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Strawberries and raspberries have high demand in Europe and mostly consumed as fresh. Berries are highly perishable and so, their postharvest physiology and shelf life are important. Packaging is needed to keep the berries in good quality during the time in storage. Plastic clamshells are the commonly used type of packages for the berries but there are environmental concerns due to the heavy disposal of plastics. To overcome this problem, a fiber package is going to be introduced. It is biodegradable, biobased, made with renewable raw material and the final product is recyclable. This research focused on the mentioned fiber package and its functionality as a berry package and as possible replacement for plastic (RPET) clamshells. Homogenous batches of raspberries (Rubus idaeus) and strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) were stored in plastic packages and fiber packages at two different temperatures (+3 °C and +17 °C/+16 °C). Decay incidence, weight loss, surface area of the berry, color, firmness, total soluble solid concentration, acidity, and package staining were measured over the storage period. Results showed that berries stored in fiber packages at +3 °C had higher soluble solid concentrations than the berries stored in plastic packages at the same temperature. Berries stored in fiber packages at both temperatures showed higher weight losses. Fiber packages absorbed more moisture from raspberries and strawberries than plastic packages. However, raspberries can be kept upto 8 days and strawberries can be kept upto 5 days under the marketable condition in fiber packages at +3 °C.

Kationinvaihtokapasiteetti (KVK) maaperässä perustuu savimineraalien, orgaanisen aineksen ja oksidien negatiivisesti varautuneisiin pintoihin, joista oksidien merkitys on vähäisin. Pintojen varaus on joko pysyvää tai variaabelia eli pH:sta riippuvaa. Suurin osa maan variaabelista varauksesta on orgaanisessa aineksessa, ja lähes kaikki pysyvä varaus on savimineraaleissa. Analysoidut KVK-arvot ilmoitetaan joko efektiivisinä (puskuroimaton) tai potentiaalisina (pH-puskuroitu) riippuen uuttoliuoksen pH-puskuroinnista. Efektiivisen ja potentiaalisen KVK:n välinen ero muodostuu variaabelista varauksesta ja sen suuruuden ilmaisee titrattavissa oleva vaihtuva happamuus. Maan efektiiviselle KVK:lle voidaan laskea likiarvo saveksen, orgaanisen aineksen ja pH-arvon mukaan. Teoriassa vaihtuvan happamuuden ja efektiivisen KVK:n avulla voidaan laskea potentiaalisen KVK:n arvo. Suomalaisten kivennäismaiden potentiaalisen KVK:n ja vaihtuvan happamuuden likiarvojen laskemiseksi määritettiin uudet yhtälöt käyttäen hyväksi vanhojen julkaisujen tulosaineistoja. Vaihtuvien kationien pitoisuuksien käyttökelpoisuutta laskennallisen KVK:n muuttujiksi tutkittiin. Kokeellisessa osuudessa tutkittiin orgaanisen aineksen osuutta maan KVK-arvosta hapettamalla maan orgaaninen aines vetyperoksidikäsittelyllä, jonka jälkeen käsitellyistä ja käsittelemättömistä maista määritettiin kyllästysmenetelmällä KVK-arvot käyttäen neutraalia ammoniumasetaattia. Vetyperoksidikäsittelyn tehoa tutkittiin määrittämällä käsitellyistä ja käsittelemättömistä maista orgaanisen aineksen pitoisuudet hehkutushäviönä ja orgaanisen hiilen pitoisuudet kuivapolttomenetelmällä. Lisäksi happo- ja emästitrauksilla tutkittiin vetyperoksidilla käsiteltyjen ja -käsittelemättömien maiden pH-puskurointikykyä. Orgaanisen aineksen KVK-arvoksi saatiin keskimäärin 153 cmol(+) kg-1 , ja vaihteluväli oli 101 – 234 cmol(+) kg-1. Vetyperoksidikäsittely alensi maiden orgaanisen aineksen määrää keskimäärin 3,79 OM % (vaihteluväli 2,33 – 5,96 OM %) ja orgaanisen hiilen määrää keskimäärin 2,56 C % (vaihteluväli 1,46 – 4,81 C %). Vetyperoksidikäsittely happamoitti maita, mutta sen ei havaittu vaikuttavan merkittävästi pH-puskurointikykyyn, joka oli savimailla lähes kaksinkertainen karkeampiin maihin verrattuna. Saveksen ja orgaanisen aineksen määrät yhdessä pH-arvon kanssa olivat yhtälöissä tärkeimmät maan ominaisuudet, jotka vaikuttavat laskettavan KVK:n likiarvoon. Viljavuusanalyysin tuloksista saatavien alkali- ja maa-alkalimetallipitoisuuksien, orgaanisen aineksen määrän ja pH-arvon avulla voitiin laskea karkeampi likiarvo potentiaaliselle KVK:lle

