A sustainable Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) requires collaboration among all actors, which nowadays is facilitated by information and communication technologies (ICT). However, not all SFSC stakeholders network with others in this way, and it is not clear what will draw them to ICT interaction. A simple, user-friendly website, the SMARTCHAIN Innovation Platform, evolving since March 2019, may facilitate interaction and cooperation among SFSC stakeholders. This article presents the Platform's development and evaluates its efficacy and impact by analysing data from Google Analytics (GA) and other sources. Primary Platform features promote communication and information sharing: these are the 1) Innovation Hubs in 9 European countries, 2) Inventories including 150 SFSC innovations and 50 SFSC initiatives, 3) Resources databases of Publications and Weblinks, and 4) Training section. GA showed that visitors to the Platform increased slowly in the 16 months since its start, and the number of page views increased with the amount of time on the Platform. The most visited page of the Platform was the information-providing Innovation Inventory. Most Platform users were in partner countries of the SMARTCHAIN project, but not all Innovation Hubs had high numbers of users. Most users arrived at the Platform by direct link, but LinkedIn was the most important originating social network. Taken together, these data suggest growth potential for an easy-to-use website that provides useful and up-to-date information but little inclination for SFSC stakeholders to use an online Platform for communication.

This paper explores the challenges in meeting the regulatory requirements of short food supply chains in 9 European countries based upon findings from the European H2020 3-year project "SMARTCHAIN". The assessments of the barriers that small food producers face in meeting different regulatory requirements are presented. Drawing on the results of 10 multi-actor workshops that involved 124 participants, the most problematic policy frameworks for short food supply chains and key obstacles in different regulatory requirements are summarized. This research shows that current EU and national regulation is an obstacle to the development of short food supply chains, meaning that additional efforts are needed to tailor the regulations to small food producers involved in short supply chains. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the introduction of more effective support measures for short food supply chains.

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are alternative food chains that have gained ground and contribute to the global food system's sustainable transition. To explore how to enhance their capacity to act and benefit society at large, we turned to scholarly and policy work on Social Innovation (SI). We concentrated on understanding what SI in SFSCs is and how it may stimulate their potential, following a two-phase approach. In Phase 1, employing a two-step systematic literature review, we generated a rich database of SI definitions, but no suitable definition was found. We proceeded to craft a domain-specific systems-centred definition, positing that SFSCs can be seen as social living systems, while SIs in SFSCs may be seen as processes that bring about change (e.g., new mentalities) and result in the creation of sustainable value for the actors involved and beyond. With the aid of an additional scholarly review, we also determined that the drivers of SI that matter are those that secure actor engagement in the co-design and co-development stages of SI (e.g., training). In Phase 2, we attempted to empirically validate the findings from Phase 1 in 12 Community of Practice (CoP) events in nine European countries. We found partial support for the SI definition, strong support for the vital role of trust, and concluded that, in any SFSC, it is critical to have a group of dedicated actors that have realized their role as (co-)leaders in co-shaping their own future.

Blended learning refers to the use of conventional face-to-face learning experiences in combination with online education resources and practices. An increase in enrolments and a more diverse student body has intensified the demand to develop first-year teaching and learning pedagogies. Food science and technology lecturers must facilitate constructive learning in order to develop student skills, including critical thinking, teamwork, and self-directed learning. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate student perceptions of collaborative and blended learning. Students were exposed to various technology-enhanced pedagogical tools and face-to-face teaching strategies such as online academic journal reflections, video screencasts, group assignments, food processing practicals, and group crossword puzzles. A mixed-method survey consisting of multiple-choice, a 5-point Likert scale, and open-ended qualitative questions was administered via Blackboard. A total of 133 students were registered for the module, and 72.1% (n = 96) completed the survey. In this study, respondents felt they were prepared to complete the online group assignments (82%), which illustrates that they could learn the course material through collaboration. Moreover, 87% of the students agreed that they could keep up with the coursework in the blended format. Students recommended that there should be more lecture designed video screencasts, and they should be offered more opportunities to do oral presentations in this module. The respondents positively received collaborative and blended learning. The findings of this study, in general, affirm the merits of incorporating blended and collaborative learning in food science and technology curricula.

Coffee is a popular beverage, and it contains caffeine, a psychoactive substance. Consuming coffee may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the association between the reduced risk of developing AD and the consumption of coffee is controversial. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review and quantitative synthesis meta-analysis that included dose-response analysis on the relationship between the consumption of coffee and the risk of developing AD. Based on PRISMA guidelines, we analysed standard databases of journals published between January 1999 and May 2020. We included the two population-based cohort studies and one case-control study. All studies included looked at the association between consuming many cups of coffee, the amount of coffee consumed in milligrams per day and the risk of developing AD. The systematic literature review and meta-analysis had 1670 participants with follow-up years that ranged from 5 to 21. The consumption of moderate or 3-5 cups per day reduces the risk of developing AD. The pooled relative risk and 95% confidence interval of the 3 included studies were 0.63 (0.3, 1.54). Dose-response curve analysis appears to be U-shaped. The results of the forest plot showed that there is low heterogeneity between the studies. Plotting the funnel plot and the Galbraith plot demonstrated publication bias of the three included studies. More prospective and long-term studies have to be conducted in other countries to determine the exact risk of developing AD.

