Journal of Agriculture and Food Research最新文献

Keeping the stability of yogurt during the fermentation, storage and transportation process is necessary to reduce the syneresis. To achieve this goal, the combination of the acid treatment and transglutaminase (TG) was proposed to improve the textural properties of milk acid gels. We investigated the synergistic effect of acid treatment and TG on the water holding capacity (WHC) and physical stability of milk acid gels. As the pH of the skimmed milk decreased from 6.7 to 5.2, the casein micelles dissociated into smaller particles, exposing more site for the crosslinking of TG. The WHC and stability of the TG-treated acid gels were significantly enhanced as the particle size of casein micelles decreased. Our results suggested that the combination of the treatment of acid and TG could significantly improve the textural properties of milk acid gels by the dissociation of casein micelles induced and increase in the covalent-crosslinking. This study provided a simple and novel method to improve the stability of the milk gels, which showed enormous potential for dairy processing.

Crop production system assessments can evaluate if controlled environment agriculture is feasible as compared with semi-controlled and/or uncontrolled conditions. This study assessed the growth of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) in three different environmental conditions (a fully controlled greenhouse mimicking controlled environment agriculture, a semi-controlled nethouse, and an uncontrolled open space) and three nutrient applications including nutrients supplied with i) 100 % inorganic fertilizer, ii) 100 % compost, and a mixture of 50 % of i and ii to be termed as mixed fertilizer from here onward. A life cycle assessment of tomato production in the greenhouse, nethouse, and open space cultivation phases was carried out using experimental data. A life cycle directory, a holistic cradle-to-gate concept, OpenLCA software, and commercial databases were used to evaluate the experimental activities’ potential for acidification, eutrophication, global warming, human toxicity, ozone depletion, and photochemical ozone creation. The environmental conditions and nutrient applications had individual and interactive effects on plant growth variables, fruit yield, and water use efficiency. For example, under the individual effects, the fruit yield means of greenhouse (9.52 ± 2.88 Mg/ha), nethouse (14.4 ± 3.64 Mg/ha), and open space (10.9 ± 1.88 Mg/ha) were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) different from one another. Fruit yield for the mixed fertilizer treatment (14.7 ± 3.06 Mg/ha) was 22.3 % and 41.9 % higher than those of inorganic fertilizer (11.5 ± 1.86 Mg/ha) and compost (8.55 ± 2.15 Mg/ha) treatments alone. The life cycle analysis showed that the phases of the nursery and product transportation (in all 3 cultivation phases) and irrigation systems in the nethouse and open space phases were the hotspots for their environmental impact. Replacement of irrigation pumps run on government electricity is suggested with solar-powered ones for nethouse and open space. Despite lower tomato yield, a fully controlled greenhouse was considered environmentally safe and the most efficient controlled environment agriculture system (with a proper supplemental lighting system) as it can operate year-round to produce an optimum annual yield of horticultural crops in arid and humid environments of the Arabian Peninsula. The significance of this study includes i) the production of Qatar-specific experimental data that is scarce in the literature, ii) the findings that insufficient supplemental lights could lower tomato yield from a greenhouse compared to a nethouse, iii) the life cycle-based environmental burdens of crop production systems, and iv) discoveries that, for arid regions, the nethouse cultivation could serve as economically viable, energy-efficient and environment-friendly tomato production systems.

The Green Revolution, driven by advanced technology, substantially increased food production in Asian developing countries, including Indonesia. Nevertheless, it also resulted in environmental consequences, notably soil fertility degradation, threatening future agricultural productivity. As an alternative approach, the Integrated Crops-Livestock System (ICLS) holds promise for simultaneously enhancing crop and livestock yields while upholding environmental sustainability. This article investigates the significance of ICLS as a sustainable agricultural solution in the context of circular economics post Green Revolution era in Indonesia. This study employs an integrative literature review, encompassing secondary data analysis, research findings, and publications, to underscore the potential of ICLS in Indonesia and beyond. Despite its potential, the limited adoption of ICLS among Indonesian farmers is attributed to factors such as inadequate knowledge and skills, insufficient policy support, and inadequate dissemination and promotion efforts. To promote widespread ICLS implementation, robust dissemination strategies are imperative, encompassing technical guidance, counseling, training, and on-farm demonstrations. In addition, policy support, including accessible credit and price incentives, is essential to incentivize farmers to embrace ICLS practices. This article underscores the relevance of circular economics within the context of integrated farming and provides insights for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to promote sustainable agriculture in Indonesia's post Green Revolution era.

