Abstract

This review provides an overview of recent advances in the use of digital technologies in agri-food processing. With the increasing demand for food, the agri-food industry must produce more food with fewer resources while also addressing sustainability concerns. Digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and robotics, are transforming the way food is produced, processed, and distributed. These technologies offer several benefits, including increased efficiency, improved product quality and safety, reduced waste, and environmental sustainability. Digital technologies enable real-time monitoring of critical parameters, such as temperature, pH, and moisture, which can help prevent spoilage, reduce food waste, and ensure that safe and high-quality food reaches consumers. The review covers the challenges and opportunities for the wider adoption of digital technologies in the sector, as well as potential future developments. The industry has the potential to undergo a revolutionary transformation and tackle significant challenges by embracing digital technologies.

Introduction

The agri-food industry is a complex, integrated production chain that spans from primary agriculture to the mature food and beverage sectors. This approach, known as “field to fork” (F2F), is considered one of the world’s most important sectors, contributing significantly to the economic progress of nations and having a major social impact.

This industry is strong and complex, presenting a wide range of process and operational challenges (Panetto et al., 2020). To improve agricultural production and product quality, and to satisfy the market demands of an ever-growing population, the agri-food industry must develop innovative and sustainable solutions. As with all industries, technology plays a key role in agri-food operations and decision-making.

The agricultural sector is undergoing a digital revolution. Computers are now used in all agriculture-related processes, from machinery to decision-making systems, through the use of robots, sensors and cyber-physical systems technologies. By using integrated decision-support systems in conjunction with advanced internet networks and services, the agri-food sector has great potential for radical improvement in terms of intelligence, efficiency, sustainability and performance. This potential is particularly relevant when considering the digital agri-food approach, which accelerates and supports agriculture in terms of sustainability, land management, quality of life and competitiveness (Panetto et al., 2020).

Conclusion

In conclusion, digital technologies present a transformative opportunity for the agri-food industry, offering significant advantages in efficiency, food safety, sustainability, and transparency. The increasing integration of IoT, AI, blockchain, and robotics in agri-food processing showcases successful implementations and foreshadows a promising future. However, to realize the full potential of these technologies, addressing key challenges is imperative. Cost, technological accessibility, technical expertise, and resistance to change pose critical barriers that demand concerted efforts from all stakeholders in the agri-food sector. In perspective, targeted advancements in specific digital technology domains, such as big data and analytics, autonomous systems, 3D printing, virtual and augmented reality, and blockchain, hold immense promise for the industry. Through continuous innovation and collaboration, the agri-food sector has the opportunity to cultivate sustainability, efficiency, and transparency for the benefit of farmers, food processors, and consumers.

Introduction

Functional foods

Importance of food texture

Impact of prebiotics

Impact of probiotics

Final considerations

References

ABSTRACT

Functional food is the trend of the future, since our current science allows the manufacturing of processed products with health benefits beyond that of the original food, which meets the demand of the modern consumers. However, many functional ingredients may affect the products characteristics, including the texture, which is very important to the consumer’s acceptance. Probiotics (Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., etc) and prebiotics (inulin, fructooligosaccharides, Galactooligosaccharides, etc) are widely studied functional ingredients and may change the texture of the food, improving it or not. Studies are then focusing on developing functional products with improved textural characteristics associating the healthy feature with the sensory one, thus, adding great value for these products.

INTRODUCTION

The feeding habits play a fundamental role in human’s health. That is why so many people are concerned about their health and wellness, being the life quality a reflex of a healthy and balanced eating plus the practice of physical exercises. An alternative to a better eating is to aggregate ingredients with functional value to the daily menu. Recently, the advances in food technology allows the manufacturing of several different products, both in relation to the nutritional point of view and the sensory pleasantness. The modern consumers had been very conscious about what they are consuming, then, there is an actual demand for the manufacturing of functional products, which provide additional health benefits beyond that of the original product. However, there is another trend nowadays by consumers, which associate a product with several ingredients with unhealthy characteristics, mainly artificial additives or unknown ingredients [1]; therefore, they look for “clean label” products, with reduced number of ingredients. In this way, the food industry needs to reduce the addition of stabilizers and thickeners without compromising the food texture and taste.

