Improvement strategies of food supply chain through novel food processing technologies during COVID-19 pandemic

Viral Transmission in Sea Food Systems: Strategies for Control and Emerging Challenges

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had widespread and severe impacts on both the global economy and human health. Facing the continuously mutating virus, this crisis has heightened concerns among consumers and businesses regarding viral transmission through seafood, particularly in the face of emerging, unknown viruses, underscoring our preparedness gaps. This review provides a succinct overview of the survival mechanisms of prevalent viruses in seafood, examines potential transmission pathways to humans during seafood processing, and discusses strategies for mitigating their spread throughout the seafood supply chain. Furthermore, the discussion highlights emerging trends in innovative antiviral technologies aimed at enhancing food safety. Person-to-person transmission remains the most likely source of infection within the supply chain. Therefore, it is still imperative to adhere to the implementation of standard processes, namely good manufacturing practices (GMP) and good hygiene practices (GHP), in the seafood business. In light of the significant losses caused by this crisis and the persistent presence of various viruses within the seafood supply chain, efforts are needed to implement predictive and preventive measures against potential emerging viruses. Future research should focus on monitoring and limiting viral transmission by integrating Industry 4.0 applications, smart technologies, and antiviral packaging, maximizing the potential of these emerging solutions.

Combining AI Tools with Non-Destructive Technologies for Crop-Based Food Safety: A Comprehensive Review

On a global scale, food safety and security aspects entail consideration throughout the farm-to-fork continuum, considering food's supply chain. Generally, the agrifood system is a multiplex network of interconnected features and processes, with a hard predictive rate, where maintaining the food's safety is an indispensable element and is part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has led the scientific community to develop advanced applied analytical methods, such as machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques applied for assessing foodborne diseases. The main objective of this paper is to contribute to the development of the consensus version of ongoing research about the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the domain of food-crop safety from an analytical point of view. Writing a comprehensive review for a more specific topic can also be challenging, especially when searching within the literature. To our knowledge, this review is the first to address this issue. This work consisted of conducting a unique and exhaustive study of the literature, using our TriScope Keywords-based Synthesis methodology. All available literature related to our topic was investigated according to our criteria of inclusion and exclusion. The final count of data papers was subject to deep reading and analysis to extract the necessary information to answer our research questions. Although many studies have been conducted, limited attention has been paid to outlining the applications of AI tools combined with analytical strategies for crop-based food safety specifically.

Recent advances in the production of bionanomaterials for development of sustainable food packaging: A comprehensive review

Polymers originating from natural macromolecule based polymeric materials have gained popularity due to the demand for green resources to develop unique, eco-friendly, and high-quality biopolymers. The objective of this review is to address the utilization of bionanomaterials to improve food quality, safety, security, and shelf life. Bionanomaterials are synthesized by integrating biological molecules with synthetic materials at the nanoscale. Nanostructured materials derived from biopolymers such as cellulose, chitin, or collagen can be employed for the development of sustainable food packaging. Green materials are cost-effective, biocompatible, biodegradable, and renewable. The interaction of nanoparticles with biological macromolecules must be analyzed to determine the properties of the packaging film. The nanoparticles control the growth of bacteria that cause food spoiling by releasing distinctive chemicals. Bio-nanocomposites and nanoencapsulation systems have been used in antimicrobial bio-based packaging solutions to improve the efficiency of synergism. Nanomaterials can regulate gas and moisture permeability, screen UV radiation, and limit microbial contamination, keeping the freshness and flavor of the food. Food packaging based on nanoparticles embedded biopolymers can alleviate environmental concerns by lowering the amount of packaging materials required and enhancing packaging recyclability. This results in less waste and a more eco-sustainable approach to food packaging. The study on current advances in the production of bionanomaterials for development of sustainable food packaging involves a detailed investigation of the available data from existing literature, as well as the compilation and analysis of relevant research results using statistical approaches.

Biotechnological Applications of Mushrooms under the Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Crucial Aspects and Prospects from Farm to Pharmacy

Mushrooms have always been an important source of food, with high nutritional value and medicinal attributes. With the use of biotechnological applications, mushrooms have gained further attention as a source of healthy food and bioenergy. This review presents different biotechnological applications and explores how these can support global food, energy, and water security. It highlights mushroom's relevance to meet the sustainable development goals of the UN. This review also discusses mushroom farming and its requirements. The biotechnology review includes sections on how to use mushrooms in producing nanoparticles, bioenergy, and bioactive compounds, as well as how to use mushrooms in bioremediation. The different applications are discussed under the water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus. As far as we know, this is the first report on mushroom biotechnology and its relationships to the WEF nexus. Finally, the review valorizes mushroom biotechnology and suggests different possibilities for mushroom farming integration.

