Biomass waste and waste-derived feedstocks are important resources for the development of sustain... more Biomass waste and waste-derived feedstocks are important resources for the development of sustainable value-added products. However, the provision and preparation of biomass as well as all possible downstream processing steps need to be thoroughly analyzed to gain environmentally sound and economically viable products. Additionally, its impacts are substantially determined by decisions made at early development stages. Therefore, sustainability assessment methods can support to improve the production process, reduce waste, and costs and help decision-making, at the industrial as well as policy levels. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an analysis technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all product's life cycle stages. It is a well-established tool to drive development towards a sustainable direction, however, its application in the earlier research phase is surrounded by practical challenges. The overall objective of this paper is to provide an understanding of th...
Systematic review of methods and findings of 92 LCC studies in the agrifood sector. • Life cycle ... more Systematic review of methods and findings of 92 LCC studies in the agrifood sector. • Life cycle costing has been applied to a wide range of products and purposes. • The inclusion or exclusion of specific cost categories differs between studies. • The standardization of LCC is crucial to improve comparability and enhance impact. • Integrating LCC with LCA is valuable, though hardly implemented.
To achieve a more sustainable food system, it is necessary to shift toward more plant-based prote... more To achieve a more sustainable food system, it is necessary to shift toward more plant-based protein sources. Europe currently imports huge amounts of protein crops each year, mainly soy, which has adverse environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Therefore, there is a need to increase local production. Despite the numerous advantages associated with the cultivation of protein crops, the farmer adoption rate in Europe remains very low. This study aims to investigate farmers’ willingness to grow protein crops and the determinants of the willingness to adopt protein crops, using a standardized survey. In addition, selected protein crop farmers are interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of their motivations to grow these crops. Results indicate that risk aversion has a negative and environmental farming goals have a positive significant impact on the intention to adopt protein crops for food. Additionally, farmers with a larger farm size are more likely to adopt protein crops. The im...
Fish and meat production and processing will grow drastically in the coming decades. In aquacultu... more Fish and meat production and processing will grow drastically in the coming decades. In aquacultural systems, insects are gaining interest as feed to provide a sustainable alternative to the fishmeal paradox, whose production leads to high consumption of resources and negative environmental impacts. Within the scope of this study, the production of fish feed from Hermetia illucens larvae and Lemna minor in an inline recirculating aquaponics model for urban sites was developed and optimized, which efficiently combines waste and environmental service concepts in one production system. At the same time, the value chain produces high-quality, market-accessible raw materials for the fish feed industry. All investigations were accompanied by a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to measure and compare ecological effects to finally result in sustainable alternatives. The results achieved in this research show that fish feed based on Hermetia illucens and Lemna minor can have the potent...
Nutritional and Health Aspects of Food in Western Europe, 2020
Traditional food is a fuzzy concept, challenging for the analysis and interpretation. Even if the... more Traditional food is a fuzzy concept, challenging for the analysis and interpretation. Even if there are no exact distinctions between traditional foods, dietary patterns, or typical dishes, one differentiating criterion might be their relation to regional or local agricultural production. The biggest impact of traditional foods is associated with agricultural stage of production, which is connected to land cultivation requirements, irrigation and fertilization. Transportation and processing, on the other hand, play not so significant role, diminishing the importance of regional food concept. However, transportation and processing conditions in a great degree ensure the microbial safety and nutrients availability of food. The relation between environmental impact and food systems is not straightforward. An exclusively product-based environmental assessment is not sufficiently comprehensive and does not allow for a final verdict on the ecological sustainability of food products. Product-based life cycle assessment (LCA) of foods from intensive agriculture in most cases indicates their higher eco-efficiency comparing to traditional products. Consumption patterns in combination with complex food supply chains result in a wide variety of dietary patterns, which may reduce or increase the impact of traditional food. The growing interest in traditional food and supply chains and the involvement of citizens in local food networks might be in support of developing locally adapted food consumption patterns. However, such systems should not only rely on traditional practices of food production, but also on the recent development and efficient down-scaling of agricultural techniques, logistic schemes and processing equipment. Without inclusion of such advances, traditional practices of food production will not be an environmentally efficient solution for future generations.
