A red code triggers an unintended approach motivation toward sweet ultra-processed foods: Possible implications for front-of-pack labels

Front-of-package labels (FOPL) are recommended to reduce consumer intake of ultra-processed food products (UPP). The multiple traffic-light label is one example of FOPL that indicates the content of target nutrients in products by displaying red (high), amber (medium), and/or green (low) color-coding. The red code may implicitly enhance sweetness perception and approach dispositions toward sweet UPP via cross-modal visual-taste interactions. We conducted two experiments to examine the possibility of contradictory influence of explicitly learned and implicit cross-modal associations on the emotional responses evoked by UPP pictures. In both experiments, we first explicitly associated the color codes with health-related meanings. In Experiment I (n = 78), a psychometric tool estimated the emotional responses (pleasantness and arousal ratings) evoked by UPP pictures when preceded by red, amber, or green color-codes. In Experiment II (n = 24), we recorded participants’ electrocortical brain activity to assess the early posterior negativity (EPN) component as an index of the emotional responses to UPP. The reported pleasantness (Experiment I) and the EPN amplitude (Experiment II) were greater for sweet UPP relative to salty UPP when primed with red codes but not when primed with green or amber. A red code increased positive emotions toward sweet UPP despite its explicit association with increased health-risks. Thus, the use of multiple traffic-lights might lead to an unintended implicit approach behavior toward sweet UPP. Designers, researchers, and policy makers may consider color-taste cross-modal associations when designing, testing, and applying FOPL.     

Mycotoxin exposure and human cancer risk: A systematic review of epidemiological studies

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in investigating the carcinogenicity of mycotoxins in humans. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of data linking exposure to different mycotoxins with human cancer risk. Publications (2019 and earlier) of case–control or longitudinal cohort studies were identified in PubMed and EMBASE. These articles were then screened by independent reviewers and their quality was assessed according to the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Animal, cross‐sectional, and molecular studies satisfied criteria for exclusion. In total, 14 articles were included: 13 case–control studies and 1 longitudinal cohort study. Included articles focused on associations of mycotoxin exposure with primary liver, breast, and cervical cancer. Overall, a positive association between the consumption of aflatoxin‐contaminated foods and primary liver cancer risk was verified. Two case–control studies in Africa investigated the relationship between zearalenone and its metabolites and breast cancer risk, though conflicting results were reported. Two case–control studies investigated the association between hepatocellular carcinoma and fumonisin B1 exposure, but no significant associations were observed. This systematic review incorporates several clear observations of dose‐dependent associations between aflatoxins and liver cancer risk, in keeping with IARC Monograph conclusions. Only few human epidemiological studies investigated the associations between mycotoxin exposures and cancer risk. To close this gap, more in‐depth research is needed to unravel evidence for other common mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol and ochratoxin A. The link between mycotoxin exposures and cancer risk has mainly been established in experimental studies, and needs to be confirmed in human epidemiological studies to support the evidence‐based public health strategies.     

The application and prospects of cyclodextrin inclusion complexes and polymers in the food industry: a review

Cyclodextrin is an odorless and tasteless cyclic oligosaccharide widely used in various fields such as food, medicine and the environment. Cyclodextrin can improve solubility and stability, and can mask the bad taste of specific substances. Cyclodextrins and their polymers primarily act by forming complexes in foods, and can be applied in food packing, food analysis, enhancing the properties of antioxidants, antibacterials, for stability and so on. The challenges and opportunities facing this area are reviewed. It is hoped that the review will provide useful information for future applications of cyclodextrin in the food industry. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

The role of smart packaging system in food supply chain

Food supply chain is a rapidly growing integrated sector and covers all the aspects from farm to fork, including manufacturing, packaging, distribution, storing, as well as further processing or cooking for consumption. Along this chain, smart packaging could impact the quality, safety, and sustainability of food. Packaging systems have evolved to be smarter with integration of emerging electronics and wireless communication and cloud data solutions. Although there are many factors causing the loss and waste issues for foods throughout the whole supply chain of food and there have been several articles showing the recent advances and breakthroughs in developing smart packaging systems, this review integrates these conceptual frameworks and technological applications and focuses on how innovative smart packaging solutions are beneficial to the overall quality and safety of food supply by enhancing product traceability and reducing the amount of food loss and waste. We start by introducing the concept of the management for the integrated food supply chain, which is critical in tactical and operational components that can enhance product traceability within the entire chain. Then we highlight the impact of smart packaging in reducing food loss and waste. We summarize the basic information of the common printing techniques for smart packaging system (sensor and indicator). Then, we discuss the potential challenges in the manufacturing and deployment of smart packaging systems, as well as their cost-related drawbacks and further steps in food supply chain.     

