Author: Mathys, Alexander Ă— Has files: Yes Ă—

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    Cold atmospheric pressure plasma and low energy electron beam as alternative nonthermal decontamination technologies for dry food surfaces: A review
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2018) Hertwig, Christian; Meneses, Nicolas; Mathys, Alexander
    Background: Dry food products are often highly contaminated, and dry stress-resistant microorganisms, such as certain types of Salmonella and bacterial spores, can be still viable and multiply if the product is incorporated into high moisture food products or rehydrated. Traditional technologies for the decontamination of these products have certain limitations and drawbacks, such as alterations of product quality, environmental impacts, carcinogenic potential and/or lower consumer acceptance. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) and low energy electron beam (LEEB) are two promising innovative technologies for microbial inactivation on dry food surfaces, which have shown potential to solve these certain limitations. Scope and approach: This review critically summarizes recent studies on the decontamination of dry food surfaces by CAPP and LEEB. Furthermore, proposed inactivation mechanisms, product-process interactions, current limitations and upscaling potential, as well as future trends and research needs for both emerging technologies, are discussed. Key findings and conclusions: CAPP and LEEB are nonthermal technologies with a high potential for the gentle decontamination of dry food surfaces. Both technologies have similarities in their inactivation mechanisms. Due to the limited penetration depth of both technologies, product-process interactions can be minimized by maintaining product quality. A first demonstrator with Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 for LEEB has already been introduced into the food industry for the decontamination of herbs and spices. Compared with LEEB, CAPP is at the advanced development stage with TRL 5, for which further work is essential to design systems that are scalable to industrial requirements. © 2018 The Authors
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    Articulating the effect of food systems innovation on the Sustainable Development Goals
    (Amsterdam : Elsevier, 2021) Herrero, Mario; Thornton, Philip K.; Mason-D'Croz, Daniel; Palmer, Jeda; Bodirsky, Benjamin L.; Pradhan, Prajal; Barrett, Christopher B.; Benton, Tim G.; Hall, Andrew; Pikaar, Ilje; Bogard, Jessica R.; Bonnett, Graham D.; Bryan, Brett A.; Campbell, Bruce M.; Christensen, Svend; Clark, Michael; Fanzo, Jessica; Godde, Cecile M.; Jarvis, Andy; Loboguerrero, Ana Maria; Mathys, Alexander; McIntyre, C. Lynne; Naylor, Rosamond L.; Nelson, Rebecca; Obersteiner, Michael; Parodi, Alejandro; Popp, Alexander; Ricketts, Katie; Smith, Pete; Valin, Hugo; Vermeulen, Sonja J.; Vervoort, Joost; van Wijk, Mark; van Zanten, Hannah HE; West, Paul C.; Wood, Stephen A.; Rockström, Johan
    Food system innovations will be instrumental to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, major innovation breakthroughs can trigger profound and disruptive changes, leading to simultaneous and interlinked reconfigurations of multiple parts of the global food system. The emergence of new technologies or social solutions, therefore, have very different impact profiles, with favourable consequences for some SDGs and unintended adverse side-effects for others. Stand-alone innovations seldom achieve positive outcomes over multiple sustainability dimensions. Instead, they should be embedded as part of systemic changes that facilitate the implementation of the SDGs. Emerging trade-offs need to be intentionally addressed to achieve true sustainability, particularly those involving social aspects like inequality in its many forms, social justice, and strong institutions, which remain challenging. Trade-offs with undesirable consequences are manageable through the development of well planned transition pathways, careful monitoring of key indicators, and through the implementation of transparent science targets at the local level.