High-Intensity Ultraviolet-C Irradiation Efficiently Inactivates SARS-CoV-2 Under Typical Cold Chain Temperature

SARS-CoV-2 contaminated items in the cold chain becomes a threat to public health, therefore the effective and safe sterilization method fit for the low temperature is needed. Ultraviolet is an effective sterilization method while its effect on SARS-CoV-2 under low-temperature environment is unclear. In this research, the sterilization effect of high-intensity ultraviolet-C (HIUVC) irradiation against SARS-CoV-2 and Staphylococcus aureus on different carriers at 4 °C and - 20 °C was investigated. The results showed that dose of 15.3 mJ/cm2 achieved more than 3 log reduction of SARS-CoV-2 on gauze at 4 °C and - 20 °C. The vulnerability of coronavirus to HIUVC under - 20 °C was not significantly different than those under 4 °C. Four models including Weibull, biphasic, log-linear tail and log linear were used to fit the survival curves of SARS-CoV-2 and Staphylococcus aureus. The biphasic model fitted best with R2 ranging from 0.9325 to 0.9878. Moreover, the HIUVC sterilization correlation between SARS-CoV-2 and Staphylococcus aureus was established. This paper provides data support for the employment of HIUVC under low-temperature environment. Also, it provides a method of using Staphylococcus aureus as a marker to evaluate the sterilization effect of cold chain sterilization equipment.

Optimization of food-energy-water-waste nexus in a sustainable food supply chain under the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study in Iran

Abstract

During the coronavirus epidemic, food supply chains have been affected by disruptions of this epidemic. Having an overview and considering food-related factors such as energy, waste, and water make the design of the supply chain more effective. In this study, a multi-objective model for a sustainable food supply chain is presented based on the prevalence of coronavirus by considering the food-energy-water-waste nexus. There are dual-channel sales including online and in-person channels, which their demand functions depend on products price in every channel, as well as the prevalence of coronavirus in high-risk or low-risk areas. Distribution centers, located in high-risk regions, require the disinfection of products to minimize coronavirus spread. Indeed, the proposed mathematical model has three objective functions that the first objective maximizes the profit of the food supply under COVID-19 conditions. The other two objectives minimize not only the environmental impact of transportation, but also the delivery time. In order to solve this multi-objective model, the epsilon constraint method, as an efficient technique, is employed. To validate the proposed model, the model is finally implemented in a two-channel supply chain in Iran. The results show that the food supply chain has a close relationship with the energy-water-waste nexus COVID-19 and can also affect customers' behavior. Moreover, the model shows when the prevalence of COVID-19 increases, people tend to buy from online shops, affecting product prices that can change by nearly 50%.

Graphical abstract

Impact of food safety supervision efficiency on preventing and controlling mass public crisis

Food safety has received unprecedented attention since the COVID-19 outbreak. Exploring food safety regulatory mechanisms in the context of cluster public crises is critical for COVID-19 prevention and control. As a result, using data from a food safety regulation survey in the Bei-jing-Tianjin-Hebei urban cluster, this paper investigates the impact of food safety regulation on the prevention and control of COVID-19. The study found that food safety regulation and cluster public crisis prevention and control have a significant positive relationship, with the ability to integrate regulatory resources acting as a mediator between the two. Second, industry groups argue that the relationship between regulatory efficiency and regulatory resource integration should be moderated in a positive manner. Finally, industry association support positively moderates the mediating role of regulatory re-source integration capacity between food safety regulatory efficiency and cluster public crises, and there is a mediating effect of being moderated. Our findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying the roles of regulatory efficiency, resource integration capacity, and industry association support in food safety, and they serve as a useful benchmark for further improving food safety regulations during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Analyzing the Effects of Covid-19 on Food Supply Chains: A Case Study on Ranking the Obstacles with ANP Methodology

Coronavirus pandemic has severely affected the supply chain network of many industries. Various activities have been disrupted throughout supply chains due to the increasing number of patients, death rate growth, quarantine regulations, social distancing, closed borders, and the phenomenal decrease in travel rate. Furthermore, the pandemic had dramatic effects on consumers' behavior all over the world, making them more eager/reluctant to purchase certain industrial products. In this paper, considering the actual supply chain of an Iranian company, the disruptive obstacles that the pandemic can create against properly undertaking activities in a food supply chain, are investigated. The examined obstacles are ranked and prioritized using the Analytical Network Process (ANP) technique. For this purpose, pairwise comparison questionnaires have been designed and completed by 28 managers and supervisors active in the food supply network. The answers are collected and the geometric mean of the matrices and their incompatibility rates are calculated. Based on the obtained results "labor shortage" and "low flexibility" have respectively the highest and lowest priorities among all analyzed obstacles.