The effect of African Yam Bean (AYB) flour substitution on the nutritional, functional and pasting properties of yellow root cassava grits was investigated. Cassava grits were obtained by peeling, washing, cutting (5.5 cm thickness in cubes), soaking (72 h, 28±2 °C), dewatering, roasting (120 °C, 20 min), sieving and milling. Roasted AYB flour was obtained by cleaning, roasting (190 °C, 10 min), dehulling, milling and sieving (425 μm). Simple lattice design was used to generate different formulations, 100:0; 90:10; 80:20; 70:30; 60:40 and 0:100 of cassava grits and AYB flour, respectively. These were analyzed for chemical composition, amino acid profile, minerals, functional and pasting properties. Total ash, protein, β-carotene and hydrogen cyanide were in the ranges of 2.16-2.66%, 2.72-20.43%, 1.33 to 3.97 µg/g and 0.07-4.47 mg/kg, respectively. Total essential amino acids and total non-essential amino acids were in the ranges of 32.51-40.18% and 59.82-67.48%. Potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, manganese and sodium of the blends ranged from 338.00-646.75, 188.00-508.00, 358.00-532.50, 59.25-140.00, 0.12-0.19, 1.07-1.71, 7.25-38.25, 25.25-161.50 mg/100 g, respectively. Bulk density, water absorption capacity, swelling capacity and swelling index ranged from 0.67-0.81 g/ml, 151.05-503.29 g/ml, 1.67-5.68 g/g and 2.86-13.32%, respectively. The blends of yellow root cassava grits and African yam bean flour could provide nutritious food formulations and offer good potential for food security.

Brazil has a great variety of fruits which are rich in bioactive compounds, such as the genipap fruit. Both the peel and the pulp of genipap have beneficial components for health, making the study of this fruit important for the proper use of its functionalities. The objective of this work was the extraction of bioactive compounds from the peel and pulp of genipap by different techniques. Extraction processes were carried out using different devices (orbital incubator shaker, ultrasonic bath, and ultrasonic probe) and at different temperatures (40, 60, 70, 80 and 90 °C). The best process for extracting phenolic compounds from the pulp of genipap fruit was with the ultrasonic probe at 40 °C, which indicated the efficiency of applying the sound waves directly to the sample. Regarding the peel, the best method for extracting phenolic compounds was using the orbital incubator shaker at 80°C.

The coffee of Arabica Kintamani is one of the most popular coffees in the world due to its specific taste. The quality of coffee beans depends on the post-harvest and processing method. Dry processing and wet processing are the most popular methods used and each process produces different quality coffee beans. The objective of this research was to study and analyze various processing methods of coffee beans and to determine the best processing method to apply by the farmers and processors. This research consisted of three processing methods for the coffee namely dried processing (natural); wet processing; and semi-wet processing (honey). The research used a randomized complete design with one factor and five replications. The study showed that dry processing (natural) produced good quality coffee beans compared with wet or semi-wet processing, with significantly higher polyphenols content of 40.80 ± 0.053 mg GAE g−1 , approximately the same caffeine content (1.19 ± 0.016 %), significantly higher antioxidant activity (% DPPH) 89.53 ± 0.229 % with an EC50 equal to 102.44 ± 0.130 mg L−1 , similar lightness 13.63 ± 8.281 and a significantly lower moisture content of 7.54 ± 0.474 %. This indicated that dry processing could be used as an alternative processing method by farmers and processors due to it being easier, cheaper, with more efficient water use as well as giving a product contained the highest levels of polyphenols and antioxidant activity that are good for human health.

This research aimed to study the effect of sterility values on physical quality (drained weight, brown colour index, and texture) and sensory properties of canned Agaricus bisporus mushrooms processed at different retort temperatures (115, 121, and 130 °C) and processing times (2-97 minutes). Mushrooms in brine solution media packaged in 300x407 cans were heated in industrial-scale horizontal static retorts at different retort temperatures for specific processing times to reach different F0-values. The canning process was carried out following commercial production procedures in one of the mushroom canning factories. Measurement of heat penetration into the product was carried out using a protocol established by the Institute of Thermal Process Specialists (IFTPS), and the sterility values (F0) were calculated. Our results indicated that the physical and sensory properties of canned mushrooms were not only affected by sterility value but also by the combination of temperature and time used to process the product. At the same level of sterility, a higher retort temperature (130 °C) resulted in canned mushroom with a lower browning rate, an improved texture profile (decreased hardness, increased chewiness, and shear force), a sweeter taste, and increased intensity of umami taste. However, the canning process at a temperature of 130 °C resulted in a greater reduction of the drained weight as compared to that of canning at 115 °C and 121 °C.

The research aimed to study the effect of drying processes (spray and freeze drying), and feed concentrations (80%, 65% and 50% of plant in water, w/w) on physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of star gooseberry (Sauropus androgynus), ceylon spinach (Basella alba), and cowslip creeper (Telosma minor ). After drying, the powder recovery of herbal plant powders was up to 77.47%. The aw and moisture content of spray-dried powder (SDP) were lower than that of freeze-dried powder (FDP). The drying method did not significantly affect nutritional values of both powders, whereas the feed concentrations markedly affected the nutritional values of the powders. The fibre and fat contents of powder prepared from 80% feed concentration had the highest values (p<0.05). The dried star gooseberry powder was rich in protein (13.01-16.81%) and fibre (5.03-5.52%). The colour of FDP represented a smaller change than that of SDP. The dried powders prepared by 80% showed the highest solubility, up to 85.44%. The microbial counts of SDP were lower than that of FDP. The colour might well have been preserved by freeze drying, whereas a low moisture and microbial count were likely due to the spray drying.