Edible insect processing pathways and implementation of emerging technologies

The processing of insects is paramount to deliver safe and high quality raw materials, ingredients and products for large-scale food and feed applications. Depending upon the nature of the initial material and the desired end product, the processing pathways vary and may include several unit operations currently already used in food and feed processing. Insect processing pathways can involve harvesting, pre-processing, decontamination, further processing, packaging and storage. Several traditional and industrial decontamination methods have been proposed for edible insects, which include smoking, drying, blanching/boiling, marination, cooking, steaming, toasting and their combinations. Further processing steps are employed to produce insect meal, insect flour or extracted insect fractions. Each operation will have a different impact on the chemical and microbiological properties of the final product. Novel food processing technologies (e.g. high pressure processing, pulsed electric field, ultrasound and cold plasma) have shown potential to modify, complement or replace the conventional processing steps in insect processing. These technologies have been tested for microbial decontamination, enzyme inactivation, drying and extraction. Further, these are considered to be environmentally friendly and may be implemented for versatile applications to improve the processing efficiency, safety and quality of insect based products. Future research focuses in insect processing are development of efficient, environmentally friendly and low-cost processes; waste minimisation and incorporation of by-products/co-products.

Download Full-text

Recent Advances toward the Application of Non-Thermal Technologies in Food Processing: An Insight on the Bioaccessibility of Health-Related Constituents in Plant-Based Products

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10071538 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1538

Author(s):

Gloria López-Gámez ◽

Pedro Elez-Martínez ◽

Olga Martín-Belloso ◽

Robert Soliva-Fortuny

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Food Processing ◽

Thermal Processing ◽

Plant Stress ◽

High Pressure Processing ◽

Future Research ◽

Processing Technologies ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Health Related

Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of bioactive compounds and micronutrients. Some of the most abundant are phenols and carotenoids, whose consumption contributes to preventing the occurrence of degenerative diseases. Recent research has shown the potential of non-thermal processing technologies, especially pulsed electric fields (PEF), ultrasounds (US), and high pressure processing (HPP), to trigger the accumulation of bioactive compounds through the induction of a plant stress response. Furthermore, these technologies together with high pressure homogenization (HPH) also cause microstructural changes in both vegetable tissues and plant-based beverages. These modifications could enhance carotenoids, phenolic compounds, vitamins and minerals extractability, and/or bioaccessibility, which is essential to exert their positive effects on health. Nevertheless, information explaining bioaccessibility changes after non-thermal technologies is limited. Therefore, further research on food processing strategies using non-thermal technologies offers prospects to develop plant-based products with enhanced bioaccessibility of their bioactive compounds and micronutrients. In this review, we attempt to provide updated information regarding the main effects of PEF, HPP, HPH, and US on health-related compounds bioaccessibility from different vegetable matrices and the causes underlying these changes. Additionally, we propose future research on the relationship between the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds and micronutrients, matrix structure, and non-thermal processing.

Download Full-text

Applications of High Pressure Technology in Food Processing

International Journal of Food Studies ◽

10.7455/ijfs/10.1.2021.a10 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 248-281

Author(s):

K. R. Jolvis Pou

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

Shelf Life ◽

Food Processing ◽

Large Scale ◽

Synergistic Effects ◽

Food Products ◽

High Pressure Processing ◽

Commercial Application ◽

Processing Technologies ◽

Fresh Food

Consumer trends towards shelf-stable, safe, more natural and free from additives foods drove the need to investigate the commercial application of non-thermal food processing technologies. High pressure processing (HPP) is one such emerging technology where foods are generally subjected to high pressure (100-1000 MPa), with or without heat. Similar to heat pasteurization, HPP deactivates pathogenic microorganisms and enzymes, extends shelf life, denatures proteins, and modifies structure and texture of foods. However, unlike thermal processing, HPP can retain the quality of fresh food products, with little or no impact on nutritional value and organoleptic properties. Moreover, HPP is independent of the geometry (shape and size) of food products. The retention of food quality attributes, whilst prolonging shelf life, are enormous benefits to both food manufacturers and consumers. Researches have indicated that the combination of HPP and other treatments, based on the hurdle technology concept, has potential synergistic effects. With further advancement of the technology and its large-scale commercialization, the cost and limitations of this technology will probably reduce in the near future. The current review focuses on the mechanism and system of HPP and its applications in the processing of fruit, vegetables, meat, milk, fish and seafood, and eggs and their derived products.

