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In the realm of food waste recycling, industrial suberoligneous by‐products like cork and peels, pose a challenge for value‐added conversion, primarily due to their intricate structures. This study introduces an innovative approach by utilizing recycled cork as a prime example of repurposing food waste to create a reusable and durable packaging paper. Notably, the manufacturing process of this cork‐based paper avoids the generation of waste liquids from lignin removal, effectively alleviating concerns related to liquid waste pollution. The resulting packaging paper demonstrates remarkable printability, readability, and erasability while offering reusability. Its performance can be fine‐tuned through pH value adjustments. Moreover, this packaging paper exhibits outstanding antioxidative properties and barrier properties, seamlessly integrating superb UV‐blocking proficiency and heightened visible transparency, rendering it highly appealing for sustainable food packaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the determination of the high toxicity of bisphenol A, alternative structures for bisphenols have been synthesized, resulting in bisphenols C, E, F, S, and Z. These bisphenols have replaced bisphenol A in plastic bottles, toys, and cans used for preserving food. Later, the toxicity and negative effects of all of these bisphenols on people's health were proven. Therefore, there is a need for a fast ultrasensitive screening method that is able to detect the presence of these bisphenols in any condition directly from food samples. This paper presented a disposable device based on the utilization of a 2D disposable paper stochastic sensor for the fast ultrasensitive screening of food samples for bisphenols A, C, E, F, S, and Z. The 2D disposable sensor was obtained by the deposition of graphene and silver nanolayers on paper using cold plasma. Furthermore, the active side of the sensor was modified using 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-21H,23H Mn porphyrin. The limits of quantification of these bisphenols were 1 fmol L−1 for bisphenols C and E, 10 fmol L−1 for bisphenols A and F, 10 pmol L−1 for bisphenol S, and 1 pmol L−1 for bisphenol Z. The recoveries of these bisphenols in milk, canned fruits, vegetables, and fish were higher than 99.00% with RSD (%) values lower than 1.50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work determined the effect of using different vegetable oils (soybean, corn, sunflower or canola) and paper towel in oil absorption of nine fried recipes. The paper towel significantly reduced oil absorption in chicken breast, shrimp with garlic, cioba steak, French fries and cheese samosa. Preparations protein-rich absorbed less soybean and corn oils, while starch-rich ones absorbed less of the sunflower and canola oils, with the exception of French toast. Results indicated that food composition of the tested recipes was an important factor influencing oil absorption, as well as the types of oil tested and the use of paper towel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hemp plant Cannabis sativa Linn, referring to industrial hemp, is a high-yielding annual industrial crop grown providing fibers from hemp stalk and oil from hemp seeds. Although hemp is a niche crop, hemp production is currently undergoing a renaissance. More than 30 countries grow hemp, with China being the largest hemp producing and exporting country. Europe and Canada are also important actors in the global hemp market. Traditionally, hemp as a fiber plant has been used for the production of apparels, fabrics, papers, cordages and building materials. The hurds, as waste by-product of fiber production, were used for bedding of animals, the seeds for human nutrition, e.g., as flour, and the oil for a wide range of purposes, from cooking to cosmetics. Hemp has also been an important crop throughout human history for medicine. Other more recent applications include materials for insulation and furniture, automotive composites for interior applications and motor vehicle parts, bioplastics, jewelry and fashion sectors, animal feed, animal bedding, and energy and fuel production. Foods containing hemp seed and oil are currently marketed worldwide for both animal and human nutrition. They also find applications in beverages and in neutraceutical products. Hemp oil is also used for cosmetics and personal care items, paints, printing inks, detergents and solvents. It is estimated that the global market for hemp consists of more than 25,000 products. Currently, the construction and insulation sector, paper and textile industries, and food and nutrition domains are the main markets while the cosmetics and automotive sector are growing markets. Innovative applications, e.g., in the medical and therapeutic domains, cosmeceuticals, phytoremediation, acoustic domain, wastewater treatment, biofuels, biopesticides and biotechnology, open new challenges. Hemp is also the object of numerous fundamental studies. This review presents and discusses the traditional and new uses of industrial hemp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • An integrated sealed-type paper-based platform is proposed for SO 2 detection. • A filter paper is coated with acid-base indicator and inserted in a PET-based microchip. • SO 2 concentrations of 25 commercial food samples are measured. • The measurement results deviate by no more than 3.82% versus official method. Abstract A convenient assay platform comprising a PET/paper chip (PP-chip) and a smart analytical device is developed for detection of sulphur dioxide (SO 2) concentration. In the presented approach, the distilled SO 2 solution is dropped onto the detection region of the PP-chip and undergoes a reaction with an acid-based reagent. The resulting color variation is analyzed through a high-resolution camera (CMOS) and the reacted image is processed by a RGB (red, green and blue) analytical app installed on a smartphone. Results show that the known SO 2 concentrations ranging from 10 to 300 ppm indicate that the high linear relationship (R2 = 0.9981) between the (R (red) + G (green) − B (blue)) value and SO 2 concentration. Moreover, a high measurement resolution is equal to 1.45 ppm/a.u. The presented assay platform was proved to detect the SO 2 concentrations of twenty-five practical food samples. Compared with the developed assay platform and certified inspection technique, the deviation of SO 2 measurement does not exceed 3.82%. It was satisfactory to apply this developed assay platform to analyze the SO 2 concentration in the practical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organisms interact across time and space; collectively, these interactions constitute webs that drive energy and material cycles. Classical ecological studies have tested the hypothesis that complex food webs are less stable in closed systems and have thus focused mainly on internal, local drivers of interspecific interactions in food webs. Recently, theories relating to food webs and ecosystems have been expanded to larger spatial scales through the concept of metacommunities (i.e., metawebs and metaecosystems), whose properties are driven by climatic conditions. However, these concepts have been limited to short‐term phenomena observable on ecological time scales, while long‐term historical processes have rarely been considered. In addition, the components of food webs have not been considered as determinants of food web persistence, even though species' persistence is determined by factors other than interspecific interactions within local food webs. Here, I emphasized the potential utility of intraspecific genetic diversity of hub species as a metric for evaluating the long‐term persistence of local food webs. I also proposed a method for calculating this new metric, expressed as the sum of all metaweb level centrality and intraspecific genetic diversity values for each species. Furthermore, I discussed hypothetical patterns in food web properties as determined from both food web structure and intraspecific genetic structure along geographical and climatic gradients; these patterns have yet to be verified empirically. Finally, I summarized recent developments in molecular methods for collecting genetic data, which may support the empirical study of the concepts presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Herein, a simple, green, and novel paper-based headspace-thin film microextraction in combination with smartphone-based on-cell detection was introduced. Sulfite was selected as a model compound to study the performance of the method. The method was based on converting sulfite to SO 2 by acidification of the sample solution. A piece of cellulose paper impregnated with Fe(III), 1,10-phenanthroline, and acetate buffer (pH = 5.5) was used for headspace-thin film microextraction. The sulfur dioxide adsorbed on the thin film reduced Fe(III) to Fe(II). The red color complex formed between Fe(II) and 1,10-phenanthroline was