Packaging has an enabling role in supply chains (SCs) as it facilitates a range of functions, specifically (i) marketing; (ii) logistics and SC management; (iii) food technology; and (iv) environmental protection. This study explores the appreciation towards certain food packaging factors and attributes by consumers and industrial experts for a range of food product types. Primary data was collected through a questionnaire in the Greek market and then analysed using a 1-way ANOVA and the Tukey test. The study findings reveal that food SC stakeholders mainly appreciate packaging attractiveness. Other attributes that promote environmental sustainability and facilitate logistics operations were of high importance as well.

Marination is one of the methods that are often used in beef processing in an attempt to obtain high quality of beef. Cashew apple extract marinade (CAM) improves the microbiological characteristics of meat by inhibiting the growth of meat bacteria. The effect of CAM on other aspects such as physical (microbiological, tenderness, cooking loss, water holding capacity and pH) and chemical (moisture, fat and protein content) characteristics of meat have not been evaluated, which would be beneficial for the utilisation of agroindustry waste in the meat industry. In this study, the effect of CAM on the physical and chemical characteristics of beef, including microbiological characteristics, tenderness, cooking loss and water holding capacity, was evaluated. CAM (0%, 10%, 20% and 30%) was used during beef processing for 4 h at refrigeration temperature. Significant effects of CAM were observed on the physical and chemical characteristics of beef. CAM increased beef tenderness and reduced total bacteria, cooking loss, moisture, fat, and protein content. The optimum concentration of CAM for which significant changes were observed in the physical and chemical characteristics of beef was 20%. Thus, cashew apple can be utilised as a promising marinade agent in beef processing with the criteria of food for specific health use. This approach will help reduce cashew apple waste and is an eco-friendly approach.

Salmonella typhimurium causes symptoms resembling typhoid fever and gastroenteritis in humans. Its toxicity is due to an outer membrane consisting largely of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) which is responsible for the host immune response. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial, anti-apoptotic ability of Lactobacillus plantarum and reduce Salmonella-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8 secretion. Adhesive tests were performed using lactobacilli co-cultured with the colon cancer cell line HCT-116 for 2 hours. The strains displaying the highest adhesion were selected for downstream 3- (4, 5- Dimethylthiazol -2-yl) -2, 5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) tests to assess cytotoxicity. The supernatants of Lactobacillus cultured with HCT-116 cells for 24 and 48 h to evaluate the inhibitory effect. To determine Interleukin 8 (IL-8) secretion in colon cancer induced by S. typhimurium, we stimulated HCT-116 cells with S. typhimurium and co-cultured with lactobacilli for 24 h. Lactobacilli had the most significant inhibitory effects on cell growth, and their inhibitory effects were time-dependent. Strain No. 03-03-026 caused cancer cell deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation, and the anti-apoptosis protein (B-cell lymphoma 2) was reduced in the HCT-116 cells as determined. IL-8 production in colon cancer cells was significantly reduced by these lactobacilli. Our results suggested that lactobacilli maybe effectively reduce the numbers of S. typhimurium, IL-8 levels and the anti-apoptotic phosphorylated-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and B-cell lymphoma 2 proteins. Lactobacillus can be added to the diet as a food additive to prevent colorectal cancer and used to be the prophylactic agent against S. typhimurium.

Three types of mills (Buhler, Quadrumat, and industry mill) have been used to determine the effect of mill type on the quality of the produced flour. Quadrumat and Buhler mills are usually used to produce flour at a laboratory level. Flour quality has been determined physically, chemically, and rheologically. Results showed that the particle size of flour produced by Buhler mill (FPB) was finer (mostly less than 132 μm) than other produced flour, while flour produced by Quadrumat mill (FPQ) had 8% particle size bigger than 50gg, which is more than Iraqi accepted limit (5%). The moisture content of FPQ exceeded the moisture content limit (14%). While, all flour produced by industry mills (FPI) was within the Iraqi standard in term of particle sizes and moisture content. Gluten content of FPB was higher than other produced flours; however, most increments were not significantly different. The results also showed that using different mills has no clear effect on the gluten index and alpha-amylase activity. Farinogram and extensogram results showed that FPQ was stronger than other produced flour followed by FPI. In conclusion, the quality of FPQ was closer to the quality of FPI, however, Quadrumat mill needs to be adjusted to produce flour with finer particle sizes and lower moisture content. The Buhler mill, on the other hand, needs to be adjusted to produce flour with bigger particle size. Both laboratory mills (Quadrumat and Buhler) need to be adjusted to produce flour that expresses FPI correctly.

Thirty-two expert stakeholder (e.g., consumer advice center, state parliament at regional level, European Network for Rural Development, university and research center, chamber of tourism, rural development association, and social cooperative enterprise) interviews were conducted to examine consumer attitudes, values and preferences in relation to short food supply chains. These stakeholders have expertise in policy, consumer behaviour, the tourism sector and regulation. The interviewees represented the views of consumers, producers, and other actors who work with or within short food supply in seven European countries (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland). Consumers were generally perceived to be aware of the environmental impact of food production. In terms of preferences, consumers would like to shop for local food the way they shop at the supermarket: having variety of products, accessibility, and availability. The relative lack of convenience and high prices associated with short food supply chains products were seen as the major barriers to their purchase. Consumers were thought to buy the products because of health and environmental benefits, a desire to support their local community, and a preference for tradition. However, relatively few consumers purchase products regularly from SFSC. The main segments are people who believe in short food supply chains values, middle class families with young children and elderly people. More can be done to educate and engage consumers regarding these chains, and market research is needed to inform which strategy is likely to be most effective in specific contexts such as the regional level.

