Food-water security and virtual water trade in the Middle East and North Africa

The purpose of this study is to analyze the political economy of food-water security in the water-scarce Middle East and North Africa region. The study deploys the lens of virtual water trade to determine how the region's economies have met their rising food-water requirements over the past three decades. It is shown that the region's water and food security currently depend to a considerable extent on water from outside the region, ‘embedded’ in food imports and accessed through trade. The analysis includes blue (surface and groundwater) and green water resources.     

Establishing spatial trends in water chemistry and stable isotopes (δ15N and δ13C) in the Elwha River prior to dam removal and salmon recolonization

Two high‐head dams on the Elwha River in Washington State (USA) have changed the migratory patterns of resident and anadromous fish, limiting Pacific salmon to the lower 7.9 km of a river that historically supported large Pacific salmon runs. To document the effects of the dams prior to their removal, we measured carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of primary producers, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish, and water chemistry above, between and below the dams. We found that δ¹⁵N was significantly higher in fish, stoneflies, black flies, periphyton and macroalgae where salmon still have access. Fish and chloroperlid stoneflies were enriched in δ¹³C, but the values were more variable than in δ¹⁵N. For some taxa, there were also differences between the two river sections that lack salmon, suggesting that factors other than marine‐derived nutrients are structuring longitudinal isotopic profiles. Consistent with trophic theory, macroalgae had the lowest δ¹⁵N, followed by periphyton, macroinvertebrates and fish, with a range of 6.9, 6.2 and 7.7‰ below, between, and above the dams, respectively. Water chemistry analyses confirmed earlier reports that the river is oligotrophic. Phosphorous levels in the Elwha were lower than those found in other regional rivers, with significant differences among regulated, unregulated and reference sections. The removal of these dams, among the largest of such projects ever attempted, is expected to facilitate the return of salmon and their marine‐derived nutrients (MDN) throughout the watershed, possibly altering the food web structure, nutrient levels and stable isotope values that we documented. Published in 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Food security problems in sub-Saharan Africa: Operations Research as a tool of analysis

For many years, the author has been involved in teaching and research in the use of Operations Research as a tool of analysis to study food security problems in sub‐Saharan Africa, in particular, grass root problems of poor farmers. The paper presents an introduction to the way Operations Research methods have been applied in case studies and research projects, and discusses in retrospect the author's views on the strengths and limitations of the application of Operations Research. The paper has in particular been written for people who are not familiar with applications of Operations Research in agriculture, and are interested to learn about its potential usefulness in practice. The retrospective part is largely based on food security studies in e.g. Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Bénin, Togo and Eritrea and on participation in several interdisciplinary research programmes in Africa.     

新的仿生算法:蟑螂算法

通过模拟蟑螂的觅食行为,提出蟑螂算法(Cockroach Swarm Optimization,CSO)。算法充分利用了蟑螂社会的平等特性和群体智慧。食物再分配、回巢等策略的使用使算法具有较强的全局搜索和局部搜索能力。以TSP问题为例对算法进行仿真测试,实验证明算法有效且优于存在的离散粒子群算法(Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization,PSO)。     

Optimal markdown policy of perishable food under the consumer price fairness perception

Markdown policies are widely used by retailers to sell perishable food. Consumers purchase food at different prices during different sales periods. Some consumers may compare their experience with others who purchase the same items. Price unfairness or inequity is perceived when different prices are quoted without reasonable explanations. This study develops an optimal markdown model for perishable food pricing to optimise the food retailer revenue and enable a maximum aggregated consumer utility considering individuals’ price fairness perception. The model serves as the first step in evaluating trade-offs between food retailer revenue and consumer utility. In addition, it enables consumer utility to be depicted through perceived price fairness by including the effects of food perishability and scarcity. Another innovative feature is the equalisation of the consumer average aggregated utility during different sales periods as a condition of intertemporal price fairness perception. The proposed model is compared with two benchmark models to justify the effectiveness and advantages in the example. Finally, a sensitive analysis based on the food deterioration rate, consumer food desire rate and consumer average reservation price is conducted to justify the manner in which these factors influence the optimal pricing policy, and managerial insights are suggested for food retailers.     

气相色谱法测定食品包装纸中饱和烃矿物油迁移量

本文运用气相色谱技术建立了食品包装纸中饱和烃矿物油迁移量检测方法.本方法检出限和定量限分别为2.28mg/L和6.84mg/L,采用低、中、高3个浓度水平对样品进行加标回收试验,加标回收率为95.46%~106.38%,相对标准偏差<4.0%.优质原生纸样品食品模拟物未检出矿物油,而回收食品包装纸中均存在不同矿物油迁移量,尤其是含有油墨、石蜡和粘合剂等的回收纸.     

聚氯乙烯食品接触材料中稀土热稳定剂检测方法探讨

广大消费者越来越关注食品安全问题.聚氯乙烯食品接触材料通常情况下不稳定,需加入热稳定剂使其不易见热分解,而这些热稳定剂有可能迁移入食品中,致使使用者出现毒物反应.本文依据检验工作实践,对PVC食品接触材料中稀土热稳定剂检验方法进行了探讨,并提出了需注意的问题.     

高通量筛查和安全评估结合评价乳制品包装安全风险

目的 以乳制品包装为研究对象,建立一套科学评价食品接触材料安全风险的方法,全面评价食品接触材料在接触食品过程中带来的食品安全风险。方法 采用非靶向高通量筛查检测技术全面筛查食品模拟物中的重金属和有机物,根据权威数据库和物质毒理学资料进行危害评估,参考欧盟和美国膳食暴露量计算方法进行暴露评估,结合评估结果计算风险系数,最终表征食品接触材料的安全风险。结果 抽取了市面上的塑料、金属、涂料及复合包装等不同材质的乳制品包装进行检测,检出铜、铬、锰和锡等元素,以及有意添加物（如单体、溶剂、抗氧剂、光引发剂、爽滑剂、增塑剂等）、非有意添加物质（如抗氧剂降解产物、寡聚物等）。采用暴露评估和危害评估方法分别表征检出物的膳食暴露和健康指导值,安全风险评估风险系数分布在0.007%～9.4%之间,安全风险较低。结论 建立的食品接触材料安全评价方法是一种有效评价食品接触材料安全风险的方法,该方法具有一定的通用性,企业、行业和政府部门等可用于识别食品接触材料的安全风险,为减少和排除安全风险提供科学依据。     

食品包装材质对消费者绿色购买意愿影响的眼动研究

目的 探讨食品包装材质对消费者注意加工流程和绿色购买意愿影响的内在机制。方法 采用包装材质2(环保/普通)×食品类型2(实用品/享乐品)双因素实验设计,在货架购物场景下采用Tobii Glasses 2眼镜式眼动仪,采集被试者浏览货架不同食品时的眼动数据(平均注视时间、注视次数、热点图),并结合行为数据综合分析。结果 在平均注视时间上,包装材质与食品类型的交互作用显著,注视次数交互作用不显著;环保材质包装的食品获得更多关注,被试者偏好于选择环保包装的享乐食品。结论 包装材质与食品类型共同影响消费者的视觉感知效果与加工过程,环保包装对青年消费者的绿色购买意愿有正向促进作用。