Risk Assessment of Food Allergens – Part 2: Review and establish threshold levels in foods for the priority allergens.
Knowledge of thresholds constitutes a critical requirement to assessing the risk from allergens, as they are a characteristic of the hazard that allergens present to the food-allergic population. FAO and WHO reconvened the Ad hoc Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Risk Assessment of Food Allergens for a second meeting to provide scientific advice on review […]
Microplastics reduce nitrogen uptake in peanut plants by damaging root cells and impairing soil nitrogen cycling.
Microplastic (MP) pollution severely impairs the sustainable development of modern agriculture. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of MP contaminants on nutrient cycles in agroecosystems are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the impacts of two types of MPs, polypropylene (PP) and rubber crumb (RC), on nitrogen (N) transformation and N cycling in soil-peanut […]
Honey bees save energy in honey processing by dehydrating nectar before returning to the nest.
Honey bees process nectar into honey by active evaporation on the tongue and passive evaporation involving nest ventilation and fanning behaviour, as well as enzymatic action. The elimination of excess water from nectar carries considerable energetic costs. The concentration of the nectar load is assumed to remain constant during transport. However, some of this water […]
Diversity of Legumes in the Cashew Agroforestry System in East Timor (Southeast Asia).
Cashew is an important export-oriented crop in several tropical countries, often under monocropping systems. Intercropping with legume species is promoted as a sustainable practice, enhancing agricultural productivity and providing nutritional food sources to rural communities. This study aimed to characterize the diversity of Leguminosae (or Fabaceae) in the cashew agroforestry systems of East Timor (Southeast […]
Effects of cashew nutshell ash on the thermal and sustainability properties of cement concrete.
The present study valorizes cashew nutshell ash (CNA) and uses it at 5-20 wt. % of cement for concrete production. The concrete grades of 25-40 MPa were used as mix design proportions. The thermal and mechanical properties of the concrete samples were determined on day 28 of curing. Regression models were used to predict the […]
Preliminary Evaluation of the Application of Algae-Based Biostimulants on Almond.
To improve almond performance under water limitations, the use of algae-based biostimulants may become a useful tool to reduce drought stress. However, besides possible effects on plant behavior, changes in fruit characteristics must also be considered. In this work, a preliminary study on the effect of two levels of an Ascophyllum nodosum-based biostimulant in the […]
Growing health: global linkages between patterns of food supply, sustainability, and vulnerability to climate change.
Global food systems are developing rapidly, and have resulted in a large burden of disease and a high proportion of environmental resource use. We combined global data sources on food supply and trade, environmental footprints, burdens of disease, and vulnerability to climate change to explore patterns from 1990 to 2017. Four distinct patterns of food […]
The 2022 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: towards a climate resilient future.
In the past few decades, major public health advances have happened in Europe, with drastic decreases in premature mortality and a life expectancy increase of almost 9 years since 1980. European countries have some of the best health-care systems in the world. However, Europe is challenged with unprecedented and overlapping crises that are detrimental to […]
December 2022 News Brief
Register Now for the 2023 INC Congress in London The INC Congress in London will be here before you know it, so take a few moments now and register to save your spot! From May 22-24, London will welcome the entire nut and dried fruit industry under the umbrella of the INC. It has been […]
Almond Consumption May Aid Weight Management
A new study published in the European Journal of Nutrition has examined how appetite-regulating hormones and self-reported appetite ratings change after consuming almonds versus an isocaloric carbohydrate-rich snack bar. Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial in overweight and obese adults aged between 25 and 65 years old. A total of 140 participants were instructed to […]