Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2024
Authors
Abirami Ramu Ganesan Kannan Mohan Sabariswaran Kandasamy Ramya Preethi Surendran Ragavendhar Kumar Durairaj Karthick Rajan Jayakumar RajarajeswaranAbstract
Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens [L.], Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae (BSFL) production from food waste is gaining interest. Food waste, a heterogeneous mix of agro-food and catering leftovers serves as a challenging feedstock for BSF growth due to its varying nutrient composition. BSF, are classified as polyphagous insects with a digestive system featuring midgut for digestion and nutrient absorption. The conversion of food waste by BSFL is heavily influenced by Enterococcus, Klebsiella, Morganella, Providencia, and Scrofimicrobium, which play a vital role in substrate utilization. These microbes determine growth patterns, longevity, oviposition, and egg hatchability, which are intricately tied to the sugar and protein content of their dietary substrates. Pre-treatment techniques including hydrothermal treatment, ionization, pulse electric field discharge, and microbial treatment showed better efficiency in improving the wet waste biomass surface area and waste recovery ratio. In terms of environmental sustainability, a life cycle assessment (LCA) of food waste to BSF conversion facility yields a low global warming potential (GWP) score of 17.36 kg CO2 per ton of functional unit with a significant environmental impact during pre-treatment of food waste at a mass-rearing of BSFL. Therefore, this review emphasizes the digestive system, and gut microbiota of BSFL, with food waste-nutrient utilization by the BSFL. Environmentally promising steps involved in the valorization of food waste resources were evaluated in detail. This review also covers the international regulations involved in food waste fed BSFL, and techno-economic assessment to optimize its valuable nutrients for the new economy in waste management with less environmental footprint.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Abirami Ramu GanesanAbstract
Horticultural food waste can be recovered to produce high-value products. Appropriate green solvents and a selection of cleaner production could unlock waste into useful resources for human health. This will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and CO2 production, and create economic opportunities to contribute to food security.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Vibeke Lind Özge Sizmaz Ahu Demirtas Mert Sudagidan Simon Weldon Alice Budai Adam O'Toole Dejan Dragan Miladinovic Grete H. M. JørgensenAbstract
Biochar, which is the product of biomass pyrolysis, has been suggested as a feed supplement to improve performance in livestock systems and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of the current study was to investigate in vitro and in vivo potential of biochar to favourably modify rumen fermentation (e.g., an increase in total Short Chained Fatty Acid (SCFA) concentration and a change in SCFA profile), reduce methane emission and increase sheep growth performance. Four concentrates were produced with biochar inclusion of 0, 10, 23 and 46 g/kg DM. The experimental diets for the in vitro experiments consisted of straw and concentrate in a 60:40 ratio and included measurements of total gas and methane (CH4) production, pH, ammonia nitrogen, SCFA, and microbial assays (total bacteria and methanogenic archaea). Two in vivo experiments were performed where the animals received ad libitum forage with 0.4 kg concentrate daily. Experiment 1 investigated the daily DM intake of sheep while experiment 2 investigated daily growth rate and CH4 emission of lambs. The inclusion of biochar had no impact on in vitro total gas production (ml/200 mg DM substrate) (P = 0.81) and CH4 production (ml/200 mg DM substrate) (P = 0.93). In vitro total SCFA concentration increased (P < 0.05) while acetate to propionate ratio (A:P) tended to decrease (P = 0.05) with both doses of biochar. Total bacteria decreased with the highest biochar inclusion in vitro (P < 0.05). Sheep’s DM intake (kg/d) increased when low and medium levels but not when a higher level of biochar was added to the diet (P < 0.001). The inclusion of biochar did not significantly impact the lamb’s daily growth rate (g/d) (P = 0.61) or enteric CH4 emissions (g/kg DM) (P = 0.43). We conclude that biochar supplementation had no favourable impacts on in vitro and in vivo CH4 production or on lamb’s growth rate. Further research with well-characterised biochar is needed to gain a better understanding of the potential of biochar as a feed additive for ruminant livestock.
Authors
Shelemia Nyamuryekung'eAbstract
On the Ground: -Precision livestock management through sensor technology using the Internet of Things offers enhanced surveillance and monitoring of the ranching operations. -At the ranch scale, the integration of sensor technology, including on-animal sensors, environmental monitoring equipment, and remote sensing can shift livestock operations from a solely reactive, traditional, knowledge-based approach toward a proactive, data-driven, decision-making process. -Leveraging data from sensors at the ranch scale can address logistical challenges and create efficiency in decision-making processes concerning resource management.
