In recent years, the incidence of dental erosion caused by the ingestion of acidic foods and drinks, including sports drinks, has been increasing in Japan and elsewhere. Therefore, the problems associated with this injury can no longer be ignored in dental clinical practice. The ingestion of these foods and drinks is important from the viewpoint of overall health and disease prevention. For example, fermented foods, such as Japanese pickles, enhance the nutritional value of foodstuffs and promote the absorption of nutrients into the body, and sports drinks are useful for preventing heat stroke and dehydration. Therefore, eliminating these intakes is not a viable solution. In this paper, we outline the mechanism of dental erosion caused by acidic beverages and also describe the effectiveness of alkaline ionized water (AIW) at preventing acid erosion. Given the fact that the complete elimination of acidic beverage consumption is highly unlikely, remedies such as the use of alkaline ionized water (AIW) may be helpful.

To replace existing high impact ammonia production technologies, a new sustainability-driven waste-based technology producing green ammonia with and without urea was devised using life cycle thinking and sustainable design principles, targeting efficiency, carbon emissions, water, and power use competitiveness. We have used life cycle assessment to determine whether cradle-to-gate, multiple configurations of the core waste-based processes integrating several carbon capture/utilization options can compete environmentally with other available ammonia technologies. Our waste-to-ammonia processes reduce potential impacts from abiotic depletion, human toxicity, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to fossil-based and renewable technologies. Among the assessed technologies, coupling dark fermentation with anaerobic digestion and capturing CO₂ for sequestration or later use is most efficient for GHGs, water, and energy, consuming 27% less energy and reducing GHGs by 98% compared to conventional ammonia. Water use is 38% lower than water electrolysis and GHGs are 94% below municipal waste incineration routes per kg NH₃. Additionally, displacing conventional, high impact urea by integrating urea production from process CO₂ decreases life cycle environmental impacts significantly despite increased energy demand. On a fertilizer-N basis, the ammonia + urea configuration without dark fermentation performs best on all categories included. Methane and ammonia leakage cause nearly all life cycle impacts, indicating that failing to prevent leakage undermines the effectiveness of new technologies such as these. Our results show that a green ammonia/ammonia + urea process family as designed here can reduce waste and prevent the release of additional CO₂ from ammonia production while avoiding fossil-based alternatives and decreasing emissions from biogenic waste sources.

The objective of this review is to report on the progress made so far in the development of THz spectroscopy technology with application in the food industry, as well as, to evaluate the range of frequencies used by this technology in relation to the water content of food, to find patterns in which the physicochemical characterization of food samples is most effective. From the literature reviewed, it has been found that THz spectroscopy is still in constant development, both in the physical part of the equipment and in the data processing techniques. Despite these advances, the frequency ranges in which the identification of compounds are influenced by the interference of the water composition of food have not been clearly identified, even molecular behavior of water in the frequency ranges corresponding to the spectral band of THz is still little known. When performing a meta-analysis of the data specifying the frequency ranges in relation to the water content of food samples, reported in the literature, two intervals have been identified, where the action of THz waves have a better response in terms of the quantification of water, as well as of other compounds, which are mainly evidenced in lower water content, explained by the mechanisms of water relaxation in response to the interaction of THz waves. This result suggests that the influence of water content on the quantification of compounds should be considered, as it may be under or overestimated.

The need to quantitatively measure the security of the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus sectors in a region is of great importance due to the vulnerability of each sector and the associated cost. This paper presents an approach for optimizing the security indices of the WEF nexus by analyzing the availability, accessibility, and sustainability of water, energy, and food resources. To maximize the security indices, a multi-objective mixed integer nonlinear programing model involving multiple stakeholders is presented. Through the model, the dependent variables for the optimization of the indices are described, and these in turn represent new and existing technologies considering the economic and environmental aspects. Furthermore, the optimization model results in different configurations when selecting technologies to satisfy high demands imposed by the population, maximizing the value of the evaluated indices, and improving the performance of the distribution network of the studied area. Different scenarios are designed to observe the behavior of the objective functions (minimizing the total annual cost, fresh water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions) while maximizing the security of the WEF nexus; the indices are illustrated in radar graphs that allow identifying the interactions between the involved sectors. A case study of an area of Mexico with great development is analyzed due to its economic importance; however, the model is applicable to any region with the corresponding data and similar climatic characteristics. The results show the vulnerability of the distribution network and that it is possible to satisfy the demands of a region with the implementation of new policies that allow maximizing the values of the WEF nexus security indices. In general, the total annual cost and greenhouse gas emissions are dependent on the variations in the indices, and the indices associated with the energy sector fluctuate more in the analyzed scenarios.

Food system analysis in arid and semi-arid countries inevitably meets water availability as a major constraining food system driver. Many such countries are net food importers using food subsidy systems, as water resources do not allow national food self-sufficiency. As this leaves countries in a position of dependency on international markets, prices and export bans, it is imperative that every domestic drop of water is used efficiently. In addition, policies can be geared towards ‘water footprints’, where water use efficiency is not just evaluated at the field level but also at the level of trade and import/export. In this paper, Egyptian food systems are described based on production, distribution and consumption statistics, key drivers and food system outcomes, i.e., health, sustainable land and water use, and inclusiveness. This is done for three coarsely defined Egyptian food systems: traditional, transitional and modern. A water footprint analysis then shows that for four MENA countries, differences occur between national green and blue water volumes, and the volumes imported through imported foods. Egypt has by far the largest blue water volume, but on a per capita basis, other countries are even more water limited. Then for Egypt, the approach is applied to the wheat and poultry sectors. They show opportunities but also limitations when it comes to projected increased water and food needs in the future. An intervention strategy is proposed that looks into strategies to get more out of the food system components production, distribution and consumption. On top of that food subsidy policies as well as smart water footprint application may lead to a set of combined policies that may lead to synergies between the three food system outcomes, paving the way to desirable food system transformation pathways.