Key Features of Pollen Germination in Cereals

Genetic and Proteomic Screening for Key Factors in Pollen Germination

Key Pathways Identified for Pollen Germination in Cereals

Concluding Remarks

References

Germination of Pollen

In flowering plants, the distribution of pollen (see Glossary) across land by wind and/or animals drives the spread of genetic variation within a species. Agriculturally, successful fertilization of flowers in an increasingly harsh and unpredictable climate is the key determinant of grain production and yield in cereal crops [1]. Mature pollen usually contains only two cell types – sperm cells and the much larger vegetative (or tube) cell – and desiccates before release from the anther. On adhering to a compatible stigma, pollen grains respond to signals from the mother plant and become active, undergoing cytoplasmic reorganization and activation of stored RNA and protein to produce a pollen tube originating from the vegetative cell. The pollen tube elongates within the pistil until it reaches the egg cell, where the sperm cell divides to enable the double-fertilization event typical of plants (Figure 1, Key Figure).
The factors that control successful pollen germination have been the focus of plant reproduction, evolution, and breeding research to increase crop yield and to overcome hybridization barriers [1,2]. Barriers to fertilization include interspecific incompatibility as well as self-incompatibility, which maintains genetic diversity within a local population. However, overcoming some of these constraints in a breeding environment can contribute to the production of novel elite lines for specific end-uses. Since 2003, pollen transcriptomic studies, together with identified mutants, have rapidly expanded our knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms that govern the fertilization process, including signaling pathways and cytoskeleton proteins [3–11]. However, most of this research has occurred in model plant species such as arabidopsis; despite massive agronomic and economic interest, relatively little is known about these molecular processes in cereal crops (the Poaceae). This review focuses on the unique characteristics of pollen grain adhesion, hydration, germination, and pollen tube growth in monocot cereals, and provides an overview of our current understanding of the regulators governed by the male gametophyte in the best-studied species, rice (Oryza sativa) and maize (Zea mays) (Figure 1C).

The past decade has proven the competence of nanotechnology in almost all known fields. The evolution of nanotechnology today in the area of the food industry has been largely and has had a lot of contribution in the food processing, food package, and food preservation. The increasing global human population has come with growing population to be fed, and food production is not adjusted to at par with the growing population. This mismatch has shown the real essence of food preservation so that food products can reach to people on a global scale. The introduction of nanotechnology in the food industry has made it easy to transport foods to different parts of the world by extending the shelf-life of most food products. Even with this beneficial aspect of nanotechnology, it has not been proven an entire full-proof measure, and the field is still open to changing technology. It suffices to note that nanotechnology has to a big extent succeed in curbing the extent of food wastage due to food spoilage by the microbial infestation. Nanotechnology has focused on fresh foods, ensuring a healthier food by employing nano-delivery systems in the process. The delivery systems are the ones, which carries the food supplements. However, these are certain sets of regulations that must be followed to tame or control the health related risks of nanotechnology in food industries. This paper outlines the role of nanotechnology at different levels of the food industry including, packaging of food, processing of food and the various preservation techniques all aiming to increase the shelf life of the food products.

Introduction

The quest to improve and devise better food preservation techniques by man has existed since the prehistoric times. This antedates from the times that man used to preserve fresh kill in caves. The caves had a dampened environment which kept the kill fresh for some time. The invention of refrigeration techniques in the 21st century then ensued. The use of cellars as well as cold streams were other traditional methods used for food preservation (Alfadul and Elneshwy, 2010). Fermentation and drying existed in the early BCs and what is used today are just improved and modified versions of these concepts (Chellaram et al., 2014). There are a number of popular methods of food preservation that have been used by man in day to day basis including sun drying, roasting, fermenting, salting, smoking, oven baking, carbonation of foods and chemical use or artificial preservatives. The basic working principle behind all these preservation methods rotated around two ideas; slowing down the multiplication of microbial agents or killing them. However, none of the methods were to put use with the complete understanding of the scientific mechanisms behind each of them. There has been evidence of the utilization of these methods of food preservation in the past where the Romans were famous for the introduction and use of pickling for prevention of microbial infestation of the food, while the Egyptians were known for using sun-drying to prevent their foods from spoiling (Abbas et al., 2009). Food jellying by use of honey or sugar was associated with the Greeks as a preservation technique. The first technology innovative breakthrough in preservation techniques came in 1784 by William Cullen who made a crude method of artificial refrigeration. Canning technique and salting of food began in the early 1800s to keep food fresh for a longer period (Abbas et al., 2009). Many scholars in the early 1800s made significant discoveries in preservation techniques; Nicolas Appert, known for the invention of vacuum bottling for the supply of the French troops with food, opened the way for tinning and then canning by Peter Durand in 1810. In 1862, Louis Pasteur introduced pasteurization that enabled wine, beer, and milk to have an extended shelf life.

The enzyme catalase is known to catalyse the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water. Hydrogen peroxide metabolism is mainly regulated by this enzyme. Catalase is a common enzyme found in nearly all living organisms. It has one of the highest turnovers of all enzymes as it has the capacity to decompose more than one million molecules of hydrogen peroxide, per molecule of enzyme. Catalase has been used as an important enzyme in many biotechnological areas including bioremediation. This paper gives a review of its use and application in the field of bioremediation as an indicator of hydrocarbon degradation in soil (an important aspect in bioremediation of crude oil pollution), as a provider of oxygen in aerobic bioremediation process and in the removal of H2O2 from bleaching industry effluent and also its potential use in the food industry.