Recent advances in essential oil complex coacervation by efficient physical field technology: A review of enhancing efficient and quality attributes

Although complex coacervation could improve the water solubility, thermal stability, bioavailability, antioxidant activity and antibacterial activity of essential oils (EOs). However, some wall materials (such as proteins and polysaccharides) with water solubility and hydrophobic nature limited their application in complex coacervation. In order to improve the properties of EO complex coacervates, some efficient physical field technology was proposed. This paper summarizes the application and functional properties of EOs in complex coacervates, formation and controlled-release mechanism, as well as functions of EO complex coacervates. In particular, efficient physical field technology as innovative technology, such as high pressure, ultrasound, cold plasma, pulsed electric fields, electrohydrodynamic atomization and microwave technology improved efficient and quality attributes of EO complex coacervates are reviewed. The physical fields could modify the gelling, structural, textural, emulsifying, rheological properties, solubility of wall material (proteins and polysaccharides), which improve the properties of EO complex coacervates. Overall, EOs complex coacervates possess great potential to be used in the food industry, including high bioavailability, excellent antioxidant capacity and gut microbiota in vivo, masking the sensation of off-taste or flavor, favorable antimicrobial capacity.

Research on traceability strategy of food supply chain considering delay effect

The traceability system has significantly contributed to ensure food safety and quality. However, the biggest difficulty in food traceability is the numerous links from field to table, and there is no stable strategic partnership between supply chain members and the lack of social responsibility of some practitioners. Thus, this study aims to seek the best traceability strategy for companies in centralized model and decentralized model, respectively. Therefore, we have constructed a differential game model based on the delay effect to determine the optimal traceability level and traceable goodwill and compare the profits of the food supply chain (FSC). The results show that the delay time is positively related to the level of traceability effort and has a high impact on the traceable goodwill. Companies in the FSC can formulate optimal traceability strategies based on delay time and foster improvement in food safety and quality.

Antibacterial, Antifungal and Antiviral Polymeric Food Packaging in Post-COVID-19 Era

Consumers are now more concerned about food safety and hygiene following the COVID-19 pandemic. Antimicrobial packaging has attracted increased interest by reducing contamination of food surfaces to deliver quality and safe food while maintaining shelf life. Active packaging materials to reduce contamination or inhibit viral activity in packaged foods and on packaging surfaces are mostly prepared using solvent casting, but very few materials demonstrate antiviral activity on foods of animal origin, which are important in the human diet. Incorporation of silver nanoparticles, essential oils and natural plant extracts as antimicrobial agents in/on polymeric matrices provides improved antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. This paper reviews recent developments in antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral packaging incorporating natural or synthetic compounds using preparation methods including extrusion, solvent casting and surface modification treatment for surface coating and their applications in several foods (i.e., bakery products, fruits and vegetables, meat and meat products, fish and seafood and milk and dairy foods). Findings showed that antimicrobial material as films, coated films, coating and pouches exhibited efficient antimicrobial activity in vitro but lower activity in real food systems. Antimicrobial activity depends on (i) polar or non-polar food components, (ii) interactions between antimicrobial compounds and the polymer materials and (iii) interactions between environmental conditions and active films (i.e., relative humidity, oxygen and water vapor permeability and temperature) that impact the migration or diffusion of active compounds in foods. Knowledge gained from the plethora of existing studies on antimicrobial polymers can be effectively utilized to develop multifunctional antimicrobial materials that can protect food products and packaging surfaces from SARS-CoV-2 contamination.

The Multifaceted Relationship between the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Food System

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is being questioned for its possible food transmission, due to several reports of the virus on food, outbreaks developed in food companies, as well as its origins linked to the wet market of Wuhan, China. The purpose of this review is to analyze the scientific evidence gathered so far on the relationship between food and the pandemic, considering all aspects of the food system that can be involved. The collected data indicate that there is no evidence that foods represent a risk for the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. In fact, even if the virus can persist on food surfaces, there are currently no proven cases of infection from food. Moreover, the pandemic showed to have deeply influenced the eating habits of consumers and their purchasing methods, but also to have enhanced food waste and poverty. Another important finding is the role of meat processing plants as suitable environments for the onset of outbreaks. Lessons learned from the pandemic include the correct management of spaces, food hygiene education for both food workers and common people, the enhancement of alternative commercial channels, the reorganization of food activities, in particular wet markets, and intensive farming, following correct hygiene practices. All these outcomes lead to another crucial lesson, which is the importance of the resilience of the food system. These lessons should be assimilated to deal with the present pandemic and possible future emergencies. Future research directions include further investigation of the factors linked to the food system that can favor the emergence of viruses, and of innovative technologies that can reduce viral transmission.