Download Full-text

Change of Attitude, Technology and Practice: Identifying the Change for Increased Value Creation with Customer Co-creation

TRANSNATIONAL MARKETING JOURNAL ◽

10.33182/tmj.v5i1.388 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 70-82

Author(s):

Soumi Paul ◽

Paola Peretti ◽

Saroj Kumar Datta

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

New Product Development ◽

Value Creation ◽

Large Scale ◽

Customer Orientation ◽

Customer Relationships ◽

Future Research ◽

Management Competencies ◽

Business Decisions ◽

Prime Concern

Building customer relationships and customer equity is the prime concern in today’s business decisions. The emergence of internet, especially social media like Facebook and Twitter, changed traditional marketing thought to a great extent. The importance of customer orientation is reflected in the axiom, “The customer is the king”. A good number of organizations are engaging customers in their new product development activities via social media platforms. Co-creation, a new perspective in which customers are active co-creators of the products they buy and use, is currently challenging the traditional paradigm. The concept of co-creation involving the customer’s knowledge, creativity and judgment to generate value is considered not only an upcoming trend that introduces new products or services but also fitting their need and increasing value for money. Knowledge and innovation are inseparable. Knowledge management competencies and capacities are essential to any organization that aspires to be distinguished and innovative. The present work is an attempt to identify the change in value creation procedure along with one area of business, where co-creation can return significant dividends. It is on extending the brand or brand category through brand extension or line extension. This article, through an in depth literature review analysis, identifies the changes in every perspective of this paradigm shift and it presents a conceptual model of company-customer-brand-based co-creation activity via social media. The main objective is offering an agenda for future research of this emerging trend and ensuring the way to move from theory to practice. The paper acts as a proposal; it allows the organization to go for this change in a large scale and obtain early feedback on the idea presented.

Download Full-text

Overview of Subsynchronous Oscillation in Grid-connected Wind Farm

Recent Advances in Electrical & Electronic Engineering (Formerly Recent Patents on Electrical & Electronic Engineering) ◽

10.2174/2352096513999200407103526 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 969-979

Author(s):

Xu Pei-Zhen ◽

Lu Yong-Geng ◽

Cao Xi-Min

Keyword(s):

Power Systems ◽

Wind Turbine ◽

Large Scale ◽

Wind Farm ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Induction Generator ◽

Future Research ◽

Stable Operation ◽

Subsynchronous Oscillation ◽

Different Types

Background: Over the past few years, the subsynchronous oscillation (SSO) caused by the grid-connected wind farm had a bad influence on the stable operation of the system and has now become a bottleneck factor restricting the efficient utilization of wind power. How to mitigate and suppress the phenomenon of SSO of wind farms has become the focus of power system research. Methods: This paper first analyzes the SSO of different types of wind turbines, including squirrelcage induction generator based wind turbine (SCIG-WT), permanent magnet synchronous generator- based wind turbine (PMSG-WT), and doubly-fed induction generator based wind turbine (DFIG-WT). Then, the mechanisms of different types of SSO are proposed with the aim to better understand SSO in large-scale wind integrated power systems, and the main analytical methods suitable for studying the SSO of wind farms are summarized. Results: On the basis of results, using additional damping control suppression methods to solve SSO caused by the flexible power transmission devices and the wind turbine converter is recommended. Conclusion: The current development direction of the SSO of large-scale wind farm grid-connected systems is summarized and the current challenges and recommendations for future research and development are discussed.

Download Full-text

‘CTRL’: an online, Dynamic Consent and participant engagement platform working towards solving the complexities of consent in genomic research

European Journal of Human Genetics ◽

10.1038/s41431-020-00782-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Matilda A. Haas ◽

Harriet Teare ◽

Megan Prictor ◽

Gabi Ceregra ◽

Miranda E. Vidgen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Genomic Medicine ◽

International Standards ◽

Security And Privacy ◽

Genomic Research ◽

Return Of Results ◽

Future Research ◽

Design And Development ◽

Participant Engagement ◽

Dynamic Consent

AbstractThe complexities of the informed consent process for participating in research in genomic medicine are well-documented. Inspired by the potential for Dynamic Consent to increase participant choice and autonomy in decision-making, as well as the opportunities for ongoing participant engagement it affords, we wanted to trial Dynamic Consent and to do so developed our own web-based application (web app) called CTRL (control). This paper documents the design and development of CTRL, for use in the Australian Genomics study: a health services research project building evidence to inform the integration of genomic medicine into mainstream healthcare. Australian Genomics brought together a multi-disciplinary team to develop CTRL. The design and development process considered user experience; security and privacy; the application of international standards in data sharing; IT, operational and ethical issues. The CTRL tool is now being offered to participants in the study, who can use CTRL to keep personal and contact details up to date; make consent choices (including indicate preferences for return of results and future research use of biological samples, genomic and health data); follow their progress through the study; complete surveys, contact the researchers and access study news and information. While there are remaining challenges to implementing Dynamic Consent in genomic research, this study demonstrates the feasibility of building such a tool, and its ongoing use will provide evidence about the value of Dynamic Consent in large-scale genomic research programs.