Multi-objective particle swarm optimisation based integrated production inventory routing planning for efficient perishable food logistics operations

Sustainable and efficient food supply chain has become an essential component of one’s life. The model proposed in this paper is deeply linked to people's quality of life as a result of which there is a large incentive to fulfil customer demands through it. This proposed model can enhance food quality by making the best possible food quality accessible to customers, construct a sustainable logistics system considering its environmental impact and ensure the customer demand to be fulfilled as fast as possible. In this paper, an extended model is examined that builds a unified planning problem for efficient food logistics operations where four important objectives are viewed: minimising the total expense of the system, maximising the average food quality along with the minimisation of the amount of CO₂ emissions in transportation along with production and total weighted delivery lead time minimisation. A four objective mixed integer linear programming model for intelligent food logistics system is developed in the paper. The optimisation of the formulated mathematical model is proposed using a modified multi-objective particle swarm optimisation algorithm with multiple social structures: MO-GLNPSO (Multi-Objective Global Local Near-Neighbour Particle Swarm Optimisation). Computational results of a case study on a given dataset as well as on multiple small, medium and large-scale datasets followed by sensitivity analysis show the potency and effectiveness of the introduced method. Lastly, there has been a scope for future study displayed which would lead to the further progress of these types of models.     

Effects of food container depth on the quality and yield of superchilled and iced Atlantic salmon

Insulated food containers of different sizes are commonly used to preserve the quality of perishable fresh fish products during transport and storage. The aim of the study was to explore the effects of packaging solutions with various depths on the quality of iced and superchilled farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Insulated containers of different depths (32, 42, and 60 cm) and 17-cm deep expanded polystyrene (EPS) boxes were used to simulate transport and storage of the fish. The fish quality was evaluated after 4, 10, and 14 days of storage, where measurements on drip loss, texture, cooking yield, sensory evaluation, water and lipid distribution, and characteristics analysis in the fish muscle by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were performed. Increased container depth from 32 to 42 cm increased the drip loss of superchilled salmon from 2.4% to 3.1% after 10 days of storage at −1°C. Iced storage of salmon for 10 days in EPS boxes resulted in less drip loss (0.5%) compared with superchilled salmon (1.5%) stored in EPS. The NMR analysis, sensory evaluation, texture analysis, and cooking yield did not reveal any major differences between salmon stored in containers of different depths. Iced storage increased pressure marks as compared with non-iced, superchilled storage in insulated containers. The results indicate that transport of whole salmon in reusable insulated plastic containers with a depth of 60 cm is possible without major quality changes observed for up to 10 days.     

A systematic literature review to explore traceability and lifecycle relationship

Traceability is the ability to follow a product along its lifecycle. It ensures product safety and quality along the supply chain, managing information generated by several players. Even though regulations establish the information that has to be traced, each player generates much more product (and process) information, which could be used to add value to products, with respect to, not only traceability, but also the lifecycle approach. However, the concepts do not appear to be immediately related in scientific panorama. This paper aims to explore the relationship between traceability and lifecycle through a systematic literature review. Six industries (Software, Manufacturing, Automotive, Automation, Aircraft, and Aerospace) and seven subject areas (Software engineering; System engineering; Industry 4.0; New product development; Process management; Data Management; and Environmental sustainability) were identified through bibliometric analysis. To better explore this relationship in the context of the food industry, a content analysis on lead papers’ sample was performed to identify traceability and lifecycle definitions, methodologies and technologies and their relation. The results of the work, synthetised in a proposed research map, will be of interest to those who are approaching the subject for the first time, and for companies involved in product lifecycle management and food traceability.