In this study, noncommercial biodegradable and compostable nonperforated films (F2, F3, F4) were evaluated for modified atmosphere packaging storage for 5 days at 1 ± 1C and 7 days at 20 ± 1C of raspberries cv. Grandeur. After measuring the CO2 (PeCO2) and the O2 (PeO2) permeability of new films at different temperatures, the most important qualitative traits and nutraceutical components of fruits were analyzed and compared with those of unwrapped raspberries and macroperforated film (F1). As the temperature increased, the F2 and F3 were the only films to allow storage of the fruits up to 12 days, but the F3 film (5.7 kPa O2 and values of 31.6 kPa CO2) was the best for maintaining the color parameter (L 29.0, chroma 36.4) close to the value observed at harvest because of a similar ratio between the PeCO2 and the PeO2 (4.2 and 4.1, respectively) at both low and high temperatures. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThis study of the permeability of new films from renewable sources for packaging raspberries in a temperature range that can simulate the postharvest supply chain could indicate that storing these perishable fruits under modified atmospheric packaging could increase environmental sustainability.

The challenge of developing a sustainable production system includes the reduction of emissions, the efficient use of resources, and the transition to renewable energy. The bioeconomy proposes a development model aimed at reducing impacts and risks associated with the use of non-renewable resources considering the life cycle of products. The European Union is promoting products from renewable sources focused on biochemicals and bio-based plastics, which are high added value products when compared to biofuels. The aim of this paper is to consider sustainability in terms of the environmental, economic, and social aspects of use of bio-based plastics in the fruit chain, considering the case study of raspberry supply chains in northwestern Italy. Different analyses (life-cycle assessment (LCA), life-cycle costing (LCC), and externality assessment (ExA)) were used to assess the impacts along the whole chain by means of an integrated approach. The results show that the bio-based plastic scenario has lower environmental and social impacts than the conventional one, whereas the latter is the best choice according to a classic economic approach. The introduction of bio-based plastics as a replacement for traditional plastics in agri-food chains is the first step toward the use of renewable resources with a low impact on society.

A chlorine dioxide generating pad has been used as postharvest treatment to maintain the quality and safety of strawberries in two different storage conditions. During the short storage time (3 days at 4°C + 2 days at 20°C) fruit treated with ClO 2 maintained better quality parameters, as color, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, anthocyanins, antioxidant capacity and lower values of weight loss. During the long storage time (12 days at 2°C), the parameters related to postharvest quality were generally preserved and the effect of ClO 2 was positive to reduce the total yeast and mold, except the last period of the experiment when the ClO 2 gas-generating pad was probably exhausted. The sensory evaluation revealed that the sanitization with ClO 2 maintained a global positive acceptance in particular during the short storage time. The results suggest that this treatment may be suitable to maintain the quality during short storage and long storage until 8 days and it may be an important alternative sanitizer thanks to the positive action against the yeast and mold without modifying the quality of the strawberries. Unauthenticated Download Date | 5/8/18 8:11 PM

The sustainability of packaging is an important part of food system innovation and it can infl uence the purchase decision for the fresh produce. In this work, we evaluated the qualitative performance and the consumer acceptability of three starch fi lms for the blueberry modifi ed atmosphere packaging (MAP) storage under fl uctuating temperatures. Fruits cv. Duke were monitored for up to 18 days (15 days at 1±1°C and 3 days at 20±1°C). The respiration rate of the blueberries and the permeability of the fi lms affect the initial atmospheric composition (0.2 kPa CO 2 and 21.2 kPa O 2 ) inside each package infl uencing the headspace gas composition and the quality parameters of the fruits. The F3 fi lm has better controlled O 2 values inside the packages up until the end of storage (5.7 kPa) and it maintained the highest anthocyanin content (156.21 mg C 3 G/100 g FW) and antioxidant capacity (22.18 Fe 2+ /kg) of fruits at 20±1°C.

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Abstract:Italy's kiwifruit growers are considered to be world-leading players of the past 20 years. However, with this success come its challenges. In the last five years, a bacterial canker of kiwifruit known as Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) has caused a dramatic reduction in the size of the areas cultivated, leading to several experienced Piedmontese Actinidia deliciosa growers beginning to cultivate the A. arguta. To better understand the potential for replacing the common kiwifruit in Italy's Piedmont region with plantations of A. arguta and to attain a systematic approach and support for decision situations; we assessed the environmental impact of the two production chains (field and storage) from a technical-operational perspective. The assessment was conducted through interviews with producers, field and warehouse technicians and sales managers in order to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the two systems. The work presented below considers the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method for the field system (two different phases of the plantation) and the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis for the entire supply chain (field and warehouse management). Finally, a TOWS analysis (Threats, Opportunities, Weakness, Strengths) integrated the results of both LCA and SWOT analyses and permitted to highlight the development strategies for A. arguta in Piedmont. The total orchard cycle for A. arguta presents an impact of 0.14 kg CO 2 eq (GWP) and for A. deliciosa an impact of 0.11 kg CO 2 eq (GWP). Based on the synthesis of results from our TOWS analysis, we identified the following development strategies to help to shape the future A. arguta supply chain in Piedmont: Large-scale oriented; Berry fruits oriented; Export and organic oriented and Niche oriented.

Abstract:The growing trend market of fresh products is driven by a consumer oriented to new lifestyles and environmental issues. The berries market in Europe represents a good example of a consumer driven supply chain, due to the capacity to answer all the sequences of the system. To explore the process developed by fruit growers' associated groups in Italy, the research is organized into four stages. The first stage provides a review of the organization of the fresh fruit supply chain (FFSC) and the need to innovate it in light of the driven demand. The second section focuses on the innovation displayed towards storing, managing and maintaining the quality of fruit during the supply. The third section considers the case study. The manuscript concludes by summarising the main results and discussing the implications for future research. The use of a modified active packaging system (MAP) with "green" films has enabled the maintenance of the quality of the fruits for two months, as well as the presence of the company blueberries market for longer periods, and has finally led to improving the exports, thus reaching new European countries, increasing the turnover of the associated group and better remuneration for the fruit growers as a consequence.

The use of green materials in the packaging can drive the choice of fresh fruits by the consumers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the suitability of green wrapping films for use in passive modified atmosphere packaging for the storage of strawberries (cv. Portola) for 7 days at 1 ± 1°C followed by an additional 2 days at 20 ± 1°C. One commercial polypropylene macro-perforated film (control) and three non-commercial biodegradable and compostable films (prototypes, Novamont, Novara, Italy) (films 1, 2 and 3) were used. The best headspace gas composition was obtained with film 1; a steady state was rapidly reached and this equilibrium was maintained for up to 5 days, with a composition of 17.60-18.50% O 2 and 5.30-5.60% CO 2 . The sensorial evaluation of film 1 also yielded the best scores in terms of condensation, taste, marketability and redness of the fruits during shelf storage (at 20 ± 1°C).Cadena de producción sostenible: evolución de las características cualitativas de las fresas almacenadas mediante envasado con plástico film ecológico RESUMEN La utilización de materiales ecológicos en el envasado puede ofrecer la elección de frutas frescas a los consumidores. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el grado de sostenibilidad de los plásticos film para envasar en su utilización en el envasado con atmosfera modificada en el proceso de almacenamiento de las fresas (cv. Portola) durante 7 días a 1±1°C, seguido de 2 días adicionales a 20 ±1°C. Se utilizaron un plástico film comercial macroperforado de polipropileno (control) y tres plásticos film no comerciales biodegradables y aptos para abono (prototipos, Novamont, Novara, Italia) (film 1, film 2 y film 3). La mejor composición de gases se obtuvo con el film 1, con el cual se consiguió rápidamente un estado estable y ese equilibrio se mantuvo hasta 5 días, con una composición de 17,60-18,50% de O 2 y 5,30-5,60% de CO 2 . La evaluación sensorial del film 1 también obtuvo el mejor rendimiento con las mejores puntuaciones en términos de condensación, sabor, comerciabilidad y rojez de los frutos durante el almacenamiento en estanterías (a 20±1°C).