The vulnerability of a centralized food system: An opportunity to improve food security in times of COVID-19-Peru perspective

COVID-19 has had a strong impact on the food supply chain (FSC) in many countries. The objective of this study was to determine the vulnerability of the FSC in a developing country, namely Peru. The main weakness of the FSC is its centralization, and COVID-19 aggravated this deficit in Peru. This prevents its stability on a large scale, especially in rural areas, which suffer from food and nutritional insecurity. In spite of this, the food system was stabilized due to agricultural, livestock and fishing potential of Peru. In addition, the efforts of local producers and informal vendors helped to maintain the availability of food throughout the country. Several examples of short (and decentralized) FSC were described, highlighting their importance for supplying the population in different areas of the country. In addition, they allow for rapid resolution of interruptions such as the current health crisis. Also mentioned are some suggestions for strengthening Peru's FSC such as the use of new technologies, self-production of food and the exploitation of non-conventional food sources. Emphasis is placed on the importance of environmental sustainability of the FSC and of implementing strategies to prevent illness among workers. This study aims to reflect on the importance of having a resilient and flexible FSC. Taking Peru as a model, the information provided is useful to understand how to improve the food system through the intervention of all the agents involved, such as government, academia, industry and the population.

Antibacterial mechanism of ultrasound combined with sodium hypochlorite and their application in pakchoi (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis)

BACKGROUND

In order to prolong the storage and inhibit microorganisms of pakchoi, the antibacterial activity and mechanism of ultrasound combined with sodium hypochlorite (NaClO-US), the efficiency of NaClO-US in reducing Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as preserving quality of pakchoi were investigated.

RESULTS

Ultrasound treatment could significantly reduce the usage of NaClO solution from 800 ppm to 500 ppm. NaClO-US decreased the counts of E. coli, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, which disrupted the bacterial cell membrane with cytoplasmic leakage. In addition, NaClO-US significantly increased cell membrane permeability, while cell membrane integrity decreased, the secondary structure of bacterial proteins showed several obvious changes, such as the increase of random coil content, as well as the decrease of α-helix content. The bacterial counts, E. coli, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa population in pakchoi treated with NaClO-US reduced by 1.89, 1.40, 1.60, 1.72 log CFU g^-1 , respectively compared to control sample after storage for 15 days. NaClO-US resulted in minimum chlorophyll depletion, flavor and sensory deterioration.

CONCLUSION

NaClO-US solution treatment inhibited microorganisms and prolonged storage of pakchoi. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of Swell-Drying on Mango (Mangifera indica) Drying Kinetics

Swell-Drying operation (SD) was applied on mangoes to evaluate its effect on drying kinetics: starting accessibility (δW), apparent drying coefficient (D_app), and time to obtain a final moisture content of 20% d.b (t_f = 20% d.b). Swell-drying consisted of (1) submitting fresh mangoes to a first pre-drying stage under Convective Air Drying (CAD) until a moisture content of 37% d.b; (2) applying Instant Controlled Pressure Drop (DIC) treatments on pre-dried mangoes by following a central composite rotatable design (steam pressure: 0.2–0.6 MPa and treatment time: 5 and 55 s); and (3) apply post-drying of mangoes under CAD. In both cases, CAD was performed at 60 °C and airflow of 1 m/s. Results showed that both the treatment time and the steam pressure impacted the D_app and the δW. By comparing to the control, SD (0.54 MPa and 48 s) increased the D_app and δW to 12.2 and 2.7 times, respectively. Moreover, SD triggers a significant reduction in post-drying time (t_f = 20% d.b), being this of 2.4 h vs. 30.8 h. These results could be linked to the expansion of the internal pores of mangoes generated by the instant autovaporization of residual water triggered by DIC treatment.

Robust optimization model of anti-epidemic supply chain under technological innovation: learning from COVID-19

The anti-epidemic supply chain plays an important role in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior research has focused on studying the facility location, inventory management, and route optimization of the supply chain by using certain parameters and models. Nevertheless, uncertainty, as a vital influence factor, greatly affects the supply chain. As such, the uncertainty that comes with technological innovation has a heightened influence on the supply chain. Few studies have explicitly investigated the influence of technological innovation on the anti-epidemic supply chain under the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the current research aims to investigate the influences of the uncertainty caused by technological innovation on the supply chain from demand and supply, shortage penalty, and budget. This paper presents a three-level model of the anti-epidemic supply chain under technological innovation and employs an interval data robust optimization to tackle the uncertainties of the model. The findings are obtained as follows. Firstly, the shortage penalty will increase the costs of the objective function but effectively improve demand satisfaction. Secondly, if the shortage penalty is sufficiently large, the minimum demand satisfaction rate can ensure a fair distribution of materials among the affected areas. Thirdly, technological innovation can reduce costs. The technological innovation related to the transportation costs of the anti-epidemic material distribution center has a greater influence on the optimal value. Meanwhile, the technological innovation related to the transportation costs of the supplier has the least influence. Fourthly, both supply and demand uncertainty can influence costs, but demand uncertainty has a greater influence. Fifthly, the multi-scenario budgeting approach can decrease the calculation complexity. These findings provide theoretical support for anti-epidemic dispatchers to adjust the conservativeness of uncertain parameters under the influence of technological innovation.

