Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is commonly used as food packaging material because of its affordability, convenience and versatility. However, there are concerns regarding the chemical migration of contaminants into food especially at high temperatures, and thus requires further investigation. The study documented the total residual contaminants (TRCs) that migrate into fatty and oily foods from LDPE food contact articles (FCAs) that are sold in the Philippines to fill a major gap in the country’s regulatory system. The study compared two international standard methods 21 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 177 and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO 2009)—to assess their suitability for local applications. The researchers collected and analysed 23 LDPE samples across Mega Manila to estimate residue concentrations. Results indicate that TRC levels of FCAs exhibited statistically significant differences among the collection sites which may be influenced by factors such as environmental exposure, transportation and handling. Samples with the lowest and highest TRC concentrations from the 23 LDPE samples were selected for the comparative studies of the two international methods. Each low- and high-level sample underwent analysis using the testing conditions of both methods. A comparative analysis using paired t-test revealed distinct variations between the methods, with US 21 CFR giving higher concentrations at low-level samples (9.34 mg/L TRCs), and JETRO 2009 at high-level samples (19.6 mg/L TRCs). Statistical validation confirmed these differences, highlighting the need for rigorous method validation and harmonization of international and local testing standards. These findings also highlight the significance of the development of regulatory frameworks and robust testing methods that are specific to the Philippines’ environmental and industrial conditions in order to ensure food safety and enhance the country’s global competitiveness.

Sausages, a global favorite, generated $6 billion in African market revenue in 2018, but their reliance on animal fat poses health risks like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This study explores quinoa and amaranth starches as climate-resilient alternatives to corn starch in fresh, fermented, and emulsion sausages. Starch was extracted via wet milling using water, sieving, and centrifugation, while sausages were formulated with fat replacers at 3% and 10% inclusion levels. Technological property analyses included water-holding capacity (WHC), cooking loss, pH, emulsion stability, and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. Higher fat replacer levels reduced cooking loss, with quinoa starch excelling in fresh sausages and amaranth starch performing best in fermented and emulsion sausages. WHC was superior at 10% inclusion, particularly for fresh and emulsified sausages. Quinoa starch showed strong antioxidant activity at lower levels, while higher inclusions enhanced benefits in emulsion sausages. These starches proved promising alternative fat replacers, offering health and shelf life benefits in sausage formulations.

Non-alcoholic beverages often contain various constituents and additives, influencing both their nutritional profiles and functional attributes. Given the ubiquity of these beverages and their potential health implications, rigorous quality checks are indispensable to ascertain compliance with health and safety standards. This research aimed to quantify caffeine and phosphoric acid levels in a diverse array of soft drinks from Kosovo’s market. To achieve this, 41 distinct non-alcoholic beverage samples from the local market were scrutinized. Caffeine concentrations were determined via UV-Vis spectrophotometry, while potentiometric titration was employed to assess phosphoric acid levels. As expected, energy drinks in Kosovo contained markedly higher caffeine concentrations compared to carbonated soft drinks and ice-tea variants. On the other hand, based on the results, analysed energy drinks showed somewhat greater caffeine contents than those reported in packaging of the beverage samples. Our study showed that a significant portion of the samples (21.95% for caffeine and 9.76% for phosphoric acid) did not conform to the standards set by EU 1169/2011 regulation or the EU 1333/2008 regulation. These findings underscore the urgency for relevant food safety authorities to implement rigorous oversight and enact appropriate protective measures. It is also imperative for the Kosovo National Food Safety Authority to craft specific regulations stipulating permissible additive concentrations, especially for caffeine and phosphoric acid, in non-alcoholic beverages.

The sun-dried method is popular for producing dried Sergestid shrimp in Vietnam, but maintaining consistent product quality across seasons is challenging due to its dependence on weather conditions. A previous study used convection drying at a laboratory scale. In this study, the laboratory scale was upgraded to a commercial scale, and recovery efficiency and Sergestid shrimp images were recorded during production stages. Parameters were adjusted for economic efficiency and convenience. Results showed a decrease in recovery efficiency on the laboratory scale, while the commercial scale improved with washing and blanching. Overall, there was no significant difference in recovery efficiency between the commercial production (15.76 %) and laboratory scale (16.29 %). The commercial-scale dried Sergestid shrimp exhibited better colour than the laboratory-scale product. The product met food safety and quality criteria according to Vietnamese standards. Microorganisms such as Coliforms, E. coli, B. cereus, C. perfringens and salmonella, and total number of yeast and mold spores, were not detected in the product. On the other hand, the product of commercial production contained 256 kcal 100 g−1 of energy and a protein content of 55.50 ± 0.33 %. These findings form a foundation for scaling up production and assessing economic feasibility. Adjusting production parameters using larger equipment contributes to achieving optimal production efficiency and economic benefits.

The global food industry is a useful domain for examining ethical challenges and exploring paradoxes. The authors make the case for the use of art, design, and aesthetic experiences to provoke students to see the world differently and take action. Issues of consumer consciousness, cultural identity, environment, politics, and the growing separation from the developed and less developed countries are considered with suggested activities to bring these to life. The paper offers suggestions for future research, teaching ideas, and a set of food industry resources for the classroom. 