Download Full-text

Cyberstalking Victimization Model Using Criminological Theory: A Systematic Literature Review, Taxonomies, Applications, Tools, and Validations

Electronics ◽

10.3390/electronics10141670 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (14) ◽

pp. 1670

Author(s):

Waheeb Abu-Ulbeh ◽

Maryam Altalhi ◽

Laith Abualigah ◽

Abdulwahab Ali Almazroi ◽

Putra Sumari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Large Scale ◽

Review Paper ◽

Essential Element ◽

Routine Activities ◽

Criminological Theory ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Future Research ◽

Proposed Model

Cyberstalking is a growing anti-social problem being transformed on a large scale and in various forms. Cyberstalking detection has become increasingly popular in recent years and has technically been investigated by many researchers. However, cyberstalking victimization, an essential part of cyberstalking, has empirically received less attention from the paper community. This paper attempts to address this gap and develop a model to understand and estimate the prevalence of cyberstalking victimization. The model of this paper is produced using routine activities and lifestyle exposure theories and includes eight hypotheses. The data of this paper is collected from the 757 respondents in Jordanian universities. This review paper utilizes a quantitative approach and uses structural equation modeling for data analysis. The results revealed a modest prevalence range is more dependent on the cyberstalking type. The results also indicated that proximity to motivated offenders, suitable targets, and digital guardians significantly influences cyberstalking victimization. The outcome from moderation hypothesis testing demonstrated that age and residence have a significant effect on cyberstalking victimization. The proposed model is an essential element for assessing cyberstalking victimization among societies, which provides a valuable understanding of the prevalence of cyberstalking victimization. This can assist the researchers and practitioners for future research in the context of cyberstalking victimization.

Download Full-text

Impact of Innovative Technologies on the Content of Vitamin C and Its Bioavailability from Processed Fruit and Vegetable Products

Antioxidants ◽

10.3390/antiox10010054 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 54

Author(s):

Monika Mieszczakowska-Frąc ◽

Karolina Celejewska ◽

Witold Płocharski

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

Vitamin C ◽

Electric Fields ◽

New Technologies ◽

High Pressure Processing ◽

Food Preservation ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Minimal Processing ◽

Processing Technologies

Nowadays, thermal treatments are used for extending the shelf-life of vegetable and fruit products by inactivating microorganisms and enzymes. On the other hand, heat treatments often induce undesirable changes in the quality of the final product, e.g., losses of nutrients, color alterations, changes in flavor, and smell. Therefore, the food industry is opening up to new technologies that are less aggressive than thermal treatment to avoid the negative effects of thermal pasteurization. Non-thermal processing technologies have been developed during the last decades as an alternative to thermal food preservation. Processing changes the structure of fruit and vegetables, and hence the bioavailability of the nutrients contained in them. In this review, special attention has been devoted to the effects of modern technologies of fruit and vegetable processing, such as minimal processing (MPFV), high-pressure processing (HPP), high-pressure homogenization (HPH), ultrasounds (US), pulsed electric fields (PEF), on the stability and bioavailability of vitamin C.

Download Full-text

Large-Scale Object Monitoring in Internet-of-Things: Energy-Efficient Perspectives

Electronics ◽

10.3390/electronics10040461 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 461

Author(s):

Yongbin Yim ◽

Euisin Lee ◽

Seungmin Oh

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficient ◽

Large Scale ◽

Future Research ◽

Technological Evolution ◽

Node Density ◽

Mobile Objects ◽

Research Challenges ◽

Energy Efficient Communication ◽

Efficient Communication ◽

Architectural Principles

Recently, the demand for monitoring a certain object covering large and dynamic scopes such as wildfires, glaciers, and radioactive contaminations, called large-scale fluid objects (LFOs), is coming to the fore due to disasters and catastrophes that lately happened. This article provides an analytic comparison of such LFOs and typical individual mobile objects (IMOs), namely animals, humans, vehicles, etc., to figure out inherent characteristics of LFOs. Since energy-efficient monitoring of IMOs has been intensively researched so far, but such inherent properties of LFOs hinder the direct adaptation of legacy technologies for IMOs, this article surveys technological evolution and advances of LFOs along with ones of IMOs. Based on the communication cost perspective correlated to energy efficiency, three technological phases, namely concentration, integration, and abbreviation, are defined in this article. By reviewing various methods and strategies employed by existing works with the three phases, this article concludes that LFO monitoring should achieve not only decoupling from node density and network structure but also trading off quantitative reduction against qualitative loss as architectural principles of energy-efficient communication to break through inherent properties of LFOs. Future research challenges related to this topic are also discussed.