on-cell detected by a smartphone. The effect of various parameters on the method sensitivity was investigated. The method had three individual linear ranges (0.1–1.0, 1–50, and 50–700 µg L−1) with a detection limit of 0.04 µg L−1. The method provided a simple and green assay for the determination of sulfite in food samples. Recoveries were higher than 94% with the relative standard deviations lower than 4.8%. Expensive and complicated facilities were not required in the method. Graphical abstract fx1 Highlights • Thin film microextraction was combined with smartphone-based on-cell detection. • The method needed no expensive facilities to perform the experiments. • Sulfite assay was performed by the method successfully. • The method was simple and green, with well analytical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel fluorescent paper based immunosensor for the quantification of gliadin content in different food samples was constructed. The device consists of a paper platform modified with amino functionalized mesoporous material. The nanoporous structure and the aminofunctionality increased the anti-gliadin antibodies immobilization capacity of the sensing surface, conferring high sensitivity to the system. The detection limit reached by the described system allowed us to address the control of gluten free foods, which is extremely important to maintain the food safe consumption by patients with celiac disease, wheat allergy measured by immunoglobulin E, non-celiac gluten intolerance and Dermatitis herpetiformis or Duhring disease. The gliadin determination was performed by applying a noncompetitive immunoassay format, where gliadin present in food samples was recognized by anti-gliadin antibodies immobilized on the mesoporous material and quantified by the addition of anti-gliadin antibody labelled with peroxidase, its substrate: hydrogen peroxide and a mediator: 10-acetyl-3,7-dihydrofenoxacin. This mediator by the action of the enzyme generates resorufin, which was excited by a light emitting diode at 550 nm and emitted a signal at 580 nm. The calibration curve obtained for gliadin exhibited a linear range between 0 and 160 μg Kg −1 and a method detection limit of 0.025 mg Kg −1 . The obtained values for relative recovery varied between 98.65% and 102.33% for samples enriched with gliadin. Also, the results suggested that the developed fluorescent paper based immunosensor showed good reproducibility and stability, indicating its applicability for high-sensitive gluten free food control analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People with intellectual disability have diverse needs and experience higher rates of diet‐related chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes compared to people without disability. However, they are infrequently included in development and implementation of interventions to address diet‐related chronic disease. The present study describes the process to plan, develop and refine the Food and Lifestyle Information Program (FLIP) culinary nutrition intervention for adults with mild‐to‐moderate intellectual disability. Methods: The project was initiated by a disability service provider and was guided by the Cook‐Ed™ model and inclusive research principles. Initially the disability service provider and academic research team members co‐designed pre‐program consultation and pilot studies, and draft program resources. Pre‐program consultation explored paid disability support worker (n = 10) perceptions of cooking and food skills, nutrition priorities and optimal program format, which guided further program drafting. Program resources and pilot study design were further developed and refined with co‐researchers with lived experience of intellectual disability who attended a pre‐pilot and then pilot study sessions as remunerated co‐facilitators. Results: Key characteristics of the FLIP intervention arising from pre‐program consultation included providing cooking task instruction in small steps, enabling participant choice in program activities, promoting an inclusive and social atmosphere, and providing paper‐based resources. Conclusions: FLIP intervention co‐design was enabled through ongoing input from the disability service provider and people with lived experience of intellectual disability. Evaluation of FLIP feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness to improve diet‐related health is underway. Highlights: An academic research team, disability service provider and people with lived experience of intellectual disability co‐designed a culinary nutrition intervention for adults with mild‐to‐moderate intellectual disabilityKey considerations for culinary nutrition programs for people with intellectual disability include providing small group practical instruction, paper‐based Easy Read recipes, providing choice and creating a social and inclusive atmosphere [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caste in the South Asian context is a deeply felt phenomenon, practised through bodily and sensory regimentation, and the prescriptive social organization of bodies in space. These relationships between caste and embodiment have historically been closely regulated in norms around the partaking, sharing and cooking of food, and meat in particular. This paper examines how these gastronomic prescriptions endure and take on new meanings in digital food media, which disrupts physical space and food's relationships to the body and sensory experience. Drawing on two years of ethnography with creators who produce home-cooking content in the emerging Indian "creator economy," this paper considers how caste is embodied, articulated and remediated online during a time of violent Hindu nationalist food politics in India. How is caste articulated even when it is not explicitly named by creators in their posts? How are caste-based disgust and humiliation, and conversely, caste intimacy elicited by creators as they labor for the creator economy? Bringing together feminist and anti-caste theories of experience, articulation and embodiment, the paper theorizes caste as affect, and in doing so, illuminates how it comes to have a digital life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a compound commonly used in the production of plastic bottles and containers, where it is used as a plasticizer and can migrate into food. Its intake may impair the functioning of endocrine glands and have a negative impact on the health of human, especially infants. Because it is also found in baby bottles. Generally BPA can enter the body through daily, cumulative and long-term consumption of various foods. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of BPA and its migration through some food containers and bottles. It also explains the potential risks associated with its consumption. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, some of the research conducted in this field has been used by searching in various Web databases, including ScienceDirect, Scopus and PubMed. Therefore, this study provides an overview of the migration of BPA from different packages and compares the obtained values with standard ranges. Findings: Most studies showed samples below the reference value. However, the use of containers made with BPA should be controlled and government policies should be implemented to eliminate or reduce the use of these containers. Originality/value: This paper collects evidence of migration of BPA to some foods through bottles and food containers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to better understand the processes and procedures adopted by micro-influencers to create 'instagrammable' content. It is based on 17 in-depth interviews with foodie micro-influencers based in London and Barcelona. Interview data was complemented with participant observation in restaurants or cafes. This paper makes three original contributions. Firstly, the study expands the understanding of the concept of 'instagrammability' by approaching it from the perspective of influencers creating content to satisfy and/or grow an audience. Secondly, it illustrates how two dominant factors drive influencers' content creation process: the self/audience focus content branding orientation. The 'audience-focus' content development process varied drastically, with some influencers being very conscious of responding to their audiences' needs whereas others maintained first and foremost a very strong 'self-focus'. However, even for the influencers who were the most responsive to their audiences' perceived wishes, a sense of 'self-focus' was maintained as an anchor point in all developed content, often linked to a passion for a certain type of food. Thirdly, this paper maps and describes the behind-the-scenes content creation process adopted by micro-influencers, including four stages (1) Content Planning, (2) Media Gathering, (3) Editing, and (4) Publishing, which was followed by an engagement phase. This study offers a timely contribution to better comprehend the content creation cycle