Application of infrared and microwave heating prior to freezing of pork: Effect on frozen meat quality

The effect of thermal treatment using infrared and microwave fields on freezing of pork loin was investigated. Several infrared and microwave treatment protocols were designed and tested to determine the thawing losses is each case to identify the most suitable one which yielded the best quality. In addition, the state of moisture in the meat, cooking loss, texture, color, pH, Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), and other indicators were also evaluated. The results show that both microwave and infrared pre-dehydration can reduce the thawing loss of pork loin; the minimum loss is only about 1.7% using microwave 50 W intensity of 1.92 W/g of wet pork. Pre-dehydration also reduced the hardness of all samples and increased springiness, cohesiveness, and resilience. It is noteworthy that pretreatment did not damage the color. Based on the results of this study it is concluded that thermal pretreatment using microwave or infrared fields of appropriate strength prior to freezing can yield good quality frozen pork meat.

Impact analysis of COVID-19 outbreak on cold supply chains of perishable products using a SWARA based MULTIMOORA approach

The present study aims to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak resulting in Cold Supply Chain (CSC) disruptions and shed new light on the potential opportunities yielded from the pandemic. In addition, the work also aims to explore the most appropriate strategies to minimize CSC disruption due to the COVID-19 outbreak and to repurpose to create conditions as they were before the pandemic. The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on CSCs has been analyzed theoretically and empirically, considering seven broader assessment criteria. To diminish the disruption due to COVID-19, eight of the most appropriate remedial strategies have been proposed in this study. A new hierarchical model was developed to articulate the analysis and consolidate various issues pertinent to CSC disruption caused by COVID-19 in one frame. The developed model was analyzed using a hybrid approach of SWARA-based MULTIMOORA methods. The SWARA method has been used to analyze the significance of considered assessment criteria, while the MULTIMOORA method has been used to analyze the mutual importance of proposed strategies. The findings of this paper show that ‘structural impact’ and ‘business and financial impact’ are the two most affected traits of CSC during the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the world. Meanwhile, the strategies ‘development of safe and healthier work scenario for partners of the cold chain’ and ‘successful monitoring and implementation of COVID-19 protocols’ are the two most important proposed strategies that might help management to mitigate the influence of the COVID-19 outbreak on CSCs. Findings of this research enable CSC managers and policy-makers to develop potential and robust plans for their operations to respond to disruptive situations like COVID-19 and turn them into opportunities for organizational growth and improving the health of society.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Seafood Safety and Human Health

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused several negative impacts on global human health and the world's economy. Food and seafood safety and security were among the principal challenges and causes of concern for the food industry and consumers during the spread of this global pandemic. This article focused on the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on potential safety issues with seafood products and their processing methods. Moreover, the potential impacts of coronavirus transmission through seafood on human health were evaluated. The role of authenticity, traceability, and antimicrobials from natural sources to preserve seafood and the possible interaction of functional foods on the human immune system are also discussed. Although seafood is not considered a principal vector of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, the possible infections through contaminated surfaces of such food products cannot be neglected. The positive effects of seafood consumption on possible immunity built up, and COVID-19 are also summarized.

Shelf-Life Prediction and Critical Value of Quality Index of Sichuan Sauerkraut Based on Kinetic Model and Principal Component Analysis

Kinetic models and accelerated shelf-life testing were employed to estimate the shelf-life of Sichuan sauerkraut. The texture, color, total acid, microbe, near-infrared analysis, volatile components, taste, and sensory evaluation of Sichuan sauerkraut stored at 25, 35, and 45 °C were determined. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) were used to analyze the e-tongue data. According to the above analysis, Sichuan sauerkraut with different storage times can be divided into three types: completely acceptable period, acceptable period, and unacceptable period. The model was found to be useful to determine the critical values of various quality indicators. Furthermore, the zero-order kinetic reaction model (R², 0.8699-0.9895) was fitted better than the first-order kinetic reaction model. The Arrhenius model (E_a value was 47.23-72.09 kJ/mol, k_ref value was 1.076 × 10⁶-9.220 × 10¹⁰ d^-1) exhibited a higher fitting degree than the Eyring model. Based on the analysis of physical properties, the shelf-life of Sichuan sauerkraut was more accurately predicted by the combination of the zero-order kinetic reaction model and the Arrhenius model, while the error back propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) model could better predict the chemical properties. It is a better choice for dealers and consumers to judge the shelf life and edibility of food by shelf-life model.

