Search results for "Veterinary Science"
showing 10 items of 2359 documents
Consumer Preference Heterogeneity Evaluation in Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing Decisions Using the Best–Worst Approach
2019
This study assesses consumer preferences during fruit and vegetable (FV) sales, considering the sociodemographic variables of individuals together with their choice of point of purchase. A choice experiment was conducted in two metropolitan areas in Northwest Italy. A total of 1170 consumers were interviewed at different FV purchase points (mass retail chains and open-air markets) using a paper questionnaire. The relative importance assigned by consumers to 12 fruit and vegetable product attributes, including both intrinsic and extrinsic quality cues, was assessed by using the best&ndash
Willingness to Adopt Biochar in Agriculture: The Producer’s Perspective
2017
Most research on biochar has focused either on the mechanistic or the biophysical aspects, and there has been relatively little research into the social applicability and acceptance of biochar as a soil enhancer in agriculture. However, whether to adopt biochar in their practice is ultimately the farmers’ decision, and their willingness to do so is crucial. Here, we show the producer’s perspective on adopting biochar, using Polish farmers as a case study. Poland is an interesting case study because biochar has only recently attracted the attention of researchers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders there. We performed standardized, semi-structured interviews with 161 Polish farmers to eva…
Simulation of granular organic fertilizer application by centrifugal spreader
2021
There is no specialized equipment designed to spread granular cylindrical organic fertilizer in the soil. There are also no rational recommendations available on how to spread this type of fertilizer. Mineral fertilizer spreaders are most often used for spreading granulated organic fertilizer. However, these fertilizers are significantly different from mineral fertilizers. Due to these differences, organic granular fertilizers often are spread unevenly, and the fertilizer does not reach the required working width. Furthermore, the rate of spreading is not accurate, and the fertilizer is often crushed too much. The objective of this research is to develop a simulation model for granular orga…
Alternaria Mycotoxins in Food and Feed: An Overview
2017
Alternariais one of the major mycotoxigenic fungal genera with more than 70 reported metabolites.Alternariamycotoxins showed notably toxicity, such as mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, induction of DNA strand break, sphingolipid metabolism disruption, or inhibition of enzymes activity and photophosphorylation. This review reports on the toxicity, stability, metabolism, current analytical methods, and prevalence ofAlternariamycotoxins in food and feed through the most recent published research. Half of the publications were focused on fruits, vegetables, and derived products—mainly tomato and apples—while cereals and cereal by-products represented 38%. The most studied compounds were alternario…
An inter-laboratory comparison to evaluate the suitability of EN 1787 standard to detect irradiation in plant-origin foods with health benefits
2020
Abstract This paper reports the results of a study carried out to verify the applicability of the EN 1787 method, which uses the Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) technique for the identification of irradiated plant-origin foods with health benefits. The method was tested on samples of herbal ingredients of Plant Food Supplements (PFSs), nuts and fresh blueberries. Untreated and irradiated samples of Camellia sinensis (leaves) Ginkgo biloba (leaves), Glycine max (seeds), Silybum marianum (fruits), Vaccinium myrtillus (fruits), almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts and fresh blueberries were analysed. The work includes an inter-laboratory blind test involving five Italian laboratories…
Productivity of an Atriplex halimus shrubbery and effects of grazing on lambs
2009
The objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate the productivity and forage quality of Atriplex halimus, 2) investigate modifications to shrub structure induced by grazing, and 3) assess live weight changes in lambs grazing on A. halimus with and without a feed supplement (wheat straw ± barley grain). The results showed that A. halimus had low productivity (approximately 1000 kg DM ha–1) but high tolerance to grazing by lambs, although minor modifications in plant structure due to grazing were observed. Lambs grazing A. halimus as a sole diet lost weight (about 60 g lamb−1 d–1; P < 0.01), probably as a consequence of the high salt content of the forage reducing bot…
Stability and extraction of bioactive sulfur compounds from Allium genus processed by traditional and innovative technologies
2017
Abstract Since ancient times, species from the Allium genus have been used in both culinary and medicinal applications. The health promoting properties, with well documented “evidence-based” studies, were attributed to the genus’ high content of bioactive organosulfur compounds. For these reasons, the organosulfur compounds have attracted interest in both food and pharmaceutical industries to be used as additives or supplements. Therefore, improvement in the extraction and stability during processing and storage of these molecules is crucial. The presented review documents the effects of traditional and innovative processing techniques on the extraction and stability of organosulfur compoun…
Chapter 6 Contribution of NMR Spectroscopy to Flavour Release and Perception
2008
Abstract The control of flavouring of a food product as well as the flavour perception during consumption is a great challenge for improving food quality. However, the various ingredient composition and the different textural properties of foods can significantly affect the release of aroma compounds or sapid molecules. It is thus of major importance to determine physicochemical factors that govern diffusion and binding phenomena of these small solutes in food products. In this way, NMR spectroscopy is an efficient tool to characterize these mechanisms at a molecular scale. Diffusion rates of small solutes in aqueous, viscous and gel solutions can be extracted from relaxation or diffusion N…
Berry press residues as a valuable source of polyphenolics: Extraction optimisation and analysis
2018
Abstract Vaccinium genus berries (bilberries, blueberries, lingonberries, cranberries) are gathered in the wild as well as cultivated on an industrial scale for use in the food industry. Extraction of juices from these berries produces press residues (pomace) as a waste product. Berry press residues are an excellent source of phenolic compounds and have a potential of use as a polyphenol-rich material. The aim of the present study was to optimise the method of extraction of polyphenols (anthocyanins specifically) from berry press residues of American cranberry using the response surface method and to validate the optimal polyphenol/anthocyanin extraction conditions also for other Vaccinium …
Effect of Vibration on the Quality of Strawberry Fruits Caused by Simulated Transport
2015
Mechanical damage of agricultural products is one of the main problems in the harvest and postharvest chain due to the large economic loss that the shelf life reduction could generate. Measurements of change in the chemical components of highly perishable products and microbial growth under different static and dynamic loads is the first step in the development of intelligent logistic units that could help in predicting the residual shelf life in order to minimize losses along the supply chain. In our research, the effects of vibration along the supply chain of a case study were analyzed on strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) and woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) in terms of microbiological…