The Challenge of the Market

Identifying markets for new or improved products for minor crops threatened with extinction is one critical component of any strategy intended to enhance prospects for sustainable production and use. Typically, however, activities linked to the sustainability of these commodities avoid addressing questions associated with assessing their commercial potential. After a brief review of this avoidance syndrome, this article presents a sample of practical, low-cost procedures to help evaluate the market prospects and procedures for crops like quinoa, while citing references to other methodological materials covering similar topics.     

浅谈乳品工业企业内部市场营销分析中的主要指标

针对市场营销分析中关注的焦点，对一定时间段的企业内部经营数据进行多层次、多维度分析，了解企业整体实际经营状态，并发现业务发展中存在的问题与机遇。在经营分析过程中，合理运用统计方法，对企业内部市场营销分析中的主要指标进行简要阐述，分析用户的消费行为，寻找用户不断产生的新需求，开拓新的细分市场，增添新的增长点，以期增强企业应对外部环境变化能力，建立高效应急机制，制定有效地应对策略。     

Adaptation of the ToxRTool to Assess the Reliability of Toxicology Studies Conducted with Genetically Modified Crops and Implications for Future Safety Testing

To determine the reliability of food safety studies carried out in rodents with genetically modified (GM) crops, a Food Safety Study Reliability Tool (FSSRTool) was adapted from the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods’ (ECVAM) ToxRTool. Reliability was defined as the inherent quality of the study with regard to use of standardized testing methodology, full documentation of experimental procedures and results, and the plausibility of the findings. Codex guidelines for GM crop safety evaluations indicate toxicology studies are not needed when comparability of the GM crop to its conventional counterpart has been demonstrated. This guidance notwithstanding, animal feeding studies have routinely been conducted with GM crops, but their conclusions on safety are not always consistent. To accurately evaluate potential risks from GM crops, risk assessors need clearly interpretable results from reliable studies. The development of the FSSRTool, which provides the user with a means of assessing the reliability of a toxicology study to inform risk assessment, is discussed. Its application to the body of literature on GM crop food safety studies demonstrates that reliable studies report no toxicologically relevant differences between rodents fed GM crops or their non-GM comparators.     

Development of hazard analysis by critical control points (HACCP) procedures to control organic chemical hazards in the agricultural production of raw food commodities

Hazard Analysis by Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a systematic approach to the identification, assessment, and control of hazards in the food chain. Effective HACCP requires the consideration of all chemical microbiological, and physical hazards. However, current procedures focus primarily on microbiological and physical hazards, while chemical aspects of HACCP have received relatively little attention. In this article we discuss the application of HACCP to organic chemical contaminants and the problems that are likely to be encountered in agriculture. We also present generic templates for the development of organic chemical contaminant HACCP procedures for selected raw food commodities, that is, cereal crops,raw meats, and milk.     

Analysis of crops and soils for residues of diethyl 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-chlorovinyl phosphate. i.—development of method

Methods have been developed for the analysis of residues of a new soil insecticide, diethyl 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-chlorovinyl phosphate (SD 7859, Birlane*) in a range of crops and soils. Enzyme inhibition procedures using plasma and fly-head cholinesterases and gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) can be used for the measurement of Birlane in crop and soil extracts down to a level of 0·01 μg/ml which corresponds to 0·02 ppm in the original sample at the normal sample/solvent ratios that are used. Treated soils may be stored for at least one month at ?10° without decomposition of the Birlane residues and Birlane in solvent extracts is stable for at least one month at 0°. Extraction procedures have been investigated using chloroform and acetone-hexane mixtures with different extraction times. Recoveries of Birlane average 95% from soils at the 0·2-1·0 ppm level and average 100% from a range of crops at the 0·05-0·10 ppm level. Without clean-up, blank values of soil extracts can approach 0·2 ppm (using GLC) but are generally 0·05 ppm or less in crops apart from carrots. The interference, however, can readily be removed using column chromatography.     

Investigation into the validity of extrapolation in setting maximum residue levels for pesticides in crops of similar morphology

Field trials were initiated to investigate if extrapolation procedures, which were adopted to limit costs of pesticide registration for minor crops, are valid. Three pairs of crops of similar morphology; carrots/swedes, cauliflower/calabrese (broccoli) and French beans/edible-podded peas; were grown in parallel at four different geographical locations within the UK. The crops were treated with both systemic and non-systemic pesticides under maximum registered use conditions, i.e. the maximum permitted application rates and the minimum harvest intervals. Once mature, the crops were harvested and analysed for residues of the applied pesticides. The limits of quantification were in the range 0.005-0.02 mg kg^-1. Analysis of variance and bootstrap estimates showed that in general, the mean residue concentrations for the individual pesticides were significantly different between crop pairs grown on each site. Similarly, the mean residue concentrations of most of the pesticides in each crop across sites were significantly different. These findings demonstrate that the extrapolations of residue levels for most of the selected pesticide/crop combinations investigated; chlorfenvinphos and iprodione from carrots to swedes; carbendazim, chlorpyrifos, diflubenzuron and dimethoate from cauliflower to calabrese; and malathion, metalaxyl and pirimicarb from French beans to edible-podded peas; appear invalid.     