adopted by micro-influencers by using foodie influencers as a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media data are rapidly evolving and accessible, which presents opportunities for research. Data science techniques, such as sentiment or emotion analysis which analyse textual emotion, provide an opportunity to gather insight from social media. This paper describes a systematic scoping review of interdisciplinary evidence to explore how sentiment or emotion analysis methods alongside other data science methods have been used to examine nutrition, food and cooking social media content. A PRISMA search strategy was used to search nine electronic databases in November 2020 and January 2022. Of 7325 studies identified, thirty-six studies were selected from seventeen countries, and content was analysed thematically and summarised in an evidence table. Studies were published between 2014 and 2022 and used data from seven different social media platforms (Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Pinterest, Sina Weibo and mixed platforms). Five themes of research were identified: dietary patterns, cooking and recipes, diet and health, public health and nutrition and food in general. Papers developed a sentiment or emotion analysis tool or used available open-source tools. Accuracy to predict sentiment ranged from 33·33% (open-source engine) to 98·53% (engine developed for the study). The average proportion of sentiment was 38·8% positive, 46·6% neutral and 28·0% negative. Additional data science techniques used included topic modelling and network analysis. Future research requires optimising data extraction processes from social media platforms, the use of interdisciplinary teams to develop suitable and accurate methods for the subject and the use of complementary methods to gather deeper insights into these complex data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The endogenous opioid neuropeptide Beta-endorphin is produced in the pituitary gland and stored in vesicles, it is an analgesic and relieves pain. The natural compound morphine is widely used as a painkiller and is much more potent than any other first-line and second-line pain management however it is only used in emergencies because it results in addiction, thus sometimes results in drug tolerance. Therefore, a healthy lifestyle and healthy practices like exercises, laughter, and meditation can elevate beta-endorphin release and help in pain management, improving mental and heart health. Natural compounds like curcumin, capsaicin can boost beta-endorphin synthesis in peripheral sites and overcome stress and improve mental health. This paper reflects on the role of exercise in pain management and how regular laughter can enlighten the mood and help the individual overcome depression, anxiety, and stress. This paper also reflects light on the natural substances that can boost beta-endorphin in the body as well as the compounds that prevent the beta-endorphin release, how body fluids can be used to detect the presence of beta-endorphin level, and methods to detect it. The available standard laboratory methods are not very specific for beta-endorphin. The future approach of biosensors for beta-endorphin can improve the sensitivity and selectivity for beta-endorphin. • Role of physical activities in boosting Beta-endorphin. • Natural compounds that can boost Beta-endorphin. • Relation between exercise, laughter with heart health. • Standard laboratory techniques for beta-endorphin detection. • Future advancement for beta-endorphin detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines why urban studies should be interested in the emergence of controlled environment agriculture. Over the last decade, there has been significant commercial and urban policy interest in controlled environment agriculture systems for producing food in enclosed environments. Furthermore, there has been a significant expansion in research publications on urban controlled environment agriculture, stressing the novel character of these systems and the complex relationships with the conventional concerns of urban agriculture. The paper subjects these claims to critical scrutiny and then reconceptualises urban controlled environment agriculture as an emergent urban infrastructure of artificial, highly productive microclimates and ecosystems for non-human life designed to increase the productive use of 'surplus or under-utilised' urban spaces. We argue that controlled environment agriculture tries to secure food production through three spatial–temporal fixes: (1) the enclosure move – holding food closer by substituting the increasingly hostile outdoors for the controlled indoors in order to optimise yield, quality, efficiency and the 'cleanness' of the food; (2) the urban move – holding food closer to the city by substituting rural agricultural space for urban space to shorten supply chains and thereby help secure food production and improve its green credentials; and (3) combining 1 and 2, the urban interiorisation move – holding food yet closer still by moving food production into city buildings and intricate infrastructural systems, increasing control by securing total environments. In these ways, the paper shows how urban controlled environment agriculture selectively extends existing logics of urban and rural agriculture and identifies the future research challenges for urban studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014 the Mexican government implemented taxes to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and nonessential energy-dense foods. In this manuscript, we analyze the scientific evidence linking the consumption of these products to chronic diseases, and summarize the studies that have evaluated the observed and expected impact of food taxes in Mexico. The implementation of taxes to unhealthy foods has reduced purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages in 7.6% and nonessential energy-dense foods in 7.4%. A reduction in consumption could decrease obesity prevalence by 2.5%; prevent 20 000 cardiovascular disease events; 189 000 diabetes cases; and 20 000 cardiovascular deaths. Additionally, this impact could save nearly 1 173 million dollars from healthcare costs. Taxes to unhealthy foods should be strengthen up and remain as an integral part of the national strategy to reduce obesity and chronic diseases in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorochemical-treated paper was tested to determine the amount of migration that occurs into foods and food-simulating liquids and the characteristics of the migration. Migration characteristics of fluorochemicals from paper were examined in Miglyol, butter, water, vinegar, water-ethanol solutions, emulsions and pure oil containing small amounts of emulsifiers. Additionally, microwave popcorn and chocolate spread were used to investigate migration. Results indicate that fluorochemicals paper additives do migrate to food during actual package use. For example, we found that microwave popcorn contained 3.2 fluorochemical mg kg-1 popcorn after popping and butter contained 0.1 mg kg-1 after 40 days at 4°C. Tests also indicate that common food-simulating liquids for migration testing and package material evaluation might not provide an accurate indication of the amount of fluorochemical that actually migrates to food. Tests show that oil containing small amounts of an emulsifier can significantly enhance migration of a fluorochemical from paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the study of volatile compounds present in a set of three paper and board (P&B) samples of different composition, surface treatment, grammage and thickness. The volatile compounds released by the packaging material (P&B) can be trapped on the food and may then affect the safety and health of consumers. To evaluate if the recycled P&B could be used as food packaging material, adsorption studies have been performed with a selection of chemical substances. The adsorption isotherms are provided. Partition coefficients between paper and air have been calculated for a series of volatile compounds used as model compounds to represent different families of contaminants commonly present in P&B. Values from 4 to 3243 were obtained at different temperatures. The analysis of volatile compounds have been carried out by automatic headspace coupled on-line with GC/MS in SIM mode. The results obtained are shown and discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Societal Impact Statement: Political interests and power structures shape state‐led crop conservation and food policy. As a crop that relates to culture and belonging, the chile crop is ideal for exploring how food security policy and crop conservation schemes integrate aspects beyond staple crops, calories and/or electoral incentives. What do these schemes mean for the food and ingredients we love? Reflecting from this perspective can be useful to grasp, re‐frame and create more effective and inclusive food policies—ones that embody and