Marine ecosystems are increasingly contaminated by pollutants from human activities which could impact seafood quality. This study investigated the levels of six potentially toxic elements of health concern including arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb). Analyses of those elements were conducted in eleven commercially available seafood species collected from local fish rafts in Trang province, Thailand. The findings revealed variations of element of health concern content among species, with H. raphidea exhibiting significantly high levels. Human health risks were assessed for estimated daily intake and non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. The results indicate potential risks associated with As consumption, especially in the case of H. raphidea. Children (3.0–5.9 years) had the greatest vulnerable risks in comparison to other age groups. The levels of elements of health concern in most seafood samples were within safe limits. However, the continuous surveillance, monitoring, and management of these contaminants in seafood are needed, particularly in vulnerable populations.

Mushroom cultivation has become an essential element in the fight against food insecurity, particularly in tropical Africa where agricultural diversity is paramount. Existing literature underlines the importance of mushroom cultivation in improving availability of nutrients and fostering economic resilience. However, cultivation practices still need to be optimized and the diversity of cultivable species native in tropical Africa is largely unknown. This study addresses the role of mushroom cultivation in tropical Africa, its potential and the efforts being made. Data from 93 scientific articles on attempts to cultivate mushrooms in tropical Africa were compiled, revealing the cultivation of 31 fungal species, with Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus tuber-regium, and Lentinus squarrosulus being the most common ones. Despite global popularity, species from genera of Auricularia and Volvariella are rarely cultivated. Wild edible species remain underexplored. The results of this paper also revealed that locally available materials like yams, cassava, and maize are used for media for spawn production. Sorghum grains and sawdust are popular substrates respectively for spawn and fruiting production. Challenges include controlling environmental parameters, limited industrialization due to machinery and technique demands, and enhancing substrate efficiency through supplementation and composting. Temperature and humidity are key factors for successful cultivation, with a temperature range of 20 °C–35 °C considered optimal. Despite the abundance of information regarding mushroom cultivation in tropical Africa, further progress is required to enhance mushroom production techniques.

The soybean seed yield response to phosphorus (P) fertilizer has significantly increased during soybean breeding but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, we used two soybean cultivars with high (Andou 8 (AD8)) and low (Qiandou 5 (QD5)) seed yield response to P fertilizer to compare their yield and yield components, biomass accumulation and partitioning, P content and partitioning and P-use efficiency in Shiqian (SQ) and Dafang (DF) during the growing season in 2020 under 0 (P0) and 35 (P35) kg P ha⁻¹ supply. The results show that AD 8 had a greater seed yield, pod biomass, filled-pod number, seed number, pod P content and P partitioning to pods, and P-use efficiency based on seed yield (PUE_SY) but lower P-use efficiency based on biomass (PUE_B) than QD5 at two experimental sites. The seed number was positively correlated with total biomass and P content, especially with greater pod biomass accumulation and its partition to pods which showed a positive correlation with seed number. Seed number was negatively correlated with stem dry weight and its partitioning to stem, and stem P partition. We conclude (1) different yield response to P fertilizer are explained by different biomass and P content and their partitioning to pod; (2) high biomass and P-conversion efficiency increased the seed number, which accounted for a high yield response to P fertilizer. Our results highlight that soybean breeding increased biomass and nutrient content and their conversion efficiency to achieve high seed yield with P-fertilizer supply.

This study aims to 1) evaluate the efficacy of peroxyacetic acid (PAA) to inactivate Listeria monocytogenes in 0.1 % buffered-peptone-water; and 2) evaluate the reduction and mitigation of cross-contamination on peppers. In study-1, aliquots of 1.0-ml PAA solutions (133, 265, and 448 ppm) were added to the first 6 wells of 8-strip-deep well microplates. Then, 0.1 ml of serially diluted nalidixic-acid-resistant (NaL) L. monocytogenes was added and mixed immediately with a multichannel pipette. After exposure for 0, 5, 15, 30, and up to 120-s, 1 ml of 2 × D/E neutralized solution was added to terminate the reaction followed by spread-plating onto tryptic soy agar +200 ppm NaL and incubated at 35 °C for 48 h. In study-2, 5 inoculated red peppers were triple-washed with 15 uninoculated green peppers with 0, 23, 53, and 96 ppm of PAA and analyzed using MPN-method. L. monocytogenes counts were <0.3 log₁₀ CFU/ml after exposure to 133, 265, and 448 ppm of PAA for 120, 90 and 60 s, respectively and fit the Linear and Weibull Models. Applying 23–96 ppm of PAA reduced L. monocytogenes by 2.03–3.32 log₁₀MPN/g and transferred cross-contaminated cell counts by 2.36–3.17 log₁₀MPN/g, with no differences (P > 0.05) compared to the water only treatment. Results suggested that applying allowable concentrations (23–96 ppm) of PAA during triple-wash does not show promising anti-Listeria activity on peppers. Future studies are needed to determine the minimum concentrations of the PAA solution required to effectively reduce and mitigate microbial cross-contamination of Listeria monocytogenes on peppers.

