Use of by-products for agricultural benefit

Crop protection, including weed management, is a critical issue in agriculture. Mulching, which consists of covering the soil surface with organic or inorganic materials, is used to control soil moisture, soil temperature, nutrient loss, salinity, erosion, soil structure, etc. Its benefits for the growth and yield of annual and perennial crops have long been recognised. Although it is an age-old practice for managing weeds, mulching has largely dwindled since the widespread use of herbicides; however, now it is gaining importance in the context of sustainable agriculture. Different mulching materials have been used in different crops in different climatic environments for weed management, and results vary according to the chosen approach, growing practices, conditions and species. These materials include crop residues, non-degradable plastic films, and also biodegradable films. The lifetime of an agricultural mulch varies considerably (i.e., months to years) depending on the nature of the material, its application, its thickness, and the environmental conditions.

How Texture Analysis is progressing the development of even better gluten-free products

The global demand for gluten-free products is expanding and continues to be a significant technological challenge for the bakery industries. One of the principle challenges is producing gluten-free baked goods and pasta with similar textural quality to the gluten-loaded counterparts.

The market demand of gluten-free (GF) baked goods and pasta is expanding. Despite the health halo associated with GF food category, commercially available GF cereal-based foods are often characterised by lower nutritional quality than their gluten-containing counterparts, having lower dietary fibre, protein and resistant starch (RS) contents, along with enhanced starch digestion rates and extents.

Texture Is Trending

Back in 2014 Elizabeth Sloan at Sloan Trends Inc postulated that ‘Texture’ was the next megatrend in food and beverage product development.  

An article in Food Product Design magazine
stated that “Foods and beverages without texture are boring, especially to consumers who are becoming more adventuresome and expanding their horizons in the culinary world. 

"Consumers are taking time to not only enjoy their meals, but to savour each and every bite that a particular product has to offer, focusing on the flavours and textures alike.