. Inventory was based on primary data from fields and the pilot plant of DIL e. V. and on literature and ecoinvent database to develop a life cycle assessment (LCA) model. The LCA was performed using Simapro 9.3 software and IMPACT 2002+ impact assessment method. The life cycle stages include cultivation, harvesting, and milk production. The study compared hemp-based milk to bovine milk based on 1 kg fat and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) as a functional unit (FU). Co-products are taken into consideration using mass-economic allocation. Results: The results showed that hemp cultivation accounted for the highest impact (99%) in the production chain of hemp milk production. The GWP of 1 kg of FPCM hemp-based milk is 0.42 kg CO2 eq. The energy consumption for 1 kg of FPCM hemp-based milk is 4.73 MJ (12.26% lower than bovine milk). The other main factors impacting hemp-based milk production were terrestrial ecotoxicity (6.444E2 kg TEG soil) and aquatic ecotoxicity (2.458E2 kg TEG water). Hemp fiber was the co-product with 40% of the allocated impacts. The results are sensitive to the changes in fat-protein contents, functional unit, and system boundaries. The results demonstrated that the impacts of hemp milk production were within the range indicated for other PBMP production and 51.7% lower than bovine milk production in terms of GWP. This range primarily stems from field emissions, fertilizer application, and machinery usage during cultivation and harvest. Conclusion: The results of the comparisons of bovine milk and hemp-based milk were dependable on the FU. The hemp-based milk has the potential to be a more sustainable alternative to bovine milk due to considerably lower impacts in impact categories—land occupation (99% lower than bovine milk), global warming (52% lower than bovine milk), and ionizing radiation (23% lower than bovine milk). It is primarily due to less use of agricultural machinery, less land requirement, and lower NH3 emissions than bovine milk in various stages of milk production.
- Life cycle assessment of the manothermosonication of liquid whole egg: a comparative evaluation with conventional thermal preservationPublication . Beitia, Enrique; Silva, Beatriz Q.; Smetana, Sergiy; Heinz, Volker; Valdramidis, Vasilis; Aganovic, KemalManothermosonication (MTS) is a promising alternative to thermal preservation of liquid whole egg (LWE) in terms of safety level and improved quality. However, energy and sustainability assessment of MTS are not well described. This study compared the energy balance and life cycle assessment (LCA) of MTS to traditional thermal preservation of LWE, considering equivalent microbial inactivation levels and a production capacity of 100 kg/h within a “gate to gate” approach. Results of the energy assessment indicated that MTS preservation consumed 15% less energy (2.00 kWh/kg of LWE) and water compared to thermal preservation (2.36 kWh/kg of LWE). This reduction is attributable to cavitation, the mechanism of action in MTS, which eliminates the need of pre-homogenisation stage and water for heating. Concerning the environmental impact, MTS scored lower in all impact indicators, mainly due to reduced electricity and water usage. For instance, carbon footprint of CO2 emissions from LWE processing were 57.3% for MTS and 61.8% for thermal preservation, with the environmental impact of the pasteurisation stage being 4.1-fold lower in MTS. This study suggests MTS preservation of LWE is a viable alternative to thermal methods, offering safety, quality, and improved energy and environmental benefits.
- Sustainable food chains designed for optimised resource use: optimising downscaled food chains for sustainable resource use: a comprehensive case study on tomato juicePublication . Silva, Beatriz Q.; Kancirova, Eva; Zdravkovic, Milena; Batta, Uday; Petrusán, János-István; Pasch, Kerstin; Aganovic, Kemal; Vasconcelos, Marta W.; Smetana, SergiyAs consumers increasingly prefer locally sourced food, there is a growing movement towards optimising resource use and reducing emissions in supply chains. While Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) traditionally emphasise social and institutional proximity, this study strategically addresses the environmental impact by implementing innovative technologies on a smaller scale. This article explores the possibility of implementing a mobile processing unit (FOX unit) that utilises two innovative technologies, one for gentle juice extraction (spiral filter) and the other for preservation of freshly pressed products (pulsed electric fields - PEF). The study investigates a solution that could streamline the supply chain between producers and consumers by offering a decentralised and modular approach to processing. Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), tomato juice production is compared under traditional thermal pasteurisation (Scenario 1) and the FOX unit (Scenario 2). This study also assesses the impacts of centralising production and shipping raw materials between countries (Scenario 3), considering the FOX unit as part of the evaluation. Further analysis includes relocating this unit to the countries of raw material origin (Scenario 4). Data retrieved from literature, databases, and practical trials, revealed that tomato juice production with the FOX unit led to a 15% reduction in environmental impact across all categories compared to traditional thermal pasteurisation. When relocating the unit, the overall environmental impact decreased as the volume of processed raw materials increased, reaching levels comparable to the results obtained from shipping 1 ton of raw material to a centralised location in various studied countries (with variations in midpoint categories depending on the location, such as 200 tons in France, 15 tons in Italy, and 45 tons in Spain), albeit with variation in the categories. This study highlights the potential environmental benefits of integrating the FOX unit in SFSCs, offering valuable insights for sustainable food supply chain practices.