More than 75% of global food production benefits from insect pollinators. As the number of pollinators is declining, food security may be at risk. Bees are commonly considered as the most efficient pollinators, and this is reflected in the number of studies on crop pollination by bees. However, other taxa also visit crop flowers and may have a significant role in pollination. Ants are known to visit flowers for many different reasons, but their contribution to pollination is not clear. Raspberry is an economically important crop which highly benefits from animal pollination. The aim of this study was to examine the potential contribution of ants to raspberry pollination, in Coffs Harbour, Australia. The contribution of ants to pollination was evaluated in a bagging experiment comparing fruits from open pollination, ant-only visitation pollination, and exclusion of all pollinators, by recording ants’ abundance and diversity on raspberry flowers by transect walks and examining pollen carried on their bodies by inspecting swab samples under the microscope. The open pollination treatment had significantly higher numbers of drupelets and fruit weight than the pollinator exclusion treatment. The ant pollination treatment resulted in higher numbers of drupelets and fruit weight compared to the pollinator exclusion treatment. The abundance of ants varied considerably in different locations. Ants were the most abundant visitors in half of the studied locations. Ants were more active in the morning, while the proportion of honey bees and stingless bees increased after 11 a.m. compared to ants. Ten different ant species were found to visit raspberry flowers and raspberry pollen was found on ants’ bodies. This study shows the importance of ants in the pollination of raspberry flowers and their influence on raspberry fruit formation. All flower visitors should be studied to establish their relative contribution to crop pollination to ensure growers can plan the pollinator management for each crop and environment separately. This study shows that the role of the ants in crop pollination may have been underestimated.

The seeds of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) contain volatile and non-volatile off-flavour compounds which are perceived as beany flavour, bitter taste, or astringent sensation, and which can impair the acceptability and liking of faba bean. The aim of this study was to investigate how hydrocolloids added to faba bean protein concentrate (FPC) affect its bitterness. The hypothesis was that the bitterness of FPC was significantly suppressed by the added hydrocolloids. A sensory evaluation study was conducted for six slurry samples that contained 25 % (w/w) FPC in water and of which five samples contained also one of the following ingredients selected based on preliminary tests: carboxymethyl cellulose, wheat starch, guar gum, NaCl, or sucrose. A trained panel (n = 10) assessed the bitterness and thickness of the samples on a line scale (from 0 = “not at all bitter/thick” to 10 = “very bitter/thick”) in three independent sessions. Additionally, the viscosities and pH of the samples were measured to study the possible changes that occurred during storage of the samples. Only a slight difference was found in the bitterness of the samples. The wheat starch sample was assessed as the least bitter and the thickest in mouth, and it was also the most viscous sample. However, these results need to be looked at critically as the viscosities of the samples decreased during the three-day storage, and as the panelists did not agree on the bitterness ratings of the samples. Hence, further research is needed to better understand the significance of hydrocolloids in masking the bitterness of faba bean.

Good nutritional status contributes to health, functional capacity, and quality of life. The food provided to patients in hospitals is formulated to contribute to their recovery and is an integral part of their care. For nutritional care to be successful, it is important that patients eat the food they are offered, so both the food and the dining environment should be pleasing to patients. Personal habits have a big influence on what kind of food and eating situation each person finds pleasurable. The data analysed in this study were collected by interviewing patients. The interviews were conducted at a stage when the interviewees had at least two days of experience of patient dining. For this study, a thematic interview was chosen as the research method, as the phenomena and issues to be surveyed are not yet very well-known and the interviewees themselves wanted to be given the opportunity to raise issues that were relevant to them. The supervisors of this thesis were Heini Karp, PhD, licensed dietician, and Anu Joki, PhD. The interviews revealed that patients were quite satisfied with the hospital meals, both in terms of food and organisation. The size of portions was the single most important issue that all interviewees highlighted as a factor affecting satisfaction and which they would like to influence themselves. The interviews also showed that the possibility to make choices - even small ones - improves the dining experience in hospital. As there are already several portion sizes available and the aim is to provide the right size portion for each patient, changes to these practices could be implemented relatively easily and at low cost. A typical way to find out patients' satisfaction with hospital food is through form-based surveys. They may not reveal all the underlying reasons for the results obtained, making it difficult to correct the situation and improve hospital catering based on the results. Interview-based research on patient satisfaction with the food service experience is relatively scarce. More research would be needed to assess the transferability of the results. In particular, there is a need for a study that takes into account the age distribution and the different needs of patients of different ages.