产品单一的小型家具企业营销策略探析

以HY公司为例，通过对HY家具公司渠道销售、广告宣传等营销策略系统地分析，指出其中的不足，并提出了针对性的改进策略，为广大产品单一的小型企业市场营销策略提供借鉴。     

An overview of genetically modified crop governance,issues and challenges in Malaysia

The application of agricultural biotechnology attracts the interest of many stakeholders. Genetically modified (GM) crops, for example, have been rapidly increasing in production for the last 20 years. Despite their known benefits, GM crops also pose many concerns not only to human and animal health but also to the environment. Malaysia, in general, allows the use of GM technology applications but it has to come with precautionary and safety measures consistent with the international obligations and domestic legal frameworks. This paper provides an overview of GM crop technology from international and national context and explores the governance and issues surrounding this technology application in Malaysia. Basically, GM research activities in Malaysia are still at an early stage of research and development and most of the GM crops approved for release are limited for food, feed and processing purposes. Even though Malaysia has not planted any GM crops commercially, actions toward such a direction seem promising. Several issues concerning GM crops as discussed in this paper will become more complex as the number of GM crops and varieties commercialised globally increase and Malaysia starts to plant GM crops. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Tropical root crops and their potential for food in the less developed countries

Abstract

Tropical root crops are important staple foods for about a third of the world's population. In this paper the production and consumption of tropical root crops by major world regions and individual countries are analyzed. Three of the world's leading producers and consumers of tropical root crops are China, Nigeria, and Brazil. The annual, global per capita consumption is about 70 kg. The nutritional content of tropical root crops is discussed, followed by a review of some nutritional studies done in India, Zambia, Brazil, and the South Pacific. In some countries tropical root crops supply up to 75% of the daily diet. Tropical root crops have high return to energy expenditure in their production. The various utilization methods of tropical root crops are then discussed. There is very little international trade in tropical root crops, the main products being cassava pellets and starch. Most of the trade is of a domestic nature, consisting of fresh tubers for urban markets. The contribution of tropical root crops in the agricultural economy of the main producing nations varies greatly. It ranges from about 25% in a highly subsistence oriented economy like Papua New Guinea to 10% in a semi‐subsistence economy like Fiji to a mere 2% in a highly commercialized economy like Japan. The development potential of tropical root crops is very high because they can produce large amounts of food per unit of labor or time, they are well adapted to a wide range of environments, and they have a strong interdependence with man. It is argued that in this hungry world tropical root crops have a major role to play in meeting the food needs of rural and urban populations of less developed countries. Rural development programs in many less developed countries would have greater chances of success if they were strongly integrated with tropical root crops development programs. Finally, general conclusions and recommendations for research and development in tropical root crops are made in agronomy, production systems, germplasm, breeding, diseases and pests, storage, utilization, and marketing.     

转基因作物全球发展现状及检测技术研究进展

转基因农作物的研究与应用为全人类的粮食供应问题提供了可持续发展的基础。1996~2016年,转基因农作物很好地完成了市场渗透过程,并成功进行了商业化的生产,世界范围内,越来越多的农民也开始采用转基因种子进行农产品的种植。随着耐除草剂、耐虫性、耐旱性、抗病性等多种性状的结合的转基因农作物的引入,对食品和饲料产业链中的转基因农作物进行追踪和标识的可靠并灵敏的检测方法变得越来越重要。转基因农作物适用范围广,采用速度快,在全世界范围内都引起了巨大的争议,为减轻这种争议,实施有效的监管措施来检测并保障转基因农作物的安全成为亟待解决的问题。基于DNA水平的转基因农作物的食品分析与检测技术已被广泛应用,二代测序技术(second generation sequencing technology,NGS)则提供了更为敏感、精准、安全的技术手段。本文介绍了全球范围内转基因农作物商业化的现状,并对转基因作物相关检测技术进行探讨。     

甘蔗——车用乙醇产业首选的原料作物

本文对甘蔗与其他能源作物的发酵成分、经济产量、单位面积的车用乙醇产量、成本和效益等进行了深入全面的分析,结果指出:甘蔗的发酵成分更易转化成乙醇,经济产量比其他能源作物高3～8倍,单位面积的车用乙醇的产量是其他能源作物的3～7倍,生产等量车用乙醇需要的土地是其他能源作物的1/15～1/3,原料成本比其他能源作物都低,经济效益比其他能源作物都高,公顷经济效益是其他能源作物的4～40倍.所以,甘蔗是车用乙醇产业首选的原料作物.     

