Life-Cycle Assessment of Biofortified Productions: The Case of Selenium Potato

Abstract

The increasing micronutrient deficiency within the nutritional habits of the world’s population and the growing need for healthy foods have given rise to the development of biofortified crops. In a context where the consumer’s attention is focused on a healthy lifestyle and respect for the environment, the cultivation of potatoes enriched with selenium offers an undisputed advantage in the pursuit of this twofold objective. The crop has been analyzed through the life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology in order to highlight the environmental burden generated by selenium (Se) potato cultivation and to compare it with potato in conventional regime. The LCA highlights how the biofortified product is more sustainable than the conventional one, and this not only provides a benefit for the consumer, but also designates a new time for farmers who have the opportunity to implement more environmentally friendly practices.

Environmental benefits of circular food systems: The case of upcycled protein recovered using genome edited potato

“…The benefits of recovering available resources and re-circulating them back to the food system was evaluated in sensitivity analyses, where substituting food over feed unequivocally inferred higher ecosystem and environmental savings. This is in line with previous findings (Scherhaufer et al, 2020;Moreno-González and Ottens, 2021;Scuderi et al, 2021), which suggest that circular recovery of high-value protein could reduce the environmental impact related to food and thereby support production within planetary boundaries.…”

“…However, a commercialized potato protein recovered using genome edited crops should initially be considered as a complementary protein source, rather than a competing protein product. Using this available resource at a higher value could also provide an economic advantage for producers and the industry (Scuderi et al, 2021), especially since recovered plant-based protein is predicted to play an important role in future protein production. Similarly, recovered potato protein would further support resilient agriculture and increased food security, as reduced ecosystem damage and maintained biodiversity are cornerstones of resilience to external stressors such as pests, climate change and extreme weather (Colgrave et al, 2021).…”

Assessment of Several Approaches to Biofortified Products: A Literature Review

“…In order to optimize biofortification research aimed at improving human health, it is extremely important to encourage collaboration between actors who can work closely together: growers, biotechnologists, chemists, nutritionists, doctors, epidemiologists [92].…”

Agricultural production trends towards carbon neutrality in response to the EU 2030 Green Deal: Economic and environmental analysis in horticulture

“…The analysed sample consists of 10 farms in organic farming, 10 farms in conventional farming and 10 farms following the zero residue method. They have been chosen following the principle of equal conditions so are located in the same area, have the same technical-managerial characteristics, entrepreneurs with same professional skills, in order to have as the only discriminating element the cultivation regime applied, that is biological, conventional, and zero residue (Scuderi et al 2021).…”