Natural additives and agricultural wastes in biopolymer formulations for food packaging

The main directions in food packaging research are targeted toward improvements in food quality and food safety. For this purpose, food packaging providing longer product shelf-life, as well as the monitoring of safety and quality based upon international standards, is desirable. New active packaging strategies represent a key area of development in new multifunctional materials where the use of natural additives and/or agricultural wastes is getting increasing interest. The development of new materials, and particularly innovative biopolymer formulations, can help to address these requirements and also with other packaging functions such as: food protection and preservation, marketing and smart communication to consumers. The use of biocomposites for active food packaging is one of the most studied approaches in the last years on materials in contact with food. Applications of these innovative biocomposites could help to provide new food packaging materials with improved mechanical, barrier, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. From the food industry standpoint, concerns such as the safety and risk associated with these new additives, migration properties and possible human ingestion and regulations need to be considered. The latest innovations in the use of these innovative formulations to obtain biocomposites are reported in this review. Legislative issues related to the use of natural additives and agricultural wastes in food packaging systems are also discussed.

Irrigation canals in a semi-arid agricultural landscape surrounded by wetlands: Their role as a habitat for birds during the breeding season

Traditional water supply systems in semi-arid agrarian ecosystems, mainly irrigation canals, contribute to the diversity of the landscape and influence the composition of species. To evaluate their effect on bird communities in the breeding season, we selected a rural area in southeastern Spain, where an intricate and extensive network of irrigation canals and cultivated areas is located between two wetlands declared as Natural Parks. Birds were counted at representative points distributed throughout the canal network at which we recorded several variables related to the physical features, the vertical and horizontal structure of associated vegetation, reed development (Phragmites australis) and land use in the neighboring areas. We detected 37 bird species, most of which were also breeding in the wetlands nearby. We used Hierarchical Partitioning analyses to identify the variables most strongly related to the probability of the presence of selected species and species richness. Vegetation cover and height close to the canals, together with reed development, were the most important types of variables explaining species presence and richness. We found that current management practices for reeds in canals are not well-suited for biodiversity conservation. We therefore propose alternatives that could be implemented in the area in cooperation with stakeholders.

Developments in the Agricultural and Rural Capital Market of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Factor Markets Working Paper No. 9, October 2011

The undeveloped rural capital market in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is constrained by an urban–rural development gap, with limited capacities for rural development and imperfections in the rural capital market. Among the most striking hindrances are the illegal status of a large share of agricultural buildings and other real estate in rural areas, particularly on the individual family farms that prevail in the country, and the insufficient knowledge and abilities of individual farmers in applying for credit. National, EU and other donor funds are being used to improve knowledge, skills and other human resources, and to address the illegal status of buildings and facilities. In recent years, government support for agricultural, rural and regional development has been introduced to promote good agricultural practices, production and economic activity in rural areas. The elimination of imperfections and improvements to the functioning of the capital market – making access to credit and funds easier, especially for small-scale family farms and for rural development – are seen as measures contributing to agriculture and more balanced rural and regional development.

The Impact of PL 480 Title I in Peru : food aid as an effective development resource /

"PN-AAL-021"--Cover.

Agricultural policy analysis and planning : a summary of two recent analyses of A.I.D.-supported projects worldwide /

"August 1988."

Implementation of agricultural salinity control technology in Grand Valley /

Mode of access: Internet.

Costs and water quality impacts of reducing agricultural nonpoint source pollution : an analysis methodology /

Aug. 1979.

Polyurethane foam as trapping agent for airborne pesticides : analytical method development /

"Interagency agreement no. 78-D-XO449."

Agricultural drainage wells : impact on ground water /

Mode of access: Internet.

Farms are growing larger : some relationships to individual farm planning, community development, national farm policies /

Cover title.

The oat plant : its histology and development /

Bibliography: p. 111-112.

Alternative policies for controlling nonpoint agricultural sources of water pollution /

"EPA-600/5-78-005."

Review of the soil and water conservation provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985 [microform] : hearings before the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, and Rural Development of the Committee on Agriculture, House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, second session, March 28, 1988, Logansport, IN, and April 13, 1988.

"Serial no. 100-69."

Proposals to stimulate rural economic development [microform] : hearings before the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, and Rural Development of the Committee on Agriculture, House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, second session, March 23, 30, and June 15, 1988.

"Serial no. 100-75."

Rural agricultural issues in the state of Vermont [microform] : hearing before the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, United States Senate, One Hundredth Congress, first session on rural economic revitalization, environmental protection, nutrition, and dairy farming, July 27, 1987--Winooski, VT.

CIS Microfiche Accession Numbers: CIS 88 S161-25