Tutkielmassa tarkastellaan potilaskuluttajien mielikuvia ja käyttökokemuksia sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon palvelusetelistä. Julkisen sektorin sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon palvelutotantoa tehostetaan jatkuvasti. Samalla pyritään lisäämään myös kuluttajien valinnanvapautta ja aktiivisuutta. Nämä muutokset ovat johtaneet julkisen sektorin markkinoitumiseen eli kvasimarkkinoiden syntymiseen, jonka myötä konsumerismi eli kuluttajalähtöisyys on levinnyt julkisen sektorin palveluihin. Palveluseteli on nähty tärkeänä keinona kvasimarkkinoiden sujuvuuden sekä kuluttajalähtöisyyden edistämisessä. Aineisto koostuu kahdentoista kuluttajan ja kahden palveluseteliasiantuntijan yksilöhaastatteluista. Tutkimuksen teoreettinen viitekehys rakentuu sosiologian toimijuus- ja luottamusteorioihin, joiden avulla tarkastellaan kuluttajaa palvelusetelin käyttäjänä. Toimijuusteorialla analysoidaan potilaskuluttajien roolia ja asemaa palvelusetelin käytössä. Luottamusteorialla puolestaan hahmotetaan sekä palveluntuottajan valintaan vaikuttavia tekijöitä että kuluttajien asennetta julkista sektoria, palveluntuottajia ja terveydenhuollon ammattilaisia kohtaan. Olen hyödyntänyt aineiston analyysissä teemoittelua ja tyypittelyä. Tutkimus osoittaa, että onnistunut palvelusetelin käyttö sekä helpottaa kuluttajien arkea että lisää heidän valintamahdollisuuksiaan. Pitkien jonotusaikojen välttäminen ja erityisesti ikäihmisille tarjottu kodin siivousapua helpottivat haastateltavien arkea merkittävästi. Tutkimus osoittaa myös, että palvelusetelin sujuva käyttö edellyttää kuluttajilta vahvaa toimijuutta sekä aktiivista kuluttajuutta. Kuluttajien luottamus julkiseen sektoriin, palveluntuottajiin ja terveydenhuollon ammattilaisiin edisti potilaskuluttajien positiivista suhtautumista palvelusetelijärjestelmään ja samalla myös madalsi palvelusetelin käyttökynnystä.

Rypsirouhetta käytetään lypsylehmien ruokinnassa valkuaislisänä. Valkuaislisän tarkoitus on täydentää lypsylehmien ruokintaa niin, että korkeatuottoisten lehmien tuotospotentiaali saadaan täytettyä. Erilaisilla kemiallisilla ja fysikaalisilla käsittelyillä on mahdollista lisätä valkuaisrehujen pötsissä hajoamatonta osuutta, jolloin valkuaisen aminohapot ohittavat pötsihajotuksen ja imeytyvät ohutsuolesta. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoitus oli vertailla pötsisuojatun testirehun ja suojaamattoman perusrehun vaikutuksia lypsylehmien maitotuotokseen ja maidon koostumukseen. Molemmat valkuaisrehut olivat rypsirouhetta, mutta ne oli käsitelty eri tavoilla. Molemmat rehut oli hygienisoitu kuumennuskäsittelyllä. Testirehu oli tämän lisäksi suojattu pötsihajotusta vastaan vesi-etanoli-uutolla, jossa vesiliukoiset hiilihydraatit oli liuotettu. Käsittelyn tarkoitus oli lisätä rehun ohitusvalkuaisen osuutta ja sitä kautta maitotuotosta. Kokeessa oli 12 ayrshire-rotuista lehmää, jotka olivat kokeen ajan vapaalla seosrehuruokinnalla. Koe toteutettiin cyclic change over -mallin mukaisesti. Kokeessa oli kuusi erilaista ruokintaa, kaksi kuuden lehmän blokkia ja kolme 21 vuorokauden jaksoa. Lehmät oli jaettu blokkeihin kokeen alussa olevan tuotostason mukaan. Kokeessa verrattiin matalan ja korkean valkuaistason vaikutuksia, sekä perusrehun ja testirehun ja näiden seoksen vaikutuksia maitotuotokseen ja maidon pitoisuuksiin. Tutkimuksessa mitattiin kuiva-aineen syönti ja ravintoaineiden saanti ja näennäinen kokonaissulavuus, maitotuotokset ja maidon pitoisuudet sekä valkuaisrehujen typpifraktiot. Korkea valkuaistaso lisäsi kuiva-aineen syöntiä 0,9 kg/pv ja energiakorjattua maitotuotosta 1,4 kg/pv verrattuna matalaan valkuaistasoon, jolla kuiva-aineen syönti oli 23,2 kg/pv ja energiakorjattu maitotuotos 35,1 kg/pv. Korkea valkuaistaso lisäsi myös raakavalkuaisen, neutraalidetergenttikuidun ja tärkkelyksen saantia. Perusrehun korvaaminen testirehulla ei lisännyt maitotuotosta. Rypsirouhe on hyvä valkuaisrehu lypsylehmien ruokinnassa, mutta sen pötsisuojaus ei välttämättä lisää maitotuotosta ja maidon valkuaispitoisuutta.

Laos is one of the poorest countries in South-East Asia. Rural people’s livelihoods are mostly reliant on rice production and collection of forest products. There is very little research available about large-scale tree plantations and agroforestry in Laos. However, there is a clear need for information about the livelihood of the local people affected by companies that lease land from the local rural population for large-scale plantations in Laos. Stora Enso (SE) has trial plantations in Laos that combine tree-growing and food production. The Stora Enso Village Program (SEVP) focuses on sustainability that includes community engagement and helping local villagers to farm in safe conditions. The main aim of this study was to assess the productivity of taungya agroforestry systems in the SEVP trial plantations, and to measure the socioeconomic impacts at the village and household level. The following research questions are addressed: 1. To describe the Stora Enso Village Program in Laos, 2. To evaluate the conditions of the plantations established by SE in six villages in Saravan and Savannakhet Provinces, 3. To evaluate the socioeconomic impacts of the village program at the household and village