Juan Antonio Velasquez

The global transition towards sustainable food systems has intensified the search for alternative protein sources that can meet human nutritional demands with reduced environmental impacts. Although microalgae are rich in protein, their applications in food remain limited due to thick cell walls and intense green color. The aim of this study is to modify Chlorella vulgaris by high-pressure homogenization (HPH) and decolorization to improve its processability for extrusion-based 3D printing. Microalgal biomass was pretreated by HPH at different pressures (10,000, 15,000, 20,000 psi) for one to three passes, followed by pigment removal using ethanol of different concentrations (70, 85, 100%). Microscopic imaging shows that HPH effectively disrupted microalgal cell walls and caused cell disintegration, resulting in increased foaming stability (22–28%) but lower solubility (up to 24%), with other functional properties largely preserved. Ethanol treatments markedly decolored microalgae and increased their water-holding capacity (10–45%) and solubility (6–11%). The formulation of HPH-treated decolorized microalgae with soy protein isolate and xanthan gum increased the viscosity (66–179%) and elasticity (78–235%) of printing inks. The resulting 3D prints show higher hardness (47–128%), springiness (up to 155%) and chewiness (47–408%). The information obtained from this study provides guidance for modifying the functional and rheological properties of microalgae and contributes to advancing the formulation and manufacturing of microalgae-based foods.

The US Food and Drug Administration is considering an update of a front-of-pack voluntary “healthy” designation that received little use or attention by the food industry. Effective communication to consumers is crucial in promoting healthy diet and lifestyle patterns. In the current food landscape, it is difficult for consumers to determine what foods are healthy. Furthermore, the healthy definition should fit the current science based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. We present an argument for required front-of-pack labeling, rooted squarely in the Dietary Guidelines.

Beer brewing is a complex process that comprises many fundamental unit operations. Over the last few years, craft brewing has become very popular, and the number of small-scale commercial brewers has drastically increased. However, due to the use of traditional beer-making methods, energy utilization in craft breweries tends to be inefficient, resulting in poor sustainability. Therefore, there is a necessity for a holistic analysis on the energy profile of craft beer brewing to evaluate its environmental performance on a unit operation basis. In this study, a gate-to-gate life cycle assessment was conducted to analyze and compare the environmental profiles of craft beer brewing, including ale and lager, at commercial (microbrewery) and pilot scales. A process simulation model was developed to estimate the electricity and/or natural gas uses of each unit operation, including heating, mashing, boiling, whirlpool, cooling, fermentation, and maturation. The model accurately predicted the steam use for pilot-scale brewing and the electricity and gas bills of a microbrewery. The beers brewed at the microbrewery scale (21.5-barrel brewhouse) had 2–11-fold lower environmental impacts than those brewed at the pilot scale (1-barrel brewhouse), and lager beer generally produced 11–32% higher impacts than ale. The fermentation and maturation steps in brewing were the major contributors to global warming and terrestrial acidification, whereas the mashing step was predominantly responsible for marine eutrophication. This study provides craft brewers with a useful tool for identifying the hotspots of energy use in their processes and developing potential improvement strategies.