Authors
Marie Vestergaard Henriksen Eduardo Arlé Arman Pili David A. Clarke Emili Garcia-Berthou Quentin Groom Bernd Lenzner Carsten Meyer Hanno Seebens Reid Tingley Marten Winter Melodie A. McGeochAbstract
Monitoring the extent to which invasive alien species (IAS) negatively impact the environment is crucial for understanding and mitigating biological invasions. Indeed, such information is vital for achieving Target 6 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. However, to-date indicators for tracking the environmental impacts of IAS have been either lacking or insufficient. Capitalizing on advances in data availability and impact assessment protocols, we developed environmental impact indicators to track realized and potential impacts of IAS. We also developed an information status indicator to assess the adequacy of the data underlying the impact indicators. We used data on 75 naturalized amphibians from 82 countries to demonstrate the indicators at a global scale. The information status indicator shows variation in the reliability of the data and highlights areas where absence of impact should be interpreted with caution. Impact indicators show that growth in potential impacts are dominated by predatory species, while potential impacts from both predation and disease transmission are distributed worldwide. Using open access data, the indicators are reproducible and adaptable across scales and taxa and can be used to assess global trends and distributions of IAS, assisting authorities in prioritizing control efforts and identifying areas at risk of future invasions.
Authors
Mirjana SadojevicAbstract
Environmental control of growth and flowering is generally well understood in raspberries, but a complete understanding of the processes is missing in blackberries. To get a better understanding of growth and flowering in blackberries, five cultivars, ‘Loch Ness’, ‘Loch Tay’, ‘Natchez’, ‘Ouachita’, and ‘Sweet Royalla’, were studied in the phytotron at 16°C and 12, 13, 14 and 15h photoperiod, and under natural temperature and daylength conditions at Apelsvoll, Norway (60.7° N). The results demonstrate that origin and genetic background of cultivars play a crucial role in how they respond to environmental signals. ‘Natchez’ had a critical photoperiod of 14h for cessation of growth at 16°C, while ‘Loch Ness’ continued to grow independently of photoperiod treatment. Photoperiod in the 12-15h range was not critical for flower bud initiation in ‘Natchez’ and ‘Loch Ness’. All five cultivars initiated flower buds before cessation of growth under out-door conditions. In both experiments, the cultivars that reached growth cessation first, also had the most advanced flower buds, except for ‘Ouachita’. Flower bud initiation in ‘Loch Ness’ and ‘Natchez’ began in the mid-section of the cane and continued in both basipetal and acropetal directions. Three ‘Loch Ness’ plants from each photoperiod treatment were forced in the greenhouse after sufficient chilling to examine the flowering performance of the buds that were initiated before growth cessation. Plants at 15h photoperiod, had the highest percentage of flowering nodes, most flowers per plant and fewest days to anthesis at forcing, but all plants from all treatments developed flowers. The position of the flowering nodes along the cane corresponded to the position of the initiated flower buds dissected in ‘Loch Ness’ prior to chilling. The results suggest that temperature, rather than photoperiod, may be the main factor affecting both growth cessation and flower bud initiation in blackberries.
Authors
Mirjana SadojevicAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
The brown marine macroalga Alaria esculenta contains phlorotannins as polyphenolic compounds in its cell walls. This study aimed to understand their antioxidant effects on preserving the lipids in fillets of freshly-slaughtered farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). First, soluble phlorotannins were extracted from wild-grown population of A. esculenta in North Norway (Bodø) using solid/liquid extraction. A small-scale solid/liquid extraction (15 mg mL−1) with 70% acetone showed that 84% of total soluble phlorotannins (25.10 mg g−1 dry weight) were extracted after the first out of four extraction steps. In a large-scale extraction (3 mg 400 mL−1), the contents of soluble phlorotannins and the DPPH-based antioxidant capacities (measured as IC50) in 70% acetone- and water-based crude extracts were similar. Water is preferred extraction solvent for the following experiment because it complies with food safety standards, may minimise work procedures and is in accordance with the principles of Green Chemistry. Secondly, the antioxidant properties of the soluble phlorotannins were tested through incubating salmon fillets (Norwegian Quality Cuts) in water-based extracts. After six days of storage on ice, the peroxide value of Alaria-treated fillets was lower compared to the control (without Alaria-extract), while the p-anisidine and free fatty acid values remained unchanged. This indicates the phlorotannins’ inhibitory effect on the formation of primary rather than secondary lipid oxidation products. This study demonstrated that the antioxidant properties of the soluble phlorotannins extracted from A. esculenta using water can preserve the nutritional value of salmon fillets to extend the seafood’s shelf-life.