DSpace Community:
http://hdl.handle.net/2067/2688
2024-03-29T12:33:03Z
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Product Carbon Footprint: Still a proper method to start improving the sustainability of food and beverage enterprises
http://hdl.handle.net/2067/3150
Title: Product Carbon Footprint: Still a proper method to start improving the sustainability of food and beverage enterprises
Authors: Cimini, Alessio; Moresi, Mauro
Abstract: Given the complexity of food production, supply chains and distribution, this paper sustainsthat the mere assessment of the product carbon footprint might still be regarded as a first trialin the field of improving the sustainability of the food and drink industry. After having reviewed the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the agro-food system in industrialized countries, and summarized the main direct environmental impacts of the food industry, the pros and cons of the Life Cycle assessment (LCA) methodology were briefly examined together with the current standard methods used toassess the environmental impact of food and drink products. Once a cradle-to-grave product carbon footprint modelling had been developed, some mitigating actions might be tested with the final goal of reducing the GHG emissions associated with the most impacting product life cycle stages. As an example, such a procedure was applied to approximately halve the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of two cereal-based products (i.e., dry pasta and malt beer). A cost/benefit analysis is required to relate the marginal increase in the product processing costs to each reduction in the product environmental load.
2019-05-20T00:00:00Z
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Commercial short-cut extruded pasta: Cooking quality and carbon footprint vs. water-to-pasta ratio
http://hdl.handle.net/2067/3149
Title: Commercial short-cut extruded pasta: Cooking quality and carbon footprint vs. water-to-pasta ratio
Authors: Cimini, Alessio; Cibelli, Matteo; Messia, Maria Cristina; Moresi, Mauro
Abstract: Pasta cooking is an energy-intensive process. Its energy requirements might be significantly cut by reducing simultaneously the cooking water-to-dry pasta ratio (WPR) and effective power supplied during the so-called pasta cooking phase. In the case of cooked short-cut extruded pasta of the Penne rigate type, the textural (i.e., hardness at 40% and 98% compression, and resilience) and chemical (i.e., relative water uptake, degree of starch gelatinisation, and cooking loss) parameters were almost constant for WPR ranging from 3 to 10 L kg−1. When cooking one kg of short pasta with just 3 L of water under mild mixing the energy needs reduced by about two-thirds with respect to the conventional WPR value of 10 L kg−1. In this way, it would be possible to reduce the greenhouse gases emitted to sustain the current consumption of dry pasta by about 50%.
An empirical equation was also developed to predict a minimum WPR value assuring no agglomeration of any pasta type (short or long) by accounting for the external surface and empty volume of each pasta piece, and most probable water uptake by cooked pasta.
2019-05-22T00:00:00Z
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Cooking quality of commercial spaghetti: effect of the water-to-dried pasta ratio
http://hdl.handle.net/2067/3147
Title: Cooking quality of commercial spaghetti: effect of the water-to-dried pasta ratio
Authors: Cimini, Alessio; Cibelli, Matteo; Messia, Maria Cristina; Marconi, Emanuele; Moresi, Mauro
Abstract: The consumption of two vital resources (e.g., water and energy) during home pasta cooking has so far received limited attention. The main focus of this work was to assess how the instrumental and sensory quality of cooked pasta is affected by the water-to-dried pasta ratio (WPR) using a model cooking system with three commercial brands of spaghetti. At WPR equal to 10 or 3 L/kg, the three sensory attributes of firmness, stickiness, and bulkiness, as well as the overall cooking quality, displayed no statistically significant sensitivity towards WPR. Cooked pasta water uptake, diameter, hardness at 90% deformation, and resilience were more influenced by the raw protein content of dried pasta than by WPR, while the cooking loss was regarded as approximately constant. Using the model cooking system that assured mild mixing of spaghetti to avoid their sticking during cooking, it would be possible to use 70% less cooking water and consume about 65% less electricity, the latter cutting significantly the climate change potential of home pasta cooking.
2018-12-03T00:00:00Z
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Cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of dried organic pasta: assessment and potential mitigation measures
http://hdl.handle.net/2067/3146
Title: Cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of dried organic pasta: assessment and potential mitigation measures
Authors: Cimini, Alessio; Cibelli, Matteo; Moresi, Mauro
Abstract: Background
In several Environmental Product Declarations, the business‐to‐business carbon footprint (CFCDC) of durum wheat semolina dried pasta ranged from 0.57 to 1.72 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) kg−1. In this work, the business‐to‐consumer carbon footprint (CFCG) of 1 kg of dry decorticated organic durum wheat semolina pasta, as packed in 0.5 kg polypropylene bags by a South Italian medium‐sized pasta factory in the years 2016 and 2017, was assessed in compliance with the Publicly Available Specification 2050 standard method.
Results
Whereas CFCDC was mostly conditioned by the greenhouse gases emitted throughout durum wheat cultivation (0.67 vs 1.12 kg CO2e kg−1), CFCG was mainly dependent on the use and post‐consume phases (0.68 vs 1.81 kg CO2e kg−1). CFCG was more or less affected by the pasta types and packing formats used, since it varied from +0.3 to +14.8% with respect to the minimum score estimated (1.74 kg CO2e kg−1), which corresponded to long goods packed in 3 kg bags for catering service. Once the main hotspots had been identified, CFCG was stepwise reduced by resorting to a series of mitigation actions.
Conclusion
Use of more eco‐sustainable cooking practices, organic durum wheat kernels resulting from less impacting cultivation techniques, and renewable resources to generate the thermal and electric energy needs reduced CFCG by about 58% with respect to the above reference case. Finally, by shifting from road to rail freight transport and shortening the supply logistics of dry pasta and grains, a further 5% reduction in CFCG was achieved. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
2019-04-29T00:00:00Z