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are today widely promoted due to the positive impact on social, economic and environmental sustainability. However, short chains face several specific challenges (e.g., meeting the requirements of consumers and ensuring optimal operations). The application of innovative solutions and digitalisation can support the actors of SFSCs to achieve these goals. Solutions and methods were collected based on the innovativeness and applicability of SFSCs. Systematic analysis of the needs of SFSCs for technological and non-technological innovations was carried out by partners of the SmartChain project. Based on the research, recommendations were made for the participating SFSCs regarding potential innovations. A significant proportion of the identified solutions have digital elements that were collectively assessed as a suitable solution in the case of the studied SFSCs. The current work provides an overview of the potential implementation of the collected innovative solutions having digital elements and addresses the primary needs and issues of SFSCs where the application is relevant. Highlighted areas of performance are marketing, communication, packaging and labelling, and logistics.

The purpose of the study was to identify the motivations and the barriers that stakeholders face regarding Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC). Two focus groups with stakeholders of the agricultural sector and SFSC were conducted in the Netherlands and Switzerland. A first fundamental topic addressed by participants was the one related to the definition of SFSC, which is far from consensual,"short" being often associated and sometimes confused with local, direct, small, fair, ecological, fresh, healthy, etc. However, a series of positive and negative factors influencing SFSC development, and the involvement of agri-food stakeholders were identified. On the one hand, the unique relationship built through direct contact between producers and consumers, the fair distribution of value added in the chain that producers can find in engaging in SFSC, the increasing number of SFSC initiatives, the farm resilience, and territorial strategies that are being developed seem to be the most positive aspects, that can explain the trends moving towards these types of distribution channel. On the other hand, many hindering factors were also identified, such as weak communication and marketing capacity of producers, and a lack of efficiency and cooperation between peers. The fierce competition of conventional distribution, using green washing, together with a profusion of labels, price issues, and unsuitable standards were mentioned as the main threats faced by SFSC actors.

In recent times, Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs), i.e., supply chains in which the number of intermediaries between farmer and consumer are minimal or ideally nil, and local markets have flourished in Europe, both in rural and urban areas. SMARTCHAIN is a 3-year Horizon 2020 multi-actor project of 43 partners from 11 European countries, including key stakeholders from the short food supply chain domain – a kaleidoscope of ‘actors’ where science meets a wide range of non-technical disciplines and stakeholders across the agri-food value chain. Its central objective is to develop a portfolio of technological, organisational, social, and digital innovations, which will be validated in a Living Lab approach (18 pan-European use cases on short food supply chains) ensuring powerful co-creation and testing. SMARTCHAIN will develop 9 national Innovation Hubs and the SMARTCHAIN Innovation Platform, a digital portal for building a stakeholder community, and facilitating engagement, communication, and knowledge exchange across stakeholders. This special issue focuses on the most recent developments with respect to innovation in short food supply chains and publishes original research articles in this field.

One of the main requirements for modern technologies is to expand the range of meat products by creating combined products with a balanced composition of food and biologically active substances. The purpose of the study was to develop a technology for the production of such combined meat products. The research used secondary meat raw materials of the meat processing industry: horse meat, flank and other beef muscle tissue of the second grade, which, after fermentation by a consortium of microorganisms consisting of the following cultures: Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bifidumbacterium siccum, Staphilococcus carnosus, were used instead of the main meat raw materials in the production of sausages. The following indicators of ready-prepared products were studied: organoleptic properties, chemical, vitamin and mineral composition, toxicity and harmlessness, storage duration. The results showed that the use of this consortium of microorganisms in the production of sausage products made it possible to use secondary collagen-containing raw materials for processing. The positive influence of the proposed biotechnological method of processing meat raw materials on the organoleptic, physical-chemical, structural-mechanical, microbiological characteristics and biological value of the finished product was revealed. It was found that the use of a consortium of microorganisms increased the quality of finished products. In addition, the proposed technology has the potential to reduce the cost of production and increase the share of waste-free production in the meat processing industry.

Increasing consumption of instant noodles with high sodium content could elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease. Making instant noodle seasoning in the form of an oil-in-water emulsion was expected to improve the perception of salty taste without increasing the use of salt. However, the oil concentration in the emulsion affects the perception. The addition of antioxidant and retort processing was needed to overcome the nature of the emulsion that was quite susceptible to oxidation and microbial contamination. Preliminary research determined the optimum concentration of oil and antioxidant based on physical characteristics, the perception/gustation of saltiness, and emulsion oxidative stability and the results were used for further research. The final part of the research determined the effects of retort processing on emulsion stability, the perception of saltiness, and the degree of microbial contamination. Three different oil concentrations (26, 27, and 28%) and three types of antioxidants (natural vitamin E, ascorbyl palmitate and mixed tocopherol) were applied to the instant noodle seasoning oil-in-water emulsions. The results showed that using 28% oil and mixed tocopherol had the most stability, was more viscous, and had optimum salty taste perception, which significantly extended the shelf-life of the emulsion compared with the others. Retort processing for 21.5 minutes in 123.5 °C was applied to the seasoning emulsion with 28% oil content and mixed tocopherol. Although, the microbial contamination was significantly reduced, neither the stability of emulsion nor the perception of salty taste was significantly changed by the process.