基于整体办公环境解决方案的办公家具企业营销策略

随着经济全球化的步伐逐渐加快以及国外办公家具企业先进的营销理念不断涌入中国市场,中国办公家具企业感到紧迫的危机感。面对日渐白热化的市场竞争,中国办公家具企业必须通过将单纯的产品销售思维转为"大办公环境"思维,即把办公家具放进整个办公环境中营销,这是目前国内业者和国外先进厂商在经营上最大的差异,也是办公家具企业在差异化竞争中显现各自优势的最大突破口。     

陕西安康地区农作物重金属浓度空间变异及污染评价

目的 分析陕西安康地区农作物重金属污染状况.方法 通过测定安康区域不同农作物中6种重金含量,对安康区域农作物重金属污染状况进行分析和评价.采用单项污染指数法,按照GB 2762—2017《食品安全国家标准食品中污染物限量》、国家中药重金属及农药残留标准进行检测,分析安康区域内农作物重金属污染的空间变异,评估其污染状况....     

Stress-adapted extremophiles provide energy without interference with food production

How to wean humanity off the use of fossil fuels continues to receive much attention but how to replace these fuels with renewable sources of energy has become a contentious field of debate as well as research, which often reflects economic and political factors rather than scientific good sense. It is clear that not every advertized energy source can lead to a sustainable, humane and environment-friendly path out of a future energy crisis. Our proposal is based on two assertions: that the use of food crops for biofuels is immoral, and that for this purpose using land suitable for growing crops productively is to be avoided. We advocate a focus on new “extremophile” crops. These would either be wild species adapted to extreme environments which express genes, developmental processes and metabolic pathways that distinguish them from traditional crops or existing crops genetically modified to withstand extreme environments. Such extremophile energy crops (EECs), will be less susceptible to stresses in a changing global environment and provide higher yields than existing crops. Moreover, they will grow on land that has never been valuable for agriculture or is no longer so, owing to centuries or millennia of imprudent exploitation. Such a policy will contribute to striking a balance between ecosystem protection and human resource management. Beyond that, rather than bulk liquid fuel generation, combustion of various biomass sources including extremophiles for generating electrical energy, and photovoltaics-based capture of solar energy, are superbly suitable candidates for powering the world in the future. Generating electricity and efficient storage capacity is quite possibly the only way for a sustainable post-fossil and, indeed, post-biofuel fuel economy.     

Nutritional composition and in vitro digestibility of grass and legume winter (cover) crops

In dairy farming systems, growing winter crops for forage is frequently limited to annual grasses grown in monoculture. The objectives of this study were to determine how cropping grasses alone or in mixtures with legumes affects the yield, nutritional composition, and in vitro digestibility of fresh and ensiled winter crops and the yield, nutritional composition, and in vitro digestibility of the subsequent summer crops. Experimental plots were planted with 15 different winter crops at 3 locations in Virginia. At each site, 4 plots of each treatment were planted in a randomized complete block design. The 15 treatments included 5 winter annual grasses [barley (BA), ryegrass (RG), rye (RY), triticale (TR), and wheat (WT)] in monoculture [i.e., no legumes (NO)] or with 1 of 2 winter annual legumes [crimson clover (CC) and hairy vetch (HV)]. After harvesting the winter crops, corn and forage sorghum were planted within the same plots perpendicular to the winter crop plantings. The nutritional composition and the in vitro digestibility of winter and summer crops were determined for fresh and ensiled samples. Growing grasses in mixtures with CC increased forage dry matter (DM) yield (2.84 Mg/ha), but the yield of mixtures with HV (2.47 Mg/ha) was similar to that of grasses grown in monoculture (2.40 Mg/ha). Growing grasses in mixtures with legumes increased the crude protein concentration of the fresh forage from 13.0% to 15.5% for CC and to 17.3% for HV. For neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentrations, the interaction between grasses and legumes was significant for both fresh and ensiled forages. Growing BA, RY, and TR in mixtures with legumes decreased NDF concentrations, whereas growing RG and WT with legumes did not affect the NDF concentrations of either the fresh or the ensiled forages. Growing grasses in mixtures with legumes decreased the concentration of sugars of fresh forages relative to grasses grown in monoculture. Primarily, this decrease can be attributed to low concentrations of sugars of mixtures with HV (10.5%). Growing grasses in mixtures with legumes reduced the fiber digestibility of both winter crops (75.7% to 72.8% NDF). Growing grasses in mixtures with legumes did not affect estimated DM yield, nutritional composition, or digestibility of the succeeding summer crops. In conclusion, growing grasses in mixtures with legumes as winter forage crops can increase forage estimated DM yields and its nutritional quality in dairy farming sytems.     