valorise flavour, identities and territories beyond statements on paper. Summary: In line with the Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) international action plan for crop genetic resources, the Mexican state inaugurated the National System of Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (SINAREFI) in 2002. In this paper, I explore SINAREFI's interest in landraces and in situ conservation through the case of chile pepper, set under the Ministry of Agriculture's interests of promoting industrial agriculture and paternalistic food security welfare programmes.Through the analyses of existing literature on food security in Mexico state programmes, archival work and interviews, this article analyses how discourses on food security shape research trajectories, some of which are inevitably constrained by current market‐based agricultural systems.By exploring the state's chile research and conservation programme, this work demonstrates the complexity of international food security discourse and its application domestically. Particularly, this analysis highlights the limitations of state crop research and conservation efforts imposed by contradictory agricultural policies. In the case of chile, its link to Mexican culture and diet uncovers an important, but often overlooked, aspect of food security: flavour.In the case of chile, a non‐staple but culturally symbolic crop, welfare programmes remained paternalistic and focused on caloric intake despite the transformation of national discourse on food security towards the integration of landraces and local cultures through the inauguration of SINAREFI. This case study reflects on the limits of current framings and strategies regarding food security and the need to direct policies towards local food sovereignty to achieve the necessary stability for food security to endure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Identification of the source of mosquito blood meals is an important component for disease control and surveillance. Recently, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) profiling has emerged as an effective tool for mosquito blood meal identification, using the abdomens of freshly engorged mosquitoes. In the field, mosquito abdomens are crushed on Whatman filter papers to determine the host feeding patterns by identifying the origin of their blood meals. The aim of this study was to test whether crushing engorged mosquito abdomens on Whatman filter papers was compatible with MALDI-TOF MS for mosquito blood meal identification. Both laboratory reared and field collected mosquitoes were tested. Material and methods: Sixty Anopheles gambiae Giles were experimentally engorged on the blood of six distinct vertebrate hosts (human, sheep, rabbit, dog, chicken and rat). The engorged mosquito abdomens were crushed on Whatman filter papers for MALDI-TOF MS analysis. 150 Whatman filter papers, with mosquitoes engorged on cow and goat blood, were preserved. A total of 77 engorged mosquito abdomens collected in the Comoros Islands and crushed on Whatman filter papers were tested with MALDI-TOF MS. Results: The MS profiles generated from mosquito engorged abdomens crushed on Whatman filter papers exhibited high reproducibility according to the original host blood. The blood meal host was correctly identified from mosquito abdomens crushed on Whatman filter papers by MALDI-TOF MS. The MS spectra obtained after storage were stable regardless of the room temperature and whether or not they were frozen. The MS profiles were reproducible for up to three months. For the Comoros samples, 70/77 quality MS spectra were obtained and matched with human blood spectra. This was confirmed by molecular tools. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that MALDI-TOF MS could identify mosquito blood meals from Whatman filter papers collected in the field during entomological surveys. The application of MALDI-TOF MS has proved to be rapid and successful, making it a new and efficient tool for mosquito-borne disease surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The quality (i.e. the degree of excellence and acceptance to the consumer) evaluation and safety of fruit and other agricultural products is by far the main challenging task in the food industries. Hence, the development of efficient non‐invasive, real‐time and rapid‐quality assessment tools and techniques is the need of the hour. This review paper aims to provide the basic or fundamental knowledge regarding the principle, potential and application of near‐infrared imaging‐based computer vision systems. Non‐invasive technologies, based on optical properties, are the most applicable and important for real‐time quality assessment. Absorption, reflection and scattering before the transmission of incident light are phenomenon properties of biological materials. The principle and application of NIR imaging (i.e. medical imaging) in agriculture for quality detection were studied from various published research papers. Thus, collected pieces of information are summarised, concluded and discussed in a unique way in this report. The NIR spectrum of electromagnetic waves has some basic benefits of light penetration into the upper layer and makes visualisation of the targeted area of objects. Several studies have proved that the non‐destructive system based on visible and non‐visible imaging in combination has a significant role in quality defect detection in fruits. In NIR imaging, the artefacts caused by light illumination can be reduced and it will help in the visualisation of biological tissues and hidden defects just below the peel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of whole fish derived from low trophic-level fisheries (also known as small pelagic species, or reduction fisheries) is often criticised as being inefficient. This paper offers a general view of the production of fishmeal and fish oil by species, country and region. The available edible yield of food produced using this resource under business as usual practices (i.e via fishmeal and fish oil production, aquafeed and aquaculture and a proportion consumed directly as food) against a hypothetical 100% consumption as food (with available by-product going to fishmeal and fish oil manufacture) is calculated using 2019 data. The results indicate that a 588,061 tonnes greater volume of available processed edible aquatic protein (wet weight) is estimated to be produced under business-as-usual practices, amounting to an additional 3.58 billion meals provided per annum. This is based on current conversion factors resulting from the use of fishmeal and fish oil as ingredients in combination with others in the manufacture of aquafeed. The paper discusses the use of this resource as raw material in the production of fishmeal and fish oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food is an indispensable element in every culture. However, it is often regarded as trivial, mundane, and inconspicuous in daily life and, in turn, its role has often been overlooked in intercultural research. Through the lens of food culture, this paper draws insights from three independent yet related studies which investigated Chinese international students’ acculturation experiences in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (USA). Semi-structured individual interviews analyzed thematically were conducted with 23 participants in the UK and 29 participants in the USA. By applying the concepts of “invisible learning” and “unconscious competence” to food in Chinese international students’ acculturation experiences, we highlight the crucial hidden learning and engagement opportunities to enrich the current appreciation of student sojourners’ acculturation experiences. Findings in this paper suggest that food serves as a meaningful invisible or unconscious but powerful acculturation pathway in the personal, psychological, and social domains, which support these learners’ acculturation experiences and facilitate their competence development in new cultural environments. Arguably, understanding this nuanced dimension could better assist student sojourners in developing more effective acculturative strategies, and for host universities or other stakeholders to better support international students with more diverse opportunities and resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The concept of a financial scarcity mindset has raised much attention as an explanation for poor decision-making and dysfunctional behavior. It has been suggested that financial scarcity could also impair dietary behavior, through a decline in self-control. Underlying cognitive mechanisms of tunneling (directing attention to financial issues and neglecting other demands), cognitive load (a tax on mental bandwidth interfering with executive functioning) and time orientation (a shift towards a present time horizon, versus a future time horizon) may explain the association between financial scarcity and self-control related dietary behavior. The current scoping review