Development and application of a nutritional quality model for life cycle assessment of protein-rich foods

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorFernández-Rios, Ana
dc.contributor.authorBatlle-Bayer, Laura
dc.contributor.authorAzarkamand, Sahar
dc.contributor.authorLaso, Jara
dc.contributor.authorFullana i Palmer, Pere
dc.contributor.authorBala, Alba
dc.contributor.authorPuig, Rita
dc.contributor.authorAldaco, Rubén
dc.contributor.authorMargallo, María
dc.date.accessioned2024-10-30T16:24:14Z
dc.date.available2024-10-30T16:24:14Z
dc.date.issued2024-10
dc.description.abstractAlternative protein sources (APSs) have emerged as a potentially healthy and, presumably, environmentally sustainable solution for meeting future food demand. Here we develop a new complex nutrient profile model to assess the nutritional quality of protein-rich foods, which, concurrently, allows to evaluate their environmental implications efficiently through the application of life cycle assessment (LCA). The development of the index was guided by the identification of priority nutrients in APSs and main deficiencies of similar models, which gave rise to the ‘quality Nutrient Rich Food 1.10.2’ (qNRF1.10.2). This model is the first nutrient profile system that combines various essential nutrients and a protein quality scoring system, namely Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS). From a nutritional perspective, its accuracy was proven and its application identified animal products as the most nutritionally complete food group, surpassing plant-based alternatives. However, when using the index as functional unit in LCA of protein-rich foods, we discovered that seeds, nuts, and mixtures of vegetable foods reported the lowest environmental impacts as a function of their nutrient density. Some exceptions were found for algae or insects, which performed worse than animal-derived foods in terms of resources consumption, or for cereals, which shown an important water deprivation potential. These results suggest that we should find a trade-off between the production of emerging and conventional foodstuffs, and that main environmental issues of each region should condition the location of production systems.
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the KAIROS-BIOCIR project (PID2019-104925RB) (AEO/FEDER, UE). Ana Fernández-Ríos thanks the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spanish Government for their financial support via the research fellowship RE2020-094029.
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2024.07.026
dc.identifier.idgrec34958
dc.identifier.issn2352-5509
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositori.udl.cat/handle/10459.1/466827
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relationinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/Funder/FundingProgram/ProjectID/ES/PID2019-104925RB/KAIROS-BIOCIR
dc.relation.ispartofSustainable production and consumption, 2024, vol.50, p. 35-44
dc.relation.isreferencedbyhttps://repositori.udl.cat/handle/10459.1/467368
dc.rightscc-by-nc-nd, (c) Fernandez-Rios et al., 2024
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International*
dc.rights.accessRightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/*
dc.subjectAlternative protein sources
dc.subjectFunctional unit
dc.subjectEnvironmental impacts
dc.subjectNutritional indicator
dc.subjectNutrient rich food
dc.titleDevelopment and application of a nutritional quality model for life cycle assessment of protein-rich foods
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
34958.pdf
Size:
1.04 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
639 B
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Articles publicats (Enginyeria Industrial i de l’Edificació)
Publicacions de projectes de recerca del Plan Nacional