Qualitative and Quantitative Detection of Protein and Genetic Traits in Genetically Modified Food

Due to the market introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in crops, foods, and ingredients, legislation worldwide came face to face with the question of the use and labeling requirements on GMO crops and their derivatives. In this review, protein- and DNA-based methods, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blots, and qualitative and quantitative polymerase chain reaction PCR (Q-PCR) are reviewed. Qualitative detection methods for genetically modified (GM) sequences in foods have evolved rapidly during the past years. The sensitivity of these systems is extremely high, even for processed foodstuffs. However, the availability of quantitative detection methods for GMO analysis is an important prerequisite for the introduction of threshold limits for GMOs in food. The recently introduced labeling threshold for GMOs in food ingredients by the European Union has forced official food control laboratories to apply quantitative PCR methods. Taking the precision of quantitative PCR detection methods into account, suitable sample plans and sample sizes for GMO analysis are discussed. As quantitative GMO detection methods measure GMO contents of samples in relation to reference material, priority must be given to international agreements and standardization on certified reference materials. The rapidly increasing number of GM foods on the market demands the development of more advanced multidetection systems, such as microarray technology. Challenges and problems arising from the inability to detect GM foods for which the modified sequence is unknown, the lengthy standardization procedures, and the need to continuously update databases comprising commercially available GM foods and the respective detection strategies are also discussed.     

Review on tropical root and tuber crops I. Storage methods and quality changes

The root and tuber crops, including cassava, sweet potato, yams, and aroids, enjoy considerable importance as a vegetable, staple food, or raw material for small‐scale industries at a global level, particularly in the less developed tropical countries. The perishability and postharvest losses of root and tuber crops are the major constraints in the utilization of these crops. Several simple, low‐cost traditional methods are being followed by fanners in different parts of the world to store different root and tuber crops in the fresh state. An account of different storage practices and constraints is reviewed in this article. Some of these methods have been studied and evaluated by different research workers. Several modern techniques, including refrigerated cold storage, freezing, chemical treatments, wax coating, and irradiation, for storing fresh tropical tubers are also reviewed. The pre‐ and postharvest factors to be considered for postharvest storage of different root and tuber crops are incorporated into the review.     

The attitudes of French and Spanish winegrowers towards the use of cover crops in vineyards

Vineyards are an intensive cultivation system and expose the soil to long-lasting stress. Many vineyard areas already show high degrees of soil degradation. To prevent further soil erosion, cover crops, which have various positive effects on the environment, are highly recommended. But, depending on the climatic conditions, cover crops can reduce grape yields and are sometimes more work intensive than bare soil management. In some areas cover crops are already widespread while in others bare soil is dominant. In this qualitative study, we explore the attitudes of European winegrowers towards cover crops and determine the background for differences in the adoption of greened vineyards. Thus, we conducted focus groups with winegrowers in two different regions, namely Coteaux du Layon in France and Montilla-Moriles in Spain. In this setting, the transregional differences are mainly based on the climatic conditions but also on different business structures and knowledge levels. Direct sellers seem to be more attentive to the environment and use cover crops more often than farmers which sell their grapes to cooperatives.     

粮油作物中黄曲霉毒素风险预测预警研究进展

粮油作物中黄曲霉毒素污染严重影响着人和动物的健康。开展粮油作物中黄曲霉毒素产生关键影响因素研究,构建早期风险预测模型,是减少污染发生、保障人类健康和减少经济损失的重要途径。本文在总结黄曲霉毒素在粮油作物中风险发生的影响因素的基础上,从黄曲霉毒素易发多发的环节如作物收获期和储藏期讨论了预测模型建的研究进展,同时归纳了目前预测模型主要建立方法,包括基于回归、神经网络等方法建立的数据驱动模型和基于黄曲霉毒素产生机制建立的机理模型。通过分析目前的研究,讨论了未来粮油作物中黄曲霉毒素风险预测模型的研究方向和应用场景,为开展我国作物中黄曲霉毒素污染风险早期预测和污染防控研究提供依据。     

食品过敏原检测与评价技术研究进展

过敏原生物活性包括过敏原性即引起致敏个体发生过敏症的活性和致敏原性即引起人群致敏的危险性两个方面。随着转基因作物及相应食品的大量出现，评价和检测食品过敏原生物活性日益受到重视。迄今，食品过敏原性的主要检测方法有：皮肤试验、双盲安慰剂对照激发试验、血清IgE检测和组胺释放试验等；对食品致敏原性还没有建立可靠的评价和监测技术，FAO/WHO采纳的分级评价策略包括血清学测定、过敏原分子结构和序列同源性比较及胃肠液消化稳定性评价等。本文对食品过敏原生物学活性的评价与检测技术研究进展进行综述。