gathers recent evidence on how these mechanisms affect dietary behavior of people experiencing financial scarcity. It builds on a theoretical framework based on insights from behavioral economics and health psychology. Methods: A literature search was executed in six online databases, which resulted in 9.975 papers. Search terms were tunneling, cognitive load and time orientation, financial scarcity, and dietary behavior. Screening was performed with ASReview, an AI-ranking tool. In total, 14 papers were included in the scoping review. We used PRISMA-ScR guidelines for reporting. Results: Limited evidence indicates that a scarcity mindset could increase tunneling, through attentional narrowing on costs of food, which then directly impacts dietary behavior. A scarcity mindset involves experiencing financial stress, which can be understood as cognitive load. Cognitive load decreases attentional capacity, which could impair self-control in dietary choices. Financial scarcity is related to a present time orientation, which affects dietary choices by shifting priorities and decreasing motivation for healthy dietary behavior. Conclusions: A scarcity mindset affects dietary behavior in different ways. Tunneling and a shift in time orientation are indicative of an attentional redirection, which can be seen as more adaptive to the situation. These may be processes indirectly affecting self-control capacity. Cognitive load could decrease self-control capacity needed for healthy dietary behavior because it consumes mental bandwidth. How a changing time orientation when experiencing financial scarcity relates to motivation for self-control in dietary behavior is a promising theme for further inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across sensory systems, several stimulus collative characteristics, including intensity, novelty, complexity and perceived dangerousness, are known to elicit high levels of physiological and psychological arousal. It has become apparent that food rejections by both children and adults are frequently linked to such arousal-inducing characteristics. This paper examines how arousal and arousability are important elements in responding to stimuli generally, but specifically to foods, ultimately influencing food preferences and choices. It is clear that responses to sensory properties are subject not just to variations in perceptual sensitivity due to genetics or experience—as in the case of widely rejected qualities such as bitterness or pungency—but also to the arousal potential of those stimuli. Moreover, this is linked to various enduring aspects of personality, suggesting that the impact of arousal on food choices is merely one aspect of a more general sensory sensitivity. The impact of diet on various health outcomes underlines the importance of understanding the relationship of arousal to food choices. This article is part of the theme issue 'Sensing and feeling: an integrative approach to sensory processing and emotional experience'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The study was commenced to collect and revise data pertaining to the biological impacts of Adansonia digitata. • Our attention was directed towards scholarly articles released from 2015 to January 2024, as documented in the Scopus database. • There is little research conducted on Adansonia digitata plant despite its popular medicinal importance, so we shed light on this plant. Adansonia digitata L. is a highly esteemed and versatile tree native to Africa. It offers numerous benefits in terms of providing medication, food, clothing and serving as a vital source of natural remedies. The increasing demand for natural remedies as opposed to synthetic ones has prompted the exploration of several alternative natural products. The study reviewed research articles published from 2015 to January 2024 and indexed in the Scopus database to provide an up-to-date report on the species' scientific significance. Searches for research papers have been conducted via Elsevier, Springer, Google Scholar, Taylor & Francis, PubMed, and Scopus using " A. digitata ," "chemical composition," "antioxidant," "antibacterial," "antidiabetic," "anticancer," and other pertinent terms. It has been scientifically demonstrated that this plant's fruits, leaves, bark, roots, and seeds all have medicinal potential. This research highlighted the significant potential of the A. digitata tree as a valuable reservoir of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, which can be effectively harnessed for pharmacological purposes. Research undertaken in vitro and in vivo has provided evidence of this plant's helpful role in preventing and treating many ailments. The A. digitata tree exhibits significant potential as an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent as well as an antidiabetic and hepatoprotective agent. A comprehensive evaluation of the compounds identified in the A. digitata tree will yield extremely interesting results. The mechanism of action and clinical assessment should further be determined to ascertain the plant traditional, in vitro, and in vivo animal-documented results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seaweed is seen as a promising future source of biomass, and significant efforts are taken to upscale seaweed aquaculture production in Europe. Despite regulatory frameworks for food safety, environmental safety, and occupational health and safety applicable to seaweed production, a major barrier to upscaling production is the lack of commonly accepted, uniform frameworks for safety assessment. As a consequence, efforts to deal with food safety, environmental safety, and occupational health and safety are fragmented. Based on a literature review and consultations with stakeholders, this paper introduces a generic protocol on how to approach safety of the production of seaweed. A prototype version of the generic protocol was evaluated in a practical setting in Norway. Results show that a consistent, structured approach to safety makes it possible to identify hazards and prioritize and collect data on key hazards. The protocol facilitated a sector discussion on safety, providing a shared discourse to talk about safety. It must be acknowledged that the farming and processing practices and the location of cultivation strongly influence which hazards are most relevant. The protocol succeeded in bringing focus to data collection, putting effort into the analysis of hazards considered most relevant in a practical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As English forces struggled to bring Ireland under Crown control during the early modern period, all aspects of Irish culture and identity were seen as potentially subversive. Irish culture posed a threat to both the regime, and to the very identity and sanctity of English bodies in a foreign and hostile land. This paper will examine the role that food played in the political discourse of sixteenth and seventeenth-century Ireland. It will investigate how aspects of food, from infant feeding, to diet, dairying and cookery became a cause of concern for English colonial commentators. It will show how descriptions of foodways were used to cast the Irish as "savages," but importantly, how they were also used to illustrate the "degeneration" of the Old English. Through the discussion of food commentators warned newcomers not to follow the fate of their predecessors; their bodies were not impenetrable, and through culinary contact, they too could be "undone." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food has become a privileged space for analyzing different forms of citizen participation. This paper reviews typologies of political participation to determine which of them is more useful to classify the strategies of food-based engagement. We propose a taxonomy of civic and political food actions, with particular reference to Spain, integrating traditional and modern actions as well as and collective, online and offline dimensions. We applied a mixed methodology, based on primary sources – a survey of 1,0005 people and 22 in-depth interviews with different profiles of food activists- and secondary sources. The proposed taxonomy of food political participation is useful to map different forms of (non-) participation, latent participation and political participation in food issues that are currently being developed. This classification, by including civic and latent forms of involvement, can serve to guide future empirical studies about food participation that consider not only formal participation, but also factors as: showing propensity to search for information about food issues from an ethical, political, or environmental perspective; identifying with an ideology that promotes ethical, politically and socially responsible food decisions; or developing a political food lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polish Tatars are a minority Muslim community who have lived on the Eastern borderlands of Poland for over 600 years, forming an