Biopolymer: A Sustainable Material for Food and Medical Applications

Biopolymers are a leading class of functional material suitable for high-value applications and are of great interest to researchers and professionals across various disciplines. Interdisciplinary research is important to understand the basic and applied aspects of biopolymers to address several complex problems associated with good health and well-being. To reduce the environmental impact and dependence on fossil fuels, a lot of effort has gone into replacing synthetic polymers with biodegradable materials, especially those derived from natural resources. In this regard, many types of natural or biopolymers have been developed to meet the needs of ever-expanding applications. These biopolymers are currently used in food applications and are expanding their use in the pharmaceutical and medical industries due to their unique properties. This review focuses on the various uses of biopolymers in the food and medical industry and provides a future outlook for the biopolymer industry.

Application of carbon dots in food preservation: a critical review for packaging enhancers and food preservatives

Carbon dots (CDs) have two unique advantages: one is ease of synthesis at low price, the other is desirable physical and chemical properties, such as ultra-small size, abundant surface functional groups, nontoxic/low-toxicity, good biocompatibility, excellent antibacterial and antioxidant activities etc. These advantages provide opportunities for the development of new food packaging enhancers and food preservatives. This paper systematically reviews the studies of CDs used to strengthen the physical properties of food packaging, including strengthen mechanical strength, ultraviolet (UV) barrier properties and water barrier properties. It also reviews the researches of CDs used to fabricate active packaging with antioxidant and/or antibacterial properties and intelligent packaging with the capacity of sensing the freshness of food. In addition, it analyzes the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of CDs as preservatives, and discusses the effect of CDs applied as coating agents and nano-level food additives for extension the shelf life of food samples. It also provides a brief review on the security and the release behavior of CDs.

Potential of engineered nanostructured biopolymer based coatings for perishable fruits with Coronavirus safety perspectives

Fresh fruits are prioritized needs in order to fulfill the required health benefits for human beings. However, some essential fruits are highly perishable with very short shelf-life during storage because of microbial growth and infections. Thus improvement of fruits shelf-life is a serious concern for their proper utlization without generation of huge amount of fruit-waste. Among various methods employed in extension of fruits shelf-life, design and fabrication of edible nanocoatings with antimicrobial activities have attracted considerable interest because of their enormous potential, novel functions, eco-friendly nature and good durability. In recent years, scientific communities have payed increased attention in the development of advanced antimicrobial edible coatings to prolong the postharvest shelf-life of fruits using hydrocolloids. In this review, we attempted to highlight the technical breakthrough and recent advancements in development of edible fruit coating by the application of various types of agro-industrial residues and different active nanomaterials incorporated into the coatings and their effects on shelf-life of perishable fruits. Improvements in highly desired functions such as antioxidant/antimicrobial activities and mechanical properties of edible coating to significantly control the gases (O2/CO2) permeation by the incorporation of nanoscale natural materials as well as metal nanoparticles are reviewed and discussed. In addition, by compiling recent knowledge, advantages of coatings on fruits for nutritional security during COVID-19 pandemic are also summarized along with the scientific challenges and insights for future developments in fabrication of engineered nanocoatings.

Assessing the Food Safety and Quality Assurance System during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aims to develop and test a methodological approach to assess the system of food quality and safety in the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve the study objectives, a multi-country research project was implemented with 425 enterprises from Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Belarus. The application of the developed methodological approach resulted in comparable assessments of the various criteria of the food safety and quality assurance system in supply chains. This makes it possible to implement continuous monitoring of the state of the food safety and quality assurance system in the enterprises. In addition, the study identified critical weaknesses in the safety system, including a very low level of assessment by enterprises of the impact of WHO advisory protocols. This greatly increases the risks associated with food safety in the COVID-19 pandemic. Urgent action is required to increase the confidence of food supply chain actors in WHO recommendations and national food safety and quality protocols. The conducted assessments showed that a significant proportion of enterprises did not implement a food safety system. One out of five of the respondents claimed to have implemented safety systems at an enterprise in accordance with the standards recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative. Only 2% declared the introduction of HACCP at an enterprise, which is logical given the high mistrust of WHO recommendations. The proposed approach can be used in the real sector of the economy to monitor the food safety and quality assurance system in the supply chain at the regional, sectoral and national levels.

Nanocarriers for Sustainable Active Packaging: An Overview during and Post COVID-19

Lockdown has been installed due to the fast spread of COVID-19, and several challenges have occurred. Active packaging was considered a sustainable option for mitigating risks to food systems during COVID-19. Biopolymeric-based active packaging incorporating the release of active compounds with antimicrobial and antioxidant activity represents an innovative solution for increasing shelf life and maintaining food quality during transportation from producers to consumers. However, food packaging requires certain physical, chemical, and mechanical performances, which biopolymers such as proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids have not satisfied. In addition, active compounds have low stability and can easily burst when added directly into biopolymeric materials. Due to these drawbacks, encapsulation into lipid-based, polymeric-based, and nanoclay-based nanocarriers has currently captured increased interest. Nanocarriers can protect and control the release of active compounds and can enhance the performance of biopolymeric matrices. The aim of this manuscript is to provide an overview regarding the benefits of released active compound-loaded nanocarriers in developing sustainable biopolymeric-based active packaging with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Nanocarriers improve physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of the biopolymeric matrix and increase the bioactivity of released active compounds. Furthermore, challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and a brief post-COVID-19 scenario were also mentioned.