Biomass waste and waste-derived feedstocks are important resources for the development of sustain... more Biomass waste and waste-derived feedstocks are important resources for the development of sustainable value-added products. However, the provision and preparation of biomass as well as all possible downstream processing steps need to be thoroughly analyzed to gain environmentally sound and economically viable products. Additionally, its impacts are substantially determined by decisions made at early development stages. Therefore, sustainability assessment methods can support to improve the production process, reduce waste, and costs and help decision-making, at the industrial as well as policy levels. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an analysis technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all product's life cycle stages. It is a well-established tool to drive development towards a sustainable direction, however, its application in the earlier research phase is surrounded by practical challenges. The overall objective of this paper is to provide an understanding of th...
Systematic review of methods and findings of 92 LCC studies in the agrifood sector. • Life cycle ... more Systematic review of methods and findings of 92 LCC studies in the agrifood sector. • Life cycle costing has been applied to a wide range of products and purposes. • The inclusion or exclusion of specific cost categories differs between studies. • The standardization of LCC is crucial to improve comparability and enhance impact. • Integrating LCC with LCA is valuable, though hardly implemented.
To achieve a more sustainable food system, it is necessary to shift toward more plant-based prote... more To achieve a more sustainable food system, it is necessary to shift toward more plant-based protein sources. Europe currently imports huge amounts of protein crops each year, mainly soy, which has adverse environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Therefore, there is a need to increase local production. Despite the numerous advantages associated with the cultivation of protein crops, the farmer adoption rate in Europe remains very low. This study aims to investigate farmers’ willingness to grow protein crops and the determinants of the willingness to adopt protein crops, using a standardized survey. In addition, selected protein crop farmers are interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of their motivations to grow these crops. Results indicate that risk aversion has a negative and environmental farming goals have a positive significant impact on the intention to adopt protein crops for food. Additionally, farmers with a larger farm size are more likely to adopt protein crops. The im...
Fish and meat production and processing will grow drastically in the coming decades. In aquacultu... more Fish and meat production and processing will grow drastically in the coming decades. In aquacultural systems, insects are gaining interest as feed to provide a sustainable alternative to the fishmeal paradox, whose production leads to high consumption of resources and negative environmental impacts. Within the scope of this study, the production of fish feed from Hermetia illucens larvae and Lemna minor in an inline recirculating aquaponics model for urban sites was developed and optimized, which efficiently combines waste and environmental service concepts in one production system. At the same time, the value chain produces high-quality, market-accessible raw materials for the fish feed industry. All investigations were accompanied by a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to measure and compare ecological effects to finally result in sustainable alternatives. The results achieved in this research show that fish feed based on Hermetia illucens and Lemna minor can have the potent...
Nutritional and Health Aspects of Food in Western Europe, 2020
Traditional food is a fuzzy concept, challenging for the analysis and interpretation. Even if the... more Traditional food is a fuzzy concept, challenging for the analysis and interpretation. Even if there are no exact distinctions between traditional foods, dietary patterns, or typical dishes, one differentiating criterion might be their relation to regional or local agricultural production. The biggest impact of traditional foods is associated with agricultural stage of production, which is connected to land cultivation requirements, irrigation and fertilization. Transportation and processing, on the other hand, play not so significant role, diminishing the importance of regional food concept. However, transportation and processing conditions in a great degree ensure the microbial safety and nutrients availability of food. The relation between environmental impact and food systems is not straightforward. An exclusively product-based environmental assessment is not sufficiently comprehensive and does not allow for a final verdict on the ecological sustainability of food products. Product-based life cycle assessment (LCA) of foods from intensive agriculture in most cases indicates their higher eco-efficiency comparing to traditional products. Consumption patterns in combination with complex food supply chains result in a wide variety of dietary patterns, which may reduce or increase the impact of traditional food. The growing interest in traditional food and supply chains and the involvement of citizens in local food networks might be in support of developing locally adapted food consumption patterns. However, such systems should not only rely on traditional practices of food production, but also on the recent development and efficient down-scaling of agricultural techniques, logistic schemes and processing equipment. Without inclusion of such advances, traditional practices of food production will not be an environmentally efficient solution for future generations.
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