integral part of Poland despite distinct social and religious customs. I argue that food practices among Polish Tatars in the Podlasie region, rather than being merely a symbolic means of expressing difference, actively create community as forces of both exclusion and inclusion. Affective bonds are reinforced through the bringing together of individuals in the space of the kitchen to cook and consume Polish Tatar food during holidays, but fears of assimilation and loss of identity are reinforced by a perceived weakening of these practices among the youth. Food practices in restaurants represent the community as a type of familiar alterity that is both distinct from, and yet a part of, wider Polish society, while simultaneously mosques complicate binary conceptions of food as belonging exclusively to one group. The contested consumption of pork and alcohol connects Polish Tatars to the wider Polish population as "our Muslims," while also creating boundaries with non-Tatar Muslims. In this paper, food is understood as an agentic force that actively crafts group boundaries of belonging through processes of inclusion and exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a framework for policymakers supporting sustainable development through international collaboration in science, technology, and innovation (STI). The approach can be applied to derive the national policy strategy for international collaboration in STI. The contribution focuses on the case of Germany in the field of food and agriculture. Accordingly, considering Germany's current strategic approach for international collaboration in STI, an evidence-based tool for priority setting in the selection of potential partners and technology fields is developed and implemented. More specifically, the approach assesses the opportunity environment for international STI collaboration of Germany with potential partners using patent and economic indicators to capture technological capabilities, technological demand, economic relevance of food, and agriculture in national economies as well as technological and export specialization in food and agriculture. The results present policy strategies enhancing sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to present a Christian mission of hunger and poverty alleviation through a life in communion with the trinity and in the context of the Ga celebration of homowo in Ghana. It is in the hope of the renewal of all things at the end of the world. It is to appreciate the essence of homowo in order to appropriate it for a Christian mission. The paper seeks to achieve this goal of mission by connecting the hunger and poverty alleviation and life-giving essence as well as the sense of unity embedded in the homowo feast to the mission of the triune God in the cosmos and with the "give us this day our daily bread" statement of Jesus Christ. Although the Kpelelogical method seems to be easily understood because it is mutually critical and connects seamlessly with the praxis of Christianity among Ga Christians, it has previously not been adopted as a theological method, as it is in this article. It is the paradoxical Ga Christian articulation of the Christian faith whereby the Christian faith is enlightened by the Kpele homowo and yet transforms the Kpele homowo after rejecting it. At the end of the engagement, Jesus in the homowo celebration is seen as the Okpelejen Wulormor Homoyiwolor ker Naanowalahalor (the cosmic priest, king, prophet who jeers at hunger, and giver of eternal life). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable food practices are increasingly of interest to scholars and practitioners concerned with the impacts of food production, consumption, and waste in an age of climate change. Attention has been paid to households as actors in addressing sustainability concerns. This paper draws on a national survey of Australian sustainable household practices to offer insights into the ways households are practicing sustainability across three everyday entanglements with food: (1) growing food, (2) consuming food and (3) wasting/disposing of food. The paper explores the types of practices enacted across the three entanglements and provides an understanding of the prevalence and barriers for households adopting sustainable food practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degree to which the townspeople of medieval Ireland enjoyed food security or experienced food insecurity forms the subject of this paper. Having outlined the context within which Irish medieval towns started to experience food insecurity, the paper then proceeds to examine responses to this situation. These include protection of the urban area, strategies for improved storage and transport of foodstuffs, the production of food within and immediately adjacent to urban space, the regulation of the food trades, the operation of food markets, inter-regional and international trade, and the engagement with sometimes hostile rural hinterlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widowhood, in Indian society, is a dreaded condition of a woman after the death of her husband. It is an imposed performance that entails a set of ritualized practices and behavior to mark her transition to the state of a woman without. On many occasions, this state is ensured and maintained through multifarious rituals and practices, which range from restrictions on mobility, choices, and desires to injunctions on clothes, bodily demeanor, and food. This physio-social exercise of control and restraint alludes to a framework of religio-cultural discourse that renders widows as social and sexual non-beings. The present paper attempts to understand the state of widowhood through the analysis of two short stories in the collection, The Anger of Aubergines (1997) by Bulbul Sharma from the perspective of food. Food and eating, being the elementary aspects of everyday life, become important signifiers in studying the deprived state of widowhood. The paper intends to unpack the politics behind the imposition of a curriculum of gastronomic injunctions and food taboos on Hindu upper-caste widows. Further, the paper conceptualizes the appetite of widows as a subversive category not only in challenging the gender discourses behind their oppression but also in exonerating their status as desireless beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration investigations were carried out on paper packaging materials in contact with solid food simulants. The aim was to investigate the migration behaviour of a series of isothiazolinone biocides (2-methyl-3-isothiazolinone (MI), 1,2-benzisothiazolinone (BIT) and 2-octyl-3-isothiazolinone (OIT)) as potential contaminants in paper materials, at varying temperatures and migration times, for the food simulants Tenax and Porapak. Based on the migration results, Tenax was found to be a good food simulant, and was more suitable than Porapak at high temperature. Petri dishes were found to be suitable for use as migration cells when the compounds to be evaluated were non-volatile. The amount of migration gradually increased with time and increasing temperature, finally reaching a steady value. When the temperature was higher than the boiling point of OIT, the migration rate decreased because of volatilization. The maximum migration rates were 3.4% for MI, 2.2% for BIT and 10.6% for OIT at high temperature (≥100°C). Two kinds of paper packaging for food were tested with the method that was developed. OIT in the papers migrated into the food simulants but the amount that migrated was less than 0.14 µg kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it has become clear that a system approach is important to improve not only the sustainability of agriculture but also nutrition, the analysis of food systems suffers from overcomplexity. In this context, the aim of the paper was to find ways to reduce the overcomplexity of food systems, using a new system approach which is essential for making our food production and nutrition more sustainable. The method was to structure the sustainability food as a three-dimensional system, by grouping and structuring the scientific approaches existing up to now in the specialized literature, searching and compiling through most of the paper having sustainable food as the main subject. The results were structured by creating a system through a set of four interrelated questions. It argues that the 'how' of food production and consumption, including the 'how much', is as important as the question "what" is produced and consumed. The 'who' dimension is of relevance for the socioeconomic pillar of sustainability, while the 'where' dimension puts our attention to geographical questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life-history trade-offs are often hormonally mediated. Here, we provide a comparative perspective on the endocrine basis of life-history trade-offs by examining the invertebrate hormone juvenile hormone (JH). JH is often associated with benefits, including increased dominance