Duckweeds (water lentils) are a nutritious human food source, with Wolffia species consumed traditionally in Eastern Asia. Duckweed contain up to 45 % protein by dry weight, high macronutrients, minerals and carotenoids. However, duckweed are not cultivated at scale and there are circa 35 other species to consider for food potential in other global regions. Here, we measured the suitability of four Lemna species and Spirodela polyrhiza for nutritional assessment, by scaling up growth of 25 ecotypes from the United Kingdom in a glasshouse. Here we showed intra- and inter-species variation of aromatic and metabolic profiles, together with biomass obtained from production. The dominant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in duckweed are hexanal, 1-penten-3-one, 1-penten-3-ol, cis-2-pentanol and pentadecanal, with variations in amounts of 22 other compounds between species. In comparison with other leafy herbs, duckweed aroma profiles were most similar to spinach and dandelion with high ‘green’ and ‘fresh’ aroma compounds. Spirodela polyrhiza contained high flavonoids including apigenin and luteolin, offering potential benefits for health. Our results demonstrate that Lemna and Spirodela species have suitable flavonoid and amino acid profiles for nutrition. VOCs found here had positive aroma descriptors and can be used as biomarkers of freshness during storage of duckweed foodstuffs.

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of cover crops and different nitrogen levels on greenhouse gas emissions and net global warming potential in a potato production system during the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 growing seasons at the Agricultural Research Farm of Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. The experiment was arranged as a split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main factor was cover crop including hairy vetch, rye, mixed (rye + hairy vetch), and control (no cover crop), and the sub factor was nitrogen fertilizer (as urea) at four levels consisted of 0 (control), 33, 66 and 100 % of the recommended nitrogen fertilizer based on the soil test. Results showed that the use of cover crops as green manures increased net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) and the highest NECB was observed in the mixed treatment (rye + hairy vetch) along with the 66 % of nitrogen fertilizer. The mixed cover crops (hairy vetch + rye) along with the 100 % of nitrogen fertilizer showed higher CO₂ emission and, while hairy vetch along with the 100 % of nitrogen fertilizer had higher emissions of N₂O and CH₄ during the potato growing season. It can be concluded that the use of cover crops as green manures before the planting of potato can notably increase greenhouse gas emissions and the net global warming.

In this study, the effectiveness of preharvest fertigation using calcium thiosulfate (CaTS) and potassium thiosulfate (KTS) to enhance the shelf life of bell peppers was investigated. The nutrient solution was enriched with KTS (either 0.26 or 0.53 mM of a commercial formulation) or CaTS (0.66 mM of a commercial formulation), and compared to a commercial source-based nutrient solution as a control. Fruit quality attributes and the activity of key enzymes involved in oxidative stress defense, enzymatic browning, cell wall degradation, and membrane lipid degradation were investigated for 30 days of storage. Results showed that CaTS and KTS treatments preserved protein (a secondary energy reserve) and proline content, and enhanced the fruit's PSII activity throughout storage. Despite increased phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity, CaTS and KTS fertigation did not affect polyphenol oxidase activity. CaTS and KTS fertigation increased the activity of five (out of seven) antioxidant enzymes and impaired the activity of one (out of two) cell wall hydrolytic enzyme. CaTS was the most effective treatment, followed by KTS (0.53 mM), in causing these promotive effects. In conclusion, preharvest application of CaTS (0.66 mM) and KTS (0.53 mM) prolonged the postharvest life and delayed senescence of bell pepper fruits by preserving fruit weight, firmness, and photosynthetic performance, as well as enhancing the antioxidant defense system.