In this paper, resilience is defined as the ability of food production entities to respond to, withstand and learn from short-term shocks and long-term stresses. Little ist known about the resilience in the food production sector. There also is a lack of information on which resilience measures companies see the greatest need for investment. Therefore, the focus of the explorative survey was to gain insight into current challenges and influences on the resilience of primary food producers and food processors, to identify topics for resilience management and related gaps. Representatives from 84 companies in food production in Germany responded on topics of resilience, including factors that influence product safety and availability of machinery, status of preparation for disruptive events and possible measures to improve resilience. The responses collected were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that most companies believe that they are not well prepared for disruptive events and that they require measures to improve their resilience. Most indicated that organizational factors such as the company’s production capacity or the availability of raw materials, among others, have a particular influence. Every second primary food producer plans to adapt or optimize machinery and equipment as a resilience improvement measure. While slightly more than half of the respondents from the food processing sector implement measures for information procurement and training, or intend to implement such measures in the future. This area is seen as the most important aspect for improving resilience by respondents from primary food production. Overall, it also became clear that there is a need for tools to assess and evaluate resilience.

One of the processed products from Javanese grasshopper (Valanga nigricornis Burm.) flour that is being developed is snack bars. This product was designed to introduce processed Javanese grasshopper flour (JGF) products with high protein content to consumers. However, the shelf life of the grasshopper snack bar and the best type of packaging to store the product are not yet known. This research aimed to determine the shelf life of Javanese grasshopper snack bars packaged in three different types of packaging and to identify the most effective packaging for these products. The three types of packaging chosen were plastic packaging in the form of a standing pouch (SP), aluminium foil packaging without folds (alufo), and aluminium foil packaging with folds (alumina). This research used the accelerated shelf life testing (ASLT) method with the Arrhenius approach. The parameters measured were moisture, fat, and water activity (aw) content during eight measurement periods with three different storage temperatures (20^oC, 30^oC, 45^oC). There were differences in estimated shelf life based on parameters for each type
of packaging. The shelf life of Javanese grasshopper snack bar products based on packaging type and estimation parameters varied from 0.68 months to 14.81 months. The best parameter to estimate shelf life was the fat content in the alufo packaging, which had the highest R² value from the order 1 equation in the Arrhenius method with a value of R² 0.999. The shelf life of the Javanese grasshopper snack bar product estimated by measuring the fat content parameters on the alufo packaging was 14.81 months if stored at a temperature of around 30^oC.

Using tilapia trim meat (TTM), a by-product from industrial-scale tilapia fillet manufacturing, for production of fermented fish sausage (FFS) may increase the benefit to the tilapia filleting industry by selling this new product to consumers. Six ratios of TTM:tilapia fillet meat (100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80 and 0:100) were used for sausage production. FFS samples prepared with each ratio were collected on days 0, 2, 4 and 6, and analyzed for quality parameters including lactic acid bacteria (LAB), total plate count (TPC), yeast and mold (YM), texture profile analysis (TPA), CIE color values (L*, a* and b*), pH, titratable acidity and sensory acceptability. The ratio of TTM to tilapia fillet
meat had no effect on YM, b*, pH and titratable acidity. The 0:100 ratio produced lower LAB, TPC and L* values compared to 100:0, 80:20 and 60:40. The ratio also yielded a higher a* than 100:0 and 80:20. The 0:100 ratio generated the best TPA, followed by 20:80. However, these two ratios were not significantly different concerning sensory acceptability. The 20:80 ratio, giving similar sensory quality to 0:100, is recommended for the production of FFS. The results also reveal that FFS ripened on day 2 and ratios of TTM:tilapia fillet meat did not affect the ripeness of the product. The best quality of FFS was found on day 4.

Developing products that meet consumer expectations can be a challenge for researchers. Yogurt is a palpable dairy product because it is versatile and can be eaten as a dessert and snack. The present work aims to develop a yogurt with the addition of carrot peel and celery peel to satisfy the current market requirements by reintegrating some vegetable by-products in the technological process of making yogurt but also to replace protein additives, which have the role of improving the rheological characteristics and sensory properties of yogurt. In this sense, a comparative analysis was made between yogurt with addition, classic yogurt, and yogurt with powdered milk. A non-numerical multi-criteria multi-personal agreement method described by Fadhil and collaborators was used to perform the sensory analysis (Fadhil et al., 2021). Physicochemical analysis of the samples was performed during a storage period of 18 days on the first day, the ninth day and the eighteenth day. The pH, titratable acidity, syneresis, water holding capacity and lactose content of the samples were measured. The results indicate an improvement in the degree of syneresis and the water retention capacity, especially in the second part of the storage time, of the yogurt with the addition of celery and carrot peels, compared to the other two samples. The evaluated sensory characteristics obtained better scores because the carrot and celery peels brought a unique flavor to the product.