HOS 2333 Flashcards

Flashcards on Food Waste and Loss

Food Waste

Discarded food intended for consumption, often by consumers or retailers

Food Loss

Occurs earlier during harvest, storage, or transport, due to inefficiencies or spoilage

Food Loss in Developing Regions

Occurs mostly during production and postharvest due to infrastructure gaps

Food Waste in Developed Regions

Mostly at the consumer/retail level due to overbuying and cosmetic standards

Stages of Food Supply Chain

Production → postharvest handling → processing → distribution → retail → consumption

Main environmental impacts of food waste and loss

~8% of GHG emissions, 25% of agricultural water, 23% of fertilizer use, loss of biodiversity, land degradation, and economic waste

Produce is alive

Respiration, senescence, and sometimes growth (e.g. sprouting) continue after harvest, affecting shelf life and quality

Carrot

Root

Lettuce

Leaf

Tomato

Fruit

Potato

Tuber

Onion

Bulb

Broccoli

Flower

Celery

Petiole

Factors affecting postharvest procedures and systems

Temperature, water loss, ethylene, disease, damage, and continued metabolism

Senescence

Natural aging involving chlorophyll loss, softening, yellowing, and nutrient remobilization

How senescence impacts food quality

Reduces nutritional value, taste, texture, appearance; increases susceptibility to spoilage

Events during senescence

Chlorophyll degradation, Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, Autophagy, Membrane and protein breakdown

Source-sink theory

Young tissues “sinks” import nutrients. Mature tissues “sources” export them.

Categories of underground vegetables

Roots (carrot), tubers (potato), bulbs (onion), rhizomes (ginger)

Ethylene sensitivity in underground vegetables

Can cause bitterness, sprouting, and spoilage in underground vegetables

When to Harvest

Based on maturity (size, skin set, sugar/starch levels)

Curing

Heals wounds, toughens skin (esp. Potatoes, onions)

Optimal Potato Storing

45-50 F, dark, 95% humidity

Glycoalkaloids/solanine

Toxic if exposed to light or damage

Apical dominance

Suppresses sprouting from lower bud

Endodormancy

Controlled internally

Ecodormancy

Affected by environment

Maturity indices

Size, firmness, color, heat units, abscission layers, specific gravity

How to assess quality in produce

Appearance (color, defects), Texture (firmness, juiciness), Flavor (sweetness, aroma), Nutrition (vitamins, fiber), Safety (pathogens, toxins)

Food products with the highest resource use

Beef and other red meats

Types of environmental impact from livestock

Methane emissions (ruminants), Manure and wastewater pollution, High land and water use, Feed crop expansion leads to deforestation

Common sources of food loss and waste of meat products

Death during transport, spoilage at retail

Common sources of food loss and waste of fish products

High discard rates at sea, spoilage during transport

Food loss of fish

High primary production loss (discards, spoilage)

Possible solutions to food waste of animal products

Improves cold chains, Educate consumers, Use byproducts (e.g. fsh heads, bones), Breed robust livestock/fish, Reduce portion sizes and expiration confusion

Apeel

Coating to extend produce shelf life

Imperfect foods

Sells unattractive but edible produce

Good Food Institute (GFI)

Promotes plant and cell based meats

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Global data collection and food loss guidance

World Health Organization (WHO)

Ensures food safety and global public health