Groundwater is a precious freshwater resource heavily relied upon by agricultural activities in many parts of the world, and especially by countries with limited water resources located in arid regions. Groundwater resources are under severe pressures due to population increase, urbanisation and socio-economic development, with potential for causing long-term threats to human life and natural ecosystems. This study attempts to investigate the impacts of local and regional climatic trends, and establish key forcing functions that have changed local groundwater resources. The main questions answered through this study include: Are these changes beneficial or detrimental? If they are detrimental, what is the future outlook for impacts on the ecosystem? What are the corrective actions needed to avert the long-term risks in arid environments? In view of this, the methodology developed in this study focuses on a joint time-series statistical analysis using ground data as well as Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data. Results show a substantial depletion in the groundwater thickness (0.24 ± 0.20 cm/year) during the period of observation (2002–2020). Long-term temperature data indicates that the annual mean temperature increased significantly by 1.02 °C between 1987 and 2016, while total rainfall exhibited a slight decreasing trend. In addition to groundwater extraction, fluctuations in monthly rainfall, soil moisture, evapotranspiration and relative humidity support the groundwater thickness reduction of GRACE datasets. The use of desalinated water and wastewater reuse in the agriculture sector may reduce the pressure on groundwater resources. Optimization, adaptation and mitigation in the EWF nexus will further improve the sustainability of the EWF resources.

Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on water extract of Cistanche tubulosa stems as a novel food (NF) for its use in food supplements (FS) and foods for special medical purposes (FSMP). The target population is the general adult population excluding pregnant and lactating women. The applicant proposes a maximum daily intake of 2 g for FS and a maximum use level of 10% in FSMP. The characteristic components of the extract are phenylethanoid glycosides (at least 70% of the NF), in particular, echinacoside (25–45% of the NF). The NF has been authorised as a prescription drug in China in 2005 for the treatment of vascular dementia. The Panel notes that an integrated analysis of three studies covering 1,076 patients with vascular dementia treated with the proposed NF at a daily dose of 1,800 mg, reported that 12 adverse events (AEs) were classified to be ‘definitely’, ‘probably’ or ‘possibly related’ to the exposure to the NF. Two of these AE were classified as severe (cerebral haemorrhage and epilepsy). The Panel considers that the reported AEs raise safety concerns. The Panel also notes the limitations of the provided toxicological studies, in particular the non‐compliance with the EFSA approach on the genotoxicity testing strategy and the non‐compliance with good laboratory practice (GLP) and the respective OECD Guidance documents of the repeated dose toxicity studies. In view of the AEs in the human studies, the Panel considers that additional toxicological studies, following testing guidelines would not be able to overcome the concerns raised from the human studies. The Panel concludes that the safety of the NF has not been established.

Alkaline electrolyzed water (REW) is known for its cleaning action. The aim of this work was to assess REW effectiveness in reducing microbial load on surfaces intended for contact with food. Stainlesssteel surfaces were experimentally contaminated, bacterial inactivation was tested before and after treatment with REW. Treatment with REW was operated spraying it on the contaminated plates until drying. Tests were conducted for Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The treatment revealed different degrees of sanitizing activity of REW on different bacterial species, with higher efficacy on E. coli and Salmonella spp. than S. aureus, Listeria spp.. Statistical analysis revealed a significant microbial load reduction (p<0.01) after treatment with REW, suggesting that it has a good disinfectant activity which, along with its easy and safe use, makes it a good alternative to many other more widely used disinfectants.

There has been a growing interest in developing effective strategies to inhibit lipid oxidation in emulsified food products by utilization of natural phenolic antioxidants owing to their growing popularity over the past decades. However, due to the complexity of emulsified systems, the inhibition mechanism of phenolic antioxidants against lipid oxidation is rather complicated and not yet fully understood. In order to highlight the importance of polarity of phenolic antioxidants in emulsified systems according to the polar paradox, this review covers the recent progress on chemical, enzymatic, and chemoenzymatic lipophilization techniques used to modify the polarity of antioxidants. The partitioning behavior of phenolic antioxidants at the oil–water interface, which can be influenced by the presence of synthetic surfactants and/or antioxidant emulsifiers (e.g., polysaccharides, proteins, and phospholipids), is discussed. In addition, the emerging phenolic antioxidants among phenolic acids, flavonoids, tocopherols, and stilbenes applied in food emulsions are elaborated. As well, the interactions of polar–nonpolar antioxidants are stressed as a promising strategy to induce synergistic interactions at oil–water interface for improved oxidative stability of emulsions.

The objective of this review is to report on the progress made so far in the development of THz spectroscopy technology with application in the food industry, as well as, to evaluate the range of frequencies used by this technology in relation to the water content of food, to find patterns in which the physicochemical characterization of food samples is most effective. From the literature reviewed, it has been found that THz spectroscopy is still in constant development, both in the physical part of the equipment and in the data processing techniques. Despite these advances, the frequency ranges in which the identification of compounds are influenced by the interference of the water composition of food have not been clearly identified, even molecular behavior of water in the frequency ranges corresponding to the spectral band of THz is still little known. When performing a meta-analysis of the data specifying the frequency ranges in relation to the water content of food samples, reported in the literature, two intervals have been identified, where the action of THz waves have a better response in terms of the quantification of water, as well as of other compounds, which are mainly evidenced in lower water content, explained by the mechanisms of water relaxation in response to the interaction of THz waves. This result suggests that the influence of water content on the quantification of compounds should be considered, as it may be under or overestimated.