About this Research Topic
We are currently and we will continue to face major global challenges concerning food and nutrition security. In 30 years, food systems will need to supply safe, affordable and nutritious, socially and ethically accepted foods to 9 billion people around the world, according to general estimations. Furthermore, this has to be done in a sustainable manner: we need to reduce and optimise the use of resources, e.g., food, energy, water, and land. In fact, many of the sustainability goals outlined by the United Nations are related to food systems.
Current food systems are highly integrated/globalised and present low resiliency, i.e., they are very susceptible to both local and global stresses such as economic, political, and natural disruptions and disasters. This lack of resiliency has been highlighted by the recent COVID-19 pandemic since beginning of 2020. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic and adopted measures like lockdowns have triggered an increase of the number of people suffering food insecurity in developing countries, and a rise in food waste in developed countries. It is expected that similar stresses to food systems continue to appear in the (near) future, e.g., similar pandemics, economic shocks, and climate change effects at local and global scales. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to build resilient food systems to face future disruptions and reduce food and nutrition insecurity.
Solutions to these complex and dynamic problems are obviously not straightforward and require actions of multiple sectors and a holistic approach. Regarding food systems, possible general solutions include:
• Design of more sustainable processes: less use of energy and water, and less/zero waste.
• Valorisation of by-products, side-streams and “waste”.
• Increase the shelf life of foods.
• Improvement of nutritional profile of foods.
• Reduce the use of highly refined and dry ingredients, towards functional and sustainable ingredients.
• Novel and sustainable sources of raw materials, e.g., proteins, ingredients.
• Eco-design of shorter and resilient food supply chains.
• Development of robust local/regional food systems.
Considering this background, this Research Topic aims at disseminating solutions based on food engineering technologies, in order to build sustainable and resilient food systems, and increase food and nutrition security. Possible sub-topics may be included in the following proposed categories:
Manufacturing solutions
• Application of innovative and emerging non-thermal technologies for improving food quality in a sustainable way: high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, UV/pulsed lights, cold atmospheric plasma, microwave and ohmic heating, ultrasound, vacuum-assisted processing.
• Process intensification: strategies to reduce the use of energy and water, and to reduce/eliminate waste during processing, e.g., dry fractionation, concentrated processing.
• Extension of shelf life of foods in a sustainable manner, including processing, formulation, and packaging solutions.
• Technologies for the processing and valorisation of by-products, side-streams and waste, including bio-based solutions.
• Engineering properties/characterisation and processing of regional/ancient/traditional raw materials.
• Assessment of process sustainability through adequate indicators and/or analyses, e.g., LCA, exergy analysis.
Nutrition solutions
• Nanotechnological innovations to improve nutritional profile of food products (fortification), e.g., nanoencapsulation, smart packaging.
• Structure engineering approach to mimic traditional products/processes without diminishing nutritional profile (e.g., deep-fat frying), and to modulate satiety and increase absorption efficiency of nutrients.
• Technological solutions to reduce the use of salt, sugar and saturated fats.
• Impact of using less pure and more complex raw materials and ingredients, obtained by less refining processes.
• Application of novel sources of proteins, e.g., alternative plants, aquatic photosynthetic organisms, microorganisms, insects.
Supply chain solutions
• Assessment of supply chain sustainability through adequate indicators and/or analyses, e.g., LCA, exergy analysis.
• Systems engineering studies to build and assess resiliency of food systems.
• Management of concentrated, less refined and stable ingredients, instead of dry and stable ingredients.
Current food systems are highly integrated/globalised and present low resiliency, i.e., they are very susceptible to both local and global stresses such as economic, political, and natural disruptions and disasters. This lack of resiliency has been highlighted by the recent COVID-19 pandemic since beginning of 2020. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic and adopted measures like lockdowns have triggered an increase of the number of people suffering food insecurity in developing countries, and a rise in food waste in developed countries. It is expected that similar stresses to food systems continue to appear in the (near) future, e.g., similar pandemics, economic shocks, and climate change effects at local and global scales. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to build resilient food systems to face future disruptions and reduce food and nutrition insecurity.
Solutions to these complex and dynamic problems are obviously not straightforward and require actions of multiple sectors and a holistic approach. Regarding food systems, possible general solutions include:
• Design of more sustainable processes: less use of energy and water, and less/zero waste.
• Valorisation of by-products, side-streams and “waste”.
• Increase the shelf life of foods.
• Improvement of nutritional profile of foods.
• Reduce the use of highly refined and dry ingredients, towards functional and sustainable ingredients.
• Novel and sustainable sources of raw materials, e.g., proteins, ingredients.
• Eco-design of shorter and resilient food supply chains.
• Development of robust local/regional food systems.
Considering this background, this Research Topic aims at disseminating solutions based on food engineering technologies, in order to build sustainable and resilient food systems, and increase food and nutrition security. Possible sub-topics may be included in the following proposed categories:
Manufacturing solutions
• Application of innovative and emerging non-thermal technologies for improving food quality in a sustainable way: high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, UV/pulsed lights, cold atmospheric plasma, microwave and ohmic heating, ultrasound, vacuum-assisted processing.
• Process intensification: strategies to reduce the use of energy and water, and to reduce/eliminate waste during processing, e.g., dry fractionation, concentrated processing.
• Extension of shelf life of foods in a sustainable manner, including processing, formulation, and packaging solutions.
• Technologies for the processing and valorisation of by-products, side-streams and waste, including bio-based solutions.
• Engineering properties/characterisation and processing of regional/ancient/traditional raw materials.
• Assessment of process sustainability through adequate indicators and/or analyses, e.g., LCA, exergy analysis.
Nutrition solutions
• Nanotechnological innovations to improve nutritional profile of food products (fortification), e.g., nanoencapsulation, smart packaging.
• Structure engineering approach to mimic traditional products/processes without diminishing nutritional profile (e.g., deep-fat frying), and to modulate satiety and increase absorption efficiency of nutrients.
• Technological solutions to reduce the use of salt, sugar and saturated fats.
• Impact of using less pure and more complex raw materials and ingredients, obtained by less refining processes.
• Application of novel sources of proteins, e.g., alternative plants, aquatic photosynthetic organisms, microorganisms, insects.
Supply chain solutions
• Assessment of supply chain sustainability through adequate indicators and/or analyses, e.g., LCA, exergy analysis.
• Systems engineering studies to build and assess resiliency of food systems.
• Management of concentrated, less refined and stable ingredients, instead of dry and stable ingredients.
Keywords: Resiliency, Sustainability, Nutrition security, Food engineering, Food systems
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
