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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

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Abstract

«Norwegian Agriculture – Status and Trends 2024» provides a brief overview of major aspects of agriculture in Norway and summarizes some of the information that is annually published within the sector.

Abstract

Entomophagy, the consumption of insects, may reduce the negative health and environmental impacts of meat. As one of the novel protein alternatives expected to replace conventional meat consumption, its success will depend on consumer acceptance. To investigate the consumer acceptance of entomophagy, three rounds of a Norwegian survey with 8633 useable responses conducted in 2019/2020, 2021/2022, and 2023/2024 were used. Generalized structural equation modelling was used to test the developed hypotheses. The direct effects of trust, food choice motives, and OCEAN personality traits were investigated. The mediating effects of food safety concerns on the relationship between trust and willingness to try (WTT) food made from insects were also investigated. Social trust and trust in food authorities were positively associated with WTT. No association was found for trust in retailers. Negative associations were found between the effects of social trust and trust in food authorities on food safety concerns, and food safety concern was also a significant mediator. Respondents who emphasized environmental friendliness, health, and novelty were more willing to try, and those who emphasized natural ingredients and familiarity were less willing. Openness was positively associated with WTT, while conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness had a negative association. Gender, education, age and urban living were also found as significant moderators in some paths. The findings of the study imply the need to foster trust among consumers and to emphasize the environmental and health benefits of entomophagy while focusing on increasing consumer familiarity and use of natural ingredients. Personality-focused marketing strategies may also be implored to target consumers high in openness and low in conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness.

To document

Abstract

Cultured meat (CM) is likely to reduce environmental footprints and health problems and improve animal welfare, but its success in the market will rely on consumer acceptance. A survey was used to investigate consumer acceptance of CM in Norway. The survey was conducted pre the COVID-19 pandemic and during the pandemic with a total of 4,683 usable responses. A partial proportional odds model was estimated, and identical coefficients were not rejected for the two periods. Social trust, trust in food authorities, and support to green parties were positively associated with the willingness to try CM but there was no association with trust in food retailers. Respondents who emphasized natural components and food safety were less willing, and respondents who emphasized health, novelty, environment, and price were more willing. Young, male, highly educated, urban, non-religious, non-vegetarian supporters of green parties were also more willing to try CM, and marketing activities should target these groups.

Abstract

Background The order Lepidoptera has an abundance of species, including both agriculturally beneficial and detrimental insects. Molecular data has been used to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of major subdivisions in Lepidoptera, which has enhanced our understanding of the evolutionary relationships at the family and superfamily levels. However, the phylogenetic placement of many superfamilies and/or families in this order is still unknown. In this study, we determine the systematic status of the family Argyresthiidae within Lepidoptera and explore its phylogenetic affinities and implications for the evolution of the order. We describe the first mitochondrial (mt) genome from a member of Argyresthiidae, the apple fruit moth Argyresthia conjugella. The insect is an important pest on apples in Fennoscandia, as it switches hosts when the main host fails to produce crops. Results The mt genome of A. conjugella contains 16,044 bp and encodes all 37 genes commonly found in insect mt genomes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNAs, and a large control region (1101 bp). The nucleotide composition was extremely AT-rich (82%). All detected PCGs (13) began with an ATN codon and terminated with a TAA stop codon, except the start codon in cox1 is ATT. All 22 tRNAs had cloverleaf secondary structures, except trnS1, where one of the dihydrouridine (DHU) arms is missing, reflecting potential differences in gene expression. When compared to the mt genomes of 507 other Lepidoptera representing 18 superfamilies and 42 families, phylogenomic analyses found that A. conjugella had the closest relationship with the Plutellidae family (Yponomeutoidea-super family). We also detected a sister relationship between Yponomeutoidea and the superfamily Tineidae. Conclusions Our results underline the potential importance of mt genomes in comparative genomic analyses of Lepidoptera species and provide valuable evolutionary insight across the tree of Lepidoptera species.