A green, switchable water dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (SWDLL-ME) method is introduced for the first time as a preconcentration/separation tool for measuring trace levels of cadmium (Cd) in real water and food samples. In the present study, a switchable aqueous solution of polar organic solvent (acetonitrile) was reversibly switched (on and off) from miscible monophasic to immiscible biphasic in aqueous medium by exposure to an anti-solvent trigger (CO₂). The developed SWDLL-ME was successfully applied as an extraction method for the extraction of a Cd–PAN complex (1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol) in polar organic solvent (PS). The solvent enriched phase containing Cd–PAN was separated from the switchable water (SW) and treated with 200 μL of 0.1 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃ with ethanol (1 : 1, v/v) in order to reduce its viscosity, and it was then easily injected into a GFAAS for analysis. The SW was reused for the next assay after the removal of CO₂. The switching phenomenon of the SW from low to high polarity was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy and conductivity measurements. The enrichment factor and limit of detection of the proposed method were 22 and 0.38 ng L⁻¹, respectively. Validation of the developed method was carried out by analyzing certified reference materials (SLRS-4 Riverine water and NIST SRM 1515 Apple leaves).

Electrolyzed water (EW) has gained immense popularity over the last few decades as a novel broad‐spectrum sanitizer. EW can be produced using tap water with table salt as the singular chemical additive. The application of EW is a sustainable and green concept and has several advantages over traditional cleaning systems including cost effectiveness, ease of application, effective disinfection, on‐the‐spot production, and safety for human beings and the environment. These features make it an appropriate sanitizing and cleaning system for use in high‐risk settings such as in hospitals and other healthcare facilities as well as in food processing environments. EW also has the potential for use in educational building, offices, and entertainment venues. However, there have been a number of issues related to the use of EW in various sectors including limited knowledge on the sanitizing mechanism. AEW, in particular, has shown limited efficacy on utensils, food products, and surfaces owing to various factors, the most important of which include the type of surface, presence of organic matter, and type of tape water used. The present review article highlights recent developments and offers new perspectives related to the use of EW in various areas, with particular focus on the food industry.

Developing countries face a difficult challenge in meeting the growing demands for food, water, and energy, which is further compounded by climate change. Effective adaptation to change requires the efficient use of land, water, energy, and other vital resources, and coordinated efforts to minimize trade-offs and maximize synergies. However, as in many developing countries, the policy process in South Asia generally follows a sectoral approach that does not take into account the interconnections and interdependence among the three sectors. Although the concept of a water–energy–food nexus is gaining currency, and adaptation to climate change has become an urgent need, little effort has been made so far to understand the linkages between the nexus perspective and adaptation to climate change. Using the Hindu Kush Himalayan region as an example, this article seeks to increase understanding of the interlinkages in the water, energy, and food nexus, explains why it is important to consider this nexus in the context of adaptation responses, and argues that focusing on trade-offs and synergies using a nexus approach could facilitate greater climate change adaptation and help ensure food, water, and energy security by enhancing resource use efficiency and encouraging greater policy coherence. It concludes that a nexus-based adaption approach – which integrates a nexus perspective into climate change adaptation plans and an adaptation perspective into development plans – is crucial for effective adaptation. The article provides a conceptual framework for considering the nexus approach in relation to climate change adaptation, discusses the potential synergies, trade-offs, and offers a broader framework for making adaptation responses more effective. Policy relevance This article draws attention to the importance of the interlinkages in the water, energy, and food nexus, and the implications for sustainable development and adaptation. The potential synergies and complementarities among the sectors should be used to guide formulation of effective adaptation options. The issues highlight the need for a shift in policy approaches from a sectoral focus, which can result in competing and counterproductive actions, to an integrated approach with policy coherence among the sectors that uses knowledge of the interlinkages to maximize gain, optimize trade-offs, and avoid negative impacts.

Fluidized bed granulation is widely applied to improve the flowability, dispersibility, and solubility of a variety of powdered food products. In fluidized bed granulation processing of powdered food, water or an aqueous polysaccharide solution is usually sprayed as binder on the powder for granule growth. However, the increased moisture content of granules can result in product spoilage and elongates the successive drying period. To reduce the amount of binder in the granulation process, fluidized bed granulation technology using superheated steam (SHS) containing water micro-droplets (WMD) as binder has been developed. Spraying of SHS accelerated the granule growth by condensing on the powder; however, coarse granules were produced when SHS alone was sprayed. Spraying with an optimal ratio of SHS and WMD produced granules of uniform size, with less binder moisture than conventional processes using polysaccharide solutions.

Climate change adds an additional layer of complexity that needs to be considered in business strategy. For firms in the food industry, many of the important climate impacts are not directly related to food processing so a value chain approach to adaptation is recommended. However, there is a general lack of operational tools to support this. In this study, carbon and water footprints were conducted at a low-precision screening level in three case studies in Australia: Smith’s potato chips, OneHarvest Calypso™ mango and selected Treasury Wine Estates products. The approach was cost-effective when compared to high-definition studies intended to support environmental labels and declarations, yet provided useful identification of physical, financial, regulatory and reputational hotspots related to climate change. A combination of diagnostic footprinting, downscaled climate projection and semi-quantitative value chain analysis is proposed as a practical and relevant toolkit to inform climate adaptation strategies.

