Life cycle assessment of California processing tomato: an evaluation of the effects of evolving practices and technologies over a 10-year (2005–2015) timeframe

Abstract

Purpose California is the largest US producer of processing tomatoes, generating 96% of all domestic production and nearly 30% of global supply. Processing tomatoes are mostly processed into diced and paste products. Consumers and actors along their supply chains are increasingly interested in understanding their environmental burdens and identifying opportunities for improvements. This study applies life cycle assessment (LCA) to California diced and paste products over a 10-year timeframe to characterize current impacts and historical trends. Methods The LCA considers a scope from cradle-to-processing facility gate and accords with relevant Product Category Rules as published by the International EPD® System. Extensive primary data were collected for tomato cultivation for the years 2005 and 2015, and from processing facilities for 2005, 2010, and 2015 to understand the effects of evolving practices and technologies. We estimate crop and regional specific nitrous oxide and nitrate leaching emissions using a biogeochemical model, and the USES-LCA model is used to determine potential impacts from pesticide application. A suite of impact assessment categories is included based on the CML method (only global warming potential and freshwater consumption values are in the abstract). Results and discussion The 2015 results of the study indicate that diced tomatoes are responsible for 0.16 kg CO 2 e and 71 L of freshwater per kg, and paste is responsible for 0.83 kg CO 2 e and 328 L of freshwater per kg. The main opportunities for improvement include natural gas use in the greenhouse phase, energy for irrigation pumping and fertilizer type in the cultivation phase, and natural gas and electricity use in the facility processing phase. These hotspots are consistent with studies of processing tomato in other parts of the world. Evaluating trends over time showed that technological improvements in the industry had reduced life cycle impacts; for example, global warming potential decreased by 12% for paste and 26% for diced products between 2005 and 2015. Conclusions Trends over time show increasing efficiency at the cultivation and processing facility stages that have led to reductions in all impact categories evaluated. However, additional opportunities exist beyond efficiency improvements. Fertilizer and pesticide choice are potential opportunities for further reducing impacts. Also, the introduction of renewables in each phase of the supply chain (solar-powered irrigation pumps and onsite solar energy generation for facilities) could reduce the overall supply chain GWP 100 impacts by 9-10%.

Life cycle assessment and energy comparison of aseptic ohmic heating and appertization of chopped tomatoes with juice

“…For instance, a study focusing on the valorization of tomato by-products (tomato seeds and peels) highlighted the potential application of whole tomato by-products for valuable compound recovery and sequential low-cost biosorbent production 56 . Winans et al 57 applied LCA to study the diced tomatoes and paste production systems in California over a 10-year timeframe. They showed that the introduction of renewables in the life cycle of the production systems, such as solar-powered irrigation pumps, and on-site solar energy generation for facilities can mitigate the GWP impacts by 9–10%.…”

Sustainable Development in the Agri-Food Sector in Terms of the Carbon Footprint: A Review

“…The differences were due to the use in production processes, unit operations (thermal processes (evaporation) are more energy consuming than mechanical processes (dicing)), and raw material efficiency (6 kg of tomatoes was needed to produce 1 kg of concentrate, but only 1.3 kg of tomatoes to produce 1 kg of diced preserve). In 2005 greenhouse gases emissions were equal to 0.945 and 0.213 kg CO 2 •(kg −1 ), so these values decreased by 12% and 26% for last 10 years [76].…”

Evaluating Branched Broomrape (Phelipanche ramosa) Management Strategies in California Processing Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

“…In 2020, California produced 11.4 million tons of tomatoes on 93,000 hectares making up over 95% of US tomato production [ 1 ]. Processing tomatoes have a farm-gate value of $1.17 billion and were the 10th most valuable agricultural commodity produced in the state in 2020 [ 2 , 3 ]. California is also important at the international scale, producing about 30% of the world’s processing tomatoes [ 1 ].…”