Download Full-text

Natural Dyeing of Cellulose and Protein Fibers with the Flower Extract of Spartium junceum L. Plant

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14154091 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (15) ◽

pp. 4091

Author(s):

Zorana Kovačević ◽

Ana Sutlović ◽

Ana Matin ◽

Sandra Bischof

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Environmentally Friendly ◽

Future Research ◽

Wool Fabric ◽

Dyeing Process ◽

Protein Fibers ◽

Wool Sample ◽

C Value ◽

Total Difference ◽

Spartium Junceum

In this study, the natural dye was extracted from Spartium junceum L. (SJL) flowers and applied on cellulose (cotton) and protein (wool) fabric. Fabrics were pre-mordant with alum prior to the dyeing process. Considering the global requirements on zero waste and green policy, the dyeing process was intended to be as much as possible environmentally friendly but still effective. Therefore, mordant concentration was optimized due to the reduction of the negative impact. The efficiency of the dyeing process was investigated by examination of fabrics’ color characteristics and colorfastness to washing properties. In this paper, we have proved that the extracted dye from Spartium junceum L. is an acidic dye (mordant dye) which is more applicable for the treatment of wool fabrics. In this paper, it was proved that phytochemicals responsible for coloring are part of the flavonoids group. The UV absorption spectra of extracted dye show 4 bands in the region of λmax 224, 268, 308 and 346 nm which are ascribed to bands characteristic for flavonoids. Wool fabric pre-mordant with 3% alum and dyed shows great chromatic (C*) properties where C* value is in a range from 47.76 for unwashed samples to 47.50 for samples after 5 washing cycles and color hue (h°) is in a range 82.13 for unwashed samples to 81.52 for samples after 5 washing cycles. The best result regarding the colorfastness properties is shown by the wool sample treated with 3% alum after 5 washing cycles (total difference in color (Delta E*) = 0.87). These results confirm that metal (Al) from alum mordant make strong chemical bonds with wool substrate and dye since Delta E* values decrease in comparison to Delta E* values of the cotton samples treated the same way. The results revealed it is possible to reduce the concentration of mordant up to 3% and obtain satisfactory results regarding the colorfastness. Nevertheless, future research will go in the direction of replacing synthetic mordant with a more environmentally friendly one.

Download Full-text

Enhanced Wastewater Treatment by Immobilized Enzymes

Current Pollution Reports ◽

10.1007/s40726-021-00183-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jakub Zdarta ◽

Katarzyna Jankowska ◽

Karolina Bachosz ◽

Oliwia Degórska ◽

Karolina Kaźmierczak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Process Optimization ◽

Organic Pollutants ◽

Large Scale ◽

Removal Rate ◽

Immobilized Enzymes ◽

Future Research ◽

Process Conditions ◽

Removal Rates ◽

Catalytic Cycles

Abstract Purpose of Review In the presented review, we have summarized recent achievements on the use of immobilized oxidoreductases for biodegradation of hazardous organic pollutants including mainly dyes, pharmaceuticals, phenols, and bisphenols. In order to facilitate process optimization and achievement of high removal rates, effect of various process conditions on biodegradation has been highlighted and discussed. Recent Findings Current reports clearly show that immobilized oxidoreductases are capable of efficient conversion of organic pollutants, usually reaching over 90% of removal rate. Further, immobilized enzymes showed great recyclability potential, allowing their reuse in numerous of catalytic cycles. Summary Collected data clearly indicates immobilized oxidoreductases as an efficient biocatalytic tools for removal of hazardous phenolic compounds, making them a promising option for future water purification. Data shows, however, that both immobilization and biodegradation conditions affect conversion efficiency; therefore, process optimization is required to achieve high removal rates. Nevertheless, we have demonstrated future trends and highlighted several issues that have to be solved in the near-future research, to facilitate large-scale application of the immobilized oxidoreductases in wastewater treatment.

Download Full-text