The dielectric properties of tylose water pastes during microwave thawing and heating were measured over 300–3000 MHz and −30 to +60 °C, and the feasibility of their use as a frozen model food instead of frozen lean tuna was evaluated. The effects of salt (NaCl) content (0.5–2.0%, wb) on the dielectric properties were investigated. Although salt is a good additive for increasing the dielectric loss factor, higher salt addition increased the thawing time and non-uniformity through decreased penetration depth. A similar response to increasing temperature between frozen lean tuna and tylose paste was observed during MW thawing and heating at 2450 MHz, due to similarities in penetration depth. This was possible by an appropriate adjustment of the dielectric properties of tylose by salt addition (0.5% NaCl). This study confirmed the potential of frozen tylose paste as a model food in evaluating performance of microwave thawing of real foods.

In this study, we focus on water quality as a vehicle to illustrate the role that the water, energy, and food (WEF) Nexus perspective may have in promoting ecosystem services in agriculture. The mediation of water quality by terrestrial systems is a key ecosystem service for a range of actors (municipalities, fishers, industries, and energy providers) and is reshaped radically by agricultural activity. To address these impacts, many programs exist to promote improved land-use practices in agriculture; however, where these practices incur a cost or other burden to the farmer, adoption can be low unless some form of incentive is provided (as in a payment for ecosystem services (PES) program). Provision of such incentives can be a challenge to sustain in the long term, if there is not a clear beneficiary or other actor willing to provide them. Successfully closing the loop between impacts and incentives often requires identifying a measurable and valuable service with a clear central beneficiary that is impacted by the summative effects of the diffuse agricultural practices across the landscape. Drawing on cases from our own research, we demonstrate how the WEF Nexus perspective—by integrating non-point-source agricultural problems under well-defined energy issues—can highlight central beneficiaries of improved agricultural practice, where none may have existed otherwise.

This study was part of the Himalayan Adaptation,Water and Resilience (HI-AWARE) Programme of ICIMOD funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme (HICAP) implemented jointly by ICIMOD, CICERO and Grid-Arendal and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway and Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), and Koshi Basin Programme of ICIMOD funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia. | Developing countries face a difficult challenge in meeting the growing demands for food, water, and energy, which is further compounded by climate change. Effective adaptation to change requires the efficient use of land, water, energy, and other vital resources, and coordinated efforts to minimize trade-offs and maximize synergies. However, as in many developing countries, the policy process in South Asia generally follows a sectoral approach that does not take into account the interconnections and interdependence among the three sectors. Although the concept of a water–energy–food nexus is gaining currency, and adaptation to climate change has become an urgent need, little effort has been made so far to understand the linkages between the nexus perspective and adaptation to climate change. Using the Hindu Kush Himalayan region as an example, this article seeks to increase understanding of the interlinkages in the water, energy, and food nexus, explains why it is important to consider this nexus in the context of adaptation responses, and argues that focusing on trade-offs and synergies using a nexus approach could facilitate greater climate change adaptation and help ensure food, water, and energy security by enhancing resource use efficiency and encouraging greater policy coherence. It concludes that a nexus-based adaption approach – which integrates a nexus perspective into climate change adaptation plans and an adaptation perspective into development plans – is crucial for effective adaptation. The article provides a conceptual framework for considering the nexus approach in relation to climate change adaptation, discusses the potential synergies, trade-offs, and offers a broader framework for making adaptation responses more effective.

In this study, we focus on water quality as a vehicle to illustrate the role that the water, energy, and food (WEF) Nexus perspective may have in promoting ecosystem services in agriculture. The mediation of water quality by terrestrial systems is a key ecosystem service for a range of actors (municipalities, fishers, industries, and energy providers) and is reshaped radically by agricultural activity. To address these impacts, many programs exist to promote improved land-use practices in agriculture; however, where these practices incur a cost or other burden to the farmer, adoption can be low unless some form of incentive is provided (as in a payment for ecosystem services (PES) program). Provision of such incentives can be a challenge to sustain in the long term, if there is not a clear beneficiary or other actor willing to provide them. Successfully closing the loop between impacts and incentives often requires identifying a measurable and valuable service with a clear central beneficiary that is impacted by the summative effects of the diffuse agricultural practices across the landscape. Drawing on cases from our own research, we demonstrate how the WEF Nexus perspective—by integrating non-point-source agricultural problems under well-defined energy issues—can highlight central beneficiaries of improved agricultural practice, where none may have existed otherwise.

Nitrogen (N) use efficiency is low in Chinese agriculture. This results in large N losses to air and water. We aim to explore effective nutrient management options to increase N use efficiencies in the food chain, and thus to reduce N losses to the environment for 2020 and 2050 in China by scenario analysis. Three scenarios were developed and implemented assuming Business As Usual (BAU) trends, Zero Fertilizer (ZF) growth from 2020, and Improved Nutrient Management (INM). N use efficiencies in agriculture, and N losses werequantified using the NUFER (NUtrient flows in Food chains, Environment and Resources use) model. Results show that N use efficiency in 2013 is low at about 20%. Thus the losses to air (14 Tg of N) and water (12 Tg of N) are high in 2013. The N use efficiencies will likely remain at their low 2013 levels in 2020 and2050 under BAU, resulting in large increase in N losses to air and water between 2013 and 2050. INM is projected to increase N use efficiency to 33% in 2050. N losses to water in 2050 are almost half of that in 2013, and to air are 20% lower. Scenario ZF incorporates recent Chinese policies aiming at a zero growth insynthetic fertilizer use from the year 2020 onwards. ZF is projected to be much less effective than INM. We conclude that nutrient management that simultaneously reduces fertilization, improves manure management,and reduces nutrient excretion in animal manure, is needed for Chinese agriculture.