Introduction

Catalase (EC 1.11.1.6) enzyme is an oxidoreductase enzyme as it plays a crucial role in quenching the reactive oxygen species (ROS), i.e. hydrogen peroxide, often produced as a by-product of aerobic respiration (Beers and Sizer., 1952). Hence it acts as an antioxidant and protects the cell against oxidative stress (Abbott et al., 2009, Kirkman et al., 1987). The enzyme is found in a wide range of aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Catalase has one of the highest turnover number as one molecule of enzyme hydrolysing over a million molecules of the substrate i.e. hydrogen peroxide per second. New applications for catalases are constantly emerging thanks to their high turnover number (Lončar and Fraaije 2015, Zamocky et al., 1999), distinct evolutionary origin, reasonably simple (Alptekin et al. 2008) and well-defined reaction mechanisms (Baeza et al., 2013). The basic mechanism of the working of this enzyme involves the breakdown and subsequent breakdown of the reactive oxygen specie i.e. hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into oxygen and water thus relieving the oxidative stress caused by this substrate as depicted in the following reaction (Barynin et al., 2001). Catalase is a tetramer of four polypeptide chains, each over 500 amino acids long. It contains four porphyrin heme (iron) groups that allow the enzyme to react with the hydrogen peroxide. Catalase has a fairly broad range of working from 4-11 optimum pH (Beers, 1961; Calera et al., 2000; Correia et al., 1994; Diaz et al., 2012). Catalase is usually located in a cellular, bipolar environment organelle called the peroxisome (Fita et al., 1985). As this enzyme is found in mainly all organisms (aerobic and anaerobic), it has been exploited in many applications including food processing, textile, paper, pharmaceutical industry and also in the field of bioremediation as one of the upcoming areas of its application (Gromada et al., 1997; Hussein 2012; . Beers et al., 1952; Youn et al 1995).This paper intends to give an account of how this enzyme has been exploited in the process of bioremediation in order to clean the environment of unwanted substances.

Introduction

Probiotics are considered as being ‘live microorganism which administered in adequate amounts, can confer a beneficial physiological effect on the host’ (Rokka & Rantamaki, 2010). The potential health benefits of probiotics (most popular Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacteria) are such as antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties, anti-infection properties, immune system stimulation, serum cholesterol reduction, alleviation of lactose intolerance and nutritional enhancement (Macfarlane & Cummings, 1999; Mombelli & Gismondo, 2000). To satisfy health requirement of human, probiotics industry has developed a variety of new products. Most probiotics relevant products in food industry are dairy products, with yogurts, kefir and cultured drinks representing the major categories. The global market for probiotic ingredients, supplements and foods was worth $14.9 billion in 2007 and US$16 billion in 2008 respectively. Estimated sales target in 2013 will reach to US$19.6 billion. Presently, two largest probiotics markets are North America and Europe. Analysis of the North American Probiotics markets found that the probiotics sector earned revenues of US$ 698 million in 2006. It is expected to reach US$ 1.70 billion in 2013, with compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.7% (Granato et al., 2010a). European food and beverage probiotics market is expected to rise from US$ 61.7 million in 2006 to US$ 163.5 million by 2013 (Granato et al., 2010b).

To exert their biological effects on the host, one of most important consideration is viability and activity of probiotic bacteria, even though non-viable probiotics can still have biological activity. Another concern for consumer and food producer is minimum beneficial dose per day or per gram of product. The International Dairy Federation has recommended a minimum number of 107 CFU g
1 of the product consumed. However, most probiotics are very sensitive to environmental conditions, such as processing including oxygen stress, freezing, temperature and drying, harsh action of gastrointestinal tract such as low pH and bile salt. Therefore, development of enhancing probiotic viability techniques is highly necessary (Siuta-Cruce & Goulet, 2001; Mattila-Sandholm et al., 2002).

 Food-producing animals (e.g., cattle, chickens, pigs, and turkeys) are the major reservoirs for many foodborne pathogens such as Campylobacter species, non-Typhi 30 serotypes of Salmonella enterica, Shiga toxin-producing strains of Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes. The zoonotic potential of foodborne pathogens and their ability to produce toxins causing diseases or even death are sufficient to recognize the seriousness of 33the situation. Foodborne pathogens cause millions of cases of sporadic illness and chronic 34 complications, as well as large and challenging outbreaks in many countries and between countries. The magnitude of this problem is demonstrated by the significant proportion of the 1.5 billion diarrheal episodes in children less than 3 years of age that are caused by enteropathogenic microorganisms, which results in more than 3 million deaths per year (EFSA-ECDC, 2016). Surveys estimate that in the United States alone, bacterial enteric pathogens cause 9.4 million episodes of foodborne illness in humans, 55,961 hospitalizations, and 1,351 deaths each year (Scallan et al., 2011). However, it is estimated that the reported incidence of food-borne disease represents less than 1% to 10% of the real incidence (Scallan et al., 2011). The importance of food-producing animals as carriers of pathogenic bacteria is real; for example, beef is reported to be the vector of 7% of the 1.7 million cases of foodborne disease that was recorded during 1996 to 2000 in England and Wales (Anderson et al., 2009).