Resilience Innovations and the Use of Food Order & Delivery Platforms by the Romanian Restaurants during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic, the blocking of activity by the government and the restrictions imposed in Romania had detrimental effects on the activity of restaurants, imposing their adaptation to new situations and generating creative innovations that caused changes in the way restaurants deliver food to consumers through food order & delivery platforms. Exploring the nature and implications of such innovations on resilience, this study analyzes their impact on the attitude and intention to use food delivery platforms by restaurant managers in Romania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the proposed structural model, the authors integrate innovations in resilience by joining together the new components of the established TAM model. This research was conducted on a sample of 402 restaurant managers in Romania. The data was collected based on a questionnaire, and it was analyzed with the SmartPLS3 software. The results of the study show that the four variables of innovation, namely business strategy innovations, technological innovations, financial innovations and social innovations, exert different effects on behavioral intention and attitude towards using the order & delivery platforms. The results of the study can be key points in the more efficient management of material, financial and human resources, thus improving the commercial performance of restaurants.

Latest Developments in Edible Coatings on Minimally Processed Fruits and Vegetables: A Review

The food industry nowadays is facing new challenges in terms of sustainability and health implications of packaging and processing techniques. Due to their desire for new and natural products coupled with changes in lifestyle, consumers are looking for food products that have been less processed but possess longer shelf life and maintain nutritional and sensorial proprieties during storage. These requirements represent real challenges when dealing with highly perishable food products, such as fruits and vegetables. Thus, in recent years, edible coatings have been intensively developed and studied because of their capacity to improve the quality, shelf life, safety, and functionality of the treated products. Edible coatings can be applied through different techniques, like dipping, spraying, or coating, in order to control moisture transfer, gas exchange, or oxidative processes. Furthermore, some functional ingredients can be incorporated into an edible matrix and applied on the surface of foods, thus enhancing safety or even nutritional and sensory attributes. In the case of coated fruits and vegetables, their quality parameters, such as color, firmness, microbial load, decay ratio, weight loss, sensorial attributes, and nutritional parameters, which are very specific to the type of products and their storage conditions, should be carefully monitored. This review attempts to summarize recent studies of different edible coatings (polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and composites) as carriers of functional ingredients (antimicrobials, texture enhancers, and nutraceuticals) applied on different minimally processed fruits and vegetables, highlighting the coating ingredients, the application methods and the effects on food shelf life and quality.

Enabling Food Safety Entrepreneurship: Exploratory Case Studies From Nepal, Senegal, and Ethiopia

Today, formal and informal enterprises are increasingly contributing to the safety and nutritional ramifications of their food business activities. Enabling entrepreneurship in a sustainable manner means making profits, striving to prevent ingress of harmful substances, and increasing the efficiency of using local natural resources and thus mitigating food hazardous footprints. Using examples from Nepal, Senegal and Ethiopia, this review provides information on microbial and chemical contamination and food adulteration that lead to having unsafe food in the market and on factors that are limiting growing food businesses. Four examples for how to accelerate food safety entrepreneurship are presented that include safely diversifying markets with animal sourced foods, sustainably using neglected and underutilized animal sources, expanding, and integrating innovative technologies with traditional practice and using digital technology to improving monitoring and safety along the food supply chain.

Can imported cold food cause COVID-19 recurrent outbreaks? A review

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still spreading all over the world. Although China quickly brought the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) under control in 2020, sporadic outbreaks have recurred from time to time. Outbreaks since June 2020 have suggested that the imported cold food supply chain is a major cause for the recurrence and spread of COVID-19. Here we review recurrent outbreaks in China from June 2020 to March 2021, and we analyse the main causes for recurrence and transmission by the supply of imported cold food from port to fork. Contaminated cold food or food packaging material can transmit the virus through 'person-to-thing-to-person', by contrast with the classical 'person-to-person' pathway. We decribe safety precautions for the food system, operating environment and people along the cold chain logistics. Surface disinfection and nucleic acid inspection are needed in each stage of the logistics of imported cold food supply.