and reproductive success. We tested whether JH reduced survival of Polistes dominulus wasps and whether this survival cost was influenced by factors such as advertised quality, food availability, caste and body size. Overall, JH reduced individual survival. Among fed and unfed queens, JH reduced survival in a dose-dependent manner. Among workers, JH had a stronger effect on survival of fed workers than unfed workers. Unfed workers died quickly and body size was the best predictor of survival. Surprisingly, queens and workers treated with JH survived longer when they had signals advertising high quality than when they had signals advertising low quality. The relationship between advertised quality and ability to withstand high levels of JH suggests that there are differential physiological costs associated with ornament elaboration that could play a role in maintaining signal accuracy over evolutionary time. Overall, the convergence of endocrine-mediated costs across diverse systems suggests that endocrine-mediated trade-offs may be an adaptive way to optimize resource allocation rather than a non-adaptive constraint specific to a particular hormone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children today have limited food origin awareness. The further we move away from food production practices, the less exposure children have to them, and the more food vulnerable we become. This is especially true for children growing up in urban areas where there is limited space for food gardens. Schools have developed targeted pedagogical approaches to raise food origin awareness, and this paper examines one such attempt in Cairns, Australia. We compare how students aged 5-6 responded to an activity where they drew their immediate response to the word ‘food'. Comparisons were then made between those learning under explicit instruction and those using a more experiential, place-based pedagogical approach. The findings suggest students in the experiential class who regularly use the garden as a learning space drew significantly higher levels of fresh, place-appropriate fruits and vegetables (U = 61.5, P = 0.002). We discuss the ramifications of exposure to a globalised food system and how experiences at school can nurture children's understanding of food. We interpret the outcomes of the different pedagogical approaches and unravel the importance of ‘place' in a child's food experience. The evidence presented suggests that children’s food knowledge could improve if food education is bolstered with experiential and place-responsive pedagogies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to apply and verify Fourier series analysis in combination with non-linear regression as a tool of forecasting and planning of inputs in the logistics process of a retail chain store. Design/methodology/approach: For many popular products, a significant effect of seasonality of sales is expected; therefore, the method of Fourier series was chosen as one of the main forecast calculation techniques. However, the use of this method directly for forecasting sales has a limitation in the form of a complete reconstruction of the shape of the curve from of the given monitored time. Thus, the forecast is based only on the significant harmonic components from the Fourier series analysis that will participate in forecast forming. In addition, to respect the trend of series, the results of Fourier series analysis are combined with the non-linear regression. Findings: The results showed that the number of significant harmonic components from the Fourier series analysis is suitable to reflect the future behaviour of the sale in standard market conditions. Forecasting of the sale and accurate purchase planning of goods has a positive effect on reducing the waste of unsold products after their shelf and on increasing of a customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: This study has an application in a certain period of time (relatively calm behaviour of the food market) and only for a certain region. Therefore, it is not possible to generalize these results as the behaviour of consumers, e.g. within the state. It will also be interesting to monitor and forecast sales of other food items. Practical implications: This provides a practical and relatively simple tool for implementing or improving the process of forecasting seasonally dependent products in the food industry. Originality/value: This study shows the possibility of forecast that is based on adding the significant harmonic components from the Fourier series analysis to form forecast with the non-linear regression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing food prices have implications for basic subsistence, have a strong price visibility and symbolic value, and are characterized by high volatility and inelasticity of demand. Research thus assumes that food price is an important trigger for unrest. Yet, whether food is an especially potent driver for people's willingness to engage in collective action, or whether it concerns grievances about general inflation, is unknown. Does food have a greater effect on the willingness to participate in unrest? The paper investigates the relative importance of food in mobilization potential by using unique data from a survey experiment in Johannesburg, South Africa. The experiment collects information on how price increases in food, fuel, and electricity affects respondents' willingness to engage in unrest. The results show a higher willingness to engage in collective action when presented with increasing living expenses, regardless of whether it is food, fuel or electricity, compared to stable prices. We also consider the level of risk exposure to price hikes, and find that those who report going hungry in the last year have a higher willingness to engage in unrest than those who do not. Thus, food access influences the willingness to partake in unrest during price hikes, also for commodities seemingly unrelated to food. This suggests that for those who are most affected by a price hike it is less important what type of commodity it is. The question is whether it introduces further strain on an already hard-stretched budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with Partition refugees from Bannu who identified as Bannuwals and continue to do so. It aims to examine the microhistory of post-Partition Bannu refugees resettled across North India and focuses on their preservation of their Bannuwal identity. The role of language, proverbs and songs, cuisine and rituals in identity preservation by Bannuwals has been examined. Qualitative methodology using oral history interviews to record the memories and post-memories of Bannuwals has been used to identify a distinctive Bannuwal identity. Data for the qualitative research was collected through fieldwork in cities in India where the Bannu community is primarily resettled. Secondary sources such as books and essays on Bannu and the North-West Frontier Province and archival documents were consulted to obtain an informed perspective on Bannu's historical background. Seventeen people were interviewed using unstructured interviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented manuscript deals with the issues of genesis and evolution of soil structure and crop plants in the Lower Amu Darya Region. The pertinent investigation also elaborates on wild plant characteristics in the desert zone and details of cultivated plants grown in the Lower Amu Darya region. The paper also discusses soil-forming processes and the structure of soils, which is the external appearance involved in specific changes from the vertical direction of its layers. Horizons always differ in color, structure, composition, and other morphological features. The article also describes the mechanical composition of the soils of these regions, including the formation of plants grown on highly saline soils, the morphology and characteristics of these plants, and the effective use of arable land to ensure food security in the country. Likewise, the most urgent problems today are increasing soil productivity and its protection and raising economic efficiency to obtain high-quality and ecologically clean products from every agricultural crop. The soils distributed in the lower Amudarya regions, including Karakalpakstan and Khorezm regions, are more or less saline. For the soils' future effective use, salt-resistant and phytomeliorative crops, especially alfalfa, white corn, beets, melons, watermelons, and pumpkins, and oil crops, such as sesame, will give a high and highquality harvest. As a result of the sand and dust-salty mixture rising from the dry bottom of the Aral Sea under the influence of the wind in the spring months, crops are drying up. Therefore, to prevent this, it is most practical and scientifically imperative to carry out phytomeliorative work in these areas to establish saxovull farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the framework of China's food safety standards and provides a brief overview of the problems and developmental characteristics of food safety in China. The composition and characteristics of China's food safety standards are revealed by an analysis of the changes in China's general food standards, an overview of the characteristics of the hygiene requirements in the production and operation process, and an introduction to food product and test method standards. In conclusion, Chinese food safety standards are still being improved, but they must also be effectively implemented and followed up in real time in order to continuously improve the quality of food and reduce food safety incidents. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sheds light on the significance of gastronomy as an emblem of cultural identity in Toni Morrison's God Help the Child. It shows how Morrison imbues the narrative with instances of food and drinks which reflect certain racial stereotypes to which Lula Ann is prone during her struggle to reach self-definition. The colour, taste, diversity, quality and manners of food are all rigorously woven to portray Lula's Journey. Onomastically, some characters and places are purposefully named after food such as Sweetness, Whisky land, Raisin, and Mrs. Queen Olive; all of them represent an outstanding stage in Lula's identity development. Finally, food takes a further dimension in the way it reflects the spiritual food that Lula receives throughout her journey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza) is a medicinal and food homologue of perennial plants derived from the dried roots and rhizomes of the genus Glycyrrhiza in the legume family. In recent years, the comprehensive utilization of licorice resources has attracted people's attention. It is widely utilized to treat diseases, health food products, food production, and other industrial applications. Furthermore, numerous bioactive components of licorice are found using advanced extraction processes, which mainly include polyphenols (flavonoids, dihydrostilbenes, benzofurans, and coumarin), triterpenoids, polysaccharides, alkaloids, and volatile oils, all of which have been reported to possess a variety of pharmacological characteristics, including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, neuroprotective, antidepressive, antidiabetic, antiparasitic, antisex hormone, skin effects, anticariogenic, antitussive, and expectorant activities. Thereby, all of these compounds promote the development of novel and more effective licorice-derived products. This paper reviews the progress of research on extraction techniques, chemical composition, bioactivities, and applications of licorice to provide a reference for further development and application of licorice in different areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Given the dominant share of India in global production of fruits and vegetables, this paper intends to analyze the export competitiveness of India and other major food exporters in the world trade. The purpose of this study is to examine export structure, substitutability and complementarity of selected fresh and processed fruits and vegetables of top ten food exporters for the period 2010-20. Design/methodology/approach: Balassa's (1965) revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index was used to measure RCA indices of selected fruits and vegetables under study. Also, revealed symmetric comparative advantage (RSCA) and normalized RCA (NRCA) indices have been calculated. Further, Spearman rank correlation coefficients were computed to analyze changes over the study period for India and other competing countries. The export data have been sourced from UN Comtrade, an electronic database of United Nations, as well as World Trade Statistical Review, a database of World Trade Organization. The analysis was undertaken at Harmonized System (HS) four-digit classification for the period 2010-20. Findings: The results disclosed an improvement in India's comparative advantage over the period of 2010-20 in HS 07 product category, whereas the advantage ceded to other competitive nations in HS 08 product category. Further, Spearman rank correlation coefficients revealed that India faces competition from countries like China, Indonesia, Brazil, Thailand, Argentina and European Union for HS 07 product category, while countries like Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil and Thailandare the major competitors of India in HS 08 product category. Originality/value: The paper expands the existing agricultural trade literature in three ways. First, it is one of the very few studies that have analyzed RCA for Indian fresh and processed fruits and vegetables using three different types of indices, namely, Balassa's RCA, RSCA and NRCA. Second, the authors provide a number of comparisons related to RCA for Indian fruits and vegetables with other top food exporters in the world for a period of 10 years (2010-20). Third, the authors contribute to agricultural trade literature by assessing the substitutability or complementarity of India in the export of fruits and vegetables with other competing nations by using Spearman rank correlation coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aimed to identify and evaluate tools and resources used to support the implementation of workplace healthy food and drink policies, primarily in Australia and New Zealand. Methods: A scoping grey literature review included searches of government agencies and non‐governmental organisations' websites in six English‐speaking countries, public health nutrition intervention databases and Google search engine queries. Paper‐based and digital tools were included if they were written in English, referred to within a policy or on a policy's website, and primarily targeting supply‐side stakeholders. Tools were evaluated on two domains: 'Features' (summarised descriptively) and 'Usability and Quality' (with inter‐rater reliability scores calculated using an intraclass correlation coefficient). Results: Twenty paper‐based tools were identified relating to Australian (n = 14) and New Zealand (n = 6) policies, and a further six digital tools were identified from Australia (n = 3) and Canada (n = 3). Target audiences included workplace managers, food providers and suppliers. The paper‐based tools focused on general implementation guidance. In contrast, digital tools tended to support specific elements of policy implementation. 'Usability and Quality' scores ranged from 2.9 to 4.5 (out of 5.0) for paper‐based tools, and 3.9 to 4.2 for digital tools, with a moderate agreement between reviewer scores (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.523, p = 0.010). Conclusions: A range of tools have been developed to support the implementation of workplace healthy food and drink policies. Understanding the strengths and limitations of current tools will assist in developing improved aids to support policy implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Teachers form a large and essential workforce globally. Their wellbeing impacts personal health-related outcomes with flow on effects for the health, and wellbeing of their students. However, food and nutrition (FN) interventions that include teachers, typically neglect the impact of personal FN factors on a teachers' ability to achieve optimal nutrition-related health and wellbeing, and successfully fulfil their professional FN roles as health promoters, gate keepers, educators', and role models. The aim of this review was to scope FN constructs that have been studied internationally regarding teacher FN-related health and wellbeing. Methods: Six databases were searched, and papers extracted in June/July 2021. Eligibility criteria guided by the population, concept, context mnemonic included studies published after 2000, in English language, with an aspect of personal FN-related health and wellbeing, among in-service (practising) and pre-service (training), primary, and secondary teachers. Screening studies for inclusion was completed by two independent researchers with data extraction piloted with the same reviewers and completed by lead author, along with complete descriptive and thematic analysis. Results: Ten thousand six hundred seventy-seven unique articles were identified with 368 eligible for full text review and 105 included in final extraction and analysis. Sixty-nine descriptive studies were included, followed by 35 intervention studies, with the main data collection method used to assess both personal and professional FN constructs being questionnaires (n = 99 papers), with nutrition knowledge and dietary assessment among the most commonly assessed. Conclusion: FN constructs are used within interventions and studies that include teachers, with diversity in constructs included and how these terms are defined. The evidence from this scoping review can be used to inform data collection and evaluation in future epidemiological and interventional research that addresses teacher FN-related health and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]