A systematic review on drivers influencing consumption of edible mushrooms and innovative mushroom-containing products

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The agribusiness sector is constantly seeking solutions to enhance food security, sustainability, and resilience. Recent estimates indicate that one-third of the total food production remains unused due to waste or limited shelf life, resulting in negative environmental and ethical consequences. Consequently, exploring technological solutions to extend the shelf life of food products could be a crucial option to address this issue. However, the success of these technological solutions is closely linked to the perception of the end-consumers, particularly in the short term. Based on these considerations, this paper presents a systematic literature review of the main technological innovations in the fresh meat industry and of consumers’ perceptions of such innovations. Regarding innovative technologies, this review focused on active and smart packaging. Amidst various technological innovations, including the utilization of fundamental matrices and natural additives, a noticeable gap exists in consumer perception studies. This study represents the first comprehensive compilation of research on consumers’ perceptions and acceptance of innovations designed to extend the shelf life of fresh meat. Moreover, it sheds light on the existing barriers that hinder the complete embrace of these innovations.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing Freshness and Sustainability: Charting a Course for Meat Industry Innovation and Consumer Acceptance

Spada,

De Cianni,

Di Vita

et al. 2024

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“…By incorporating mushrooms and truffles as blenders in meat products, over 7.5 million L of water can be saved per 10,000 portions of this product (made with 70% beef and 30% mushrooms) [88]. A. bisporus, L. edodes and P. ostreatus are among the most produced mushrooms species worldwide, and are already often used in these products [79,89]. The Nutri-Score is a promising new front-of-pack nutrition labelling system that has the potential to improve population diets [81].…”

Section: Showcasing T Arenaria's Nutritional Valuementioning

confidence: 99%

Using Science and Technology to Unveil The Hidden Delicacy Terfezia arenaria, a Desert Truffle

Ferreira,

Dias,

Mouazen

et al. 2023

Terfezia arenaria is a desert truffle native to the Mediterranean Basin region, highly appreciated for its nutritional and aromatic properties. Despite the increasing interest in this desert truffle, T. arenaria is not listed as an edible truffle authorized for trade in the European Union. Therefore, our objective was to showcase T. arenaria’s nutritional and chemical composition and volatile profile. The nutritional analysis showed that T. arenaria is a good source of carbohydrates (67%), proteins (14%), and dietary fibre (10%), resulting in a Nutri-Score A. The truffle’s volatile profile was dominated by eight-carbon volatile compounds, with 1-octen-3-ol being the most abundant (64%), and 29 compounds were reported for the first time for T. arenaria. T. arenaria’s nutritional and chemical compositions were similar to those of four commercial mushroom and truffle species, while the aromatic profile was not. An electronic nose corroborated that T. arenaria‘s aromatic profile differs from that of the other four tested mushroom and truffle species. Our data showed that T. arenaria is a valuable food resource with a unique aroma and an analogous composition to meat, which makes it an ideal source for plant-based meat products. Our findings could help promote a sustainable future exploitation of T. arenaria and ensure the quality and authenticity of this delicacy.

“…As a result of these characteristics, edible mushroom production is also able to satisfy SDG 12, which aims to achieve “sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources”, and SDG 13, which highlights the urgent need to combat climate change and its impacts. Currently, fresh products are dominant on the edible mushroom market, but there is increasing interest in processed products, especially in Western countries [ 17 , 29 ]. However, fresh mushrooms are highly perishable and deteriorate within a few days, and in some cases, even after a single day.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Further Step toward Sustainable Development: The Case of the Edible Mushroom Supply Chain

De Cianni,

Varese,

Mancuso

2023

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This study provides an accurate economic characterization of the supply of edible mushrooms throughout Italy within the European context to fill the relevant research gap and highlight barriers and opportunities that are consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals. Italian companies operating in this field were identified and economically characterized using the Chamber of Commerce’s Register of Companies. A qualitative web content analysis was then conducted to extract information about the marketed products, mushroom species, and retail channels, as well as the adopted certifications. The obtained data were quantitatively analyzed through descriptive statistics and multiple correspondence analysis. The Italian market is concentrated in northern areas of the country, and the limited company size indicates fragmentation at the production level, which led to Italy not being competitive enough and, thus, heavily rely on imports. Production is limited to less than 10 species, and innovative mushroom-based products, such as burgers, have shown a limited presence on the market, although they are gaining market share online. The novelty of growing kits highlights the potential to use food production waste to create fungal substrates. Investments in training new mushroom growers and studying new formulations and new fungal species are needed; these investments could allow greater market differentiation and be a good opportunity to promote local economies and create new job opportunities, thus meeting the requirements for sustainable development.