Causal Impacts of Epidemics and Pandemics on Food Supply Chains: A Systematic Review

The epidemics and pandemics can severely affect food supply chains, including producers, retailers, wholesalers, and customers. To minimize their impacts, it is fundamental to implement effective policies that ensure continuity in the provision, affordability, and distribution of basic food items. This research identifies the main impacts of pandemics and epidemics on food supply chains and policies that can minimize these impacts. Based on a systematic literature review (SLR), 173 documents are analysed to propose a taxonomy of impacts on four supply chain links: demand-side, supply-side, logistics and infrastructure, and management and operation. The taxonomy presents the main impacts and respective mitigation policies. In addition, the literature review leads to the development of a comprehensive causal loop diagram (CLD) with the identification of main variables and their relationship with food supply chains. Finally, a specific research agenda is proposed by identifying the main research gaps. These findings provide a structured method for evaluating policies that ensure the functioning of food supply chains, particularly in disruptions such as epidemics and pandemics.

Investigating the barriers to growth in the Indian food processing sector

The Indian food processing sector (IFPS) has a tremendous capability for growth that can improve the socio-economic conditions of the rural masses. The performance of this sector is lagging behind substantially when compared to other developing nations. This study aims to identify growth barriers at different supply chain (SC) stages in the IFPS. Delphi analysis is performed to find out the barriers in the IFPS. Eighteen growth barriers have been found through expert opinion and extensive literature review spanning across three supply chain tiers: farm level, distribution level, and the consumer level. Further, to prioritize and identify the relative importance of various barriers, the analytic hierarchy process is employed. The results show that the top growth barriers in IFPS are—the lack of standardization and quality in the processed food, rain-dependent farming, and the high cost of cold chain facilities. The novel contribution of this study lies in capturing the intricacies of growth barriers in IFPS in an integrated manner across different SC tiers. Interactions between the identified drivers are important to both practitioners and researchers in understanding and driving process, quality, and technology improvements. Finally, the results also throw light on prioritized areas of concern that can be a game-changer for policymakers in India and other developing nations.

Systematic review of the effects of environmental factors on virus inactivation: implications for coronavirus disease 2019

Environmental factors such as temperature and relative humidity can affect the inactivation and transmission of coronaviruses. By reviewing medical experiments on virus survival and virus transmission between infected and susceptible species in different temperature and humidity conditions, this study explores the influence of temperature and relative humidity on the survival and transmission of viruses, and provides suggestions, with experimental evidence, for the environmental control measures of Coronavirus Disease 2019. The results indicated that (1) virus viability and infectivity is increased at a low temperature of 5 ℃ and reduced at higher temperatures. (2) Virus survival and transmission is highly efficient in a dry environment with low relative humidity, and also in a wet environment with high relative humidity, and it is minimal at intermediate relative humidity. Therefore, in indoor environments, the lack of heating in winter or overventilation, leading to low indoor temperature, can help virus survival and help susceptible people being infected. On the contrary, modulating the indoor relative humidity at an intermediate level is conducive to curb epidemic outbreaks.

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Since December 2019, humanity has faced an important global threat. Many studies have been published on the origin, structure, and mechanism of action of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the treatment of its disease. The priority of scientists all over the world has been to direct their time to research this subject. In this review, we highlight chemical studies and therapeutic approaches to overcome COVID-19 with seven different sections. These sections are the structure and mechanism of action of SARS-CoV-2, immunotherapy and vaccine, computer-aided drug design, repurposing therapeutics for COVID-19, synthesis of new molecular structures against COVID-19, food safety/security and functional food components, and potential natural products against COVID-19. In this work, we aimed to screen all the newly synthesized compounds, repurposing chemicals covering antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiparasitic, anticancer, antipsychotic, and antihistamine compounds against COVID-19. We also highlight computer-aided approaches to develop an anti-COVID-19 molecule. We explain that some phytochemicals and dietary supplements have been identified as antiviral bioproducts, which have almost been successfully tested against COVID-19. In addition, we present immunotherapy types, targets, immunotherapy and inflammation/mutations of the virus, immune response, and vaccine issues.

Research on International Cooperative Governance of the COVID-19

Since the first case of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has quickly spread to all the corners of the world. Amid the global public health threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, active cooperative governance has gradually emerged as the most powerful weapon against its spread. To facilitate international cooperation for pandemic governance, this paper applied the evolutionary game theory to analyze the factors influencing active cooperative governance and, based on the results, proposed a series of recommendations for promoting international cooperation. (1) leveraging the role of international organizations to reduce the cost of realizing the strategy of active cooperative governance, (2) promoting the international exchange of related experiences to lower the cost of active pandemic governance, (3) sustaining productive and daily activities during the pandemic in a classified and hierarchical manner to reduce the economic loss incurred by active pandemic governance, and (4) optimizing the incentive measures of international organizations to facilitate the selection of active cooperative governance. Finally, from the four aspects of resource management of pandemic treatment, supply management of living materials, population flow cooperation management, and governance fund cooperation management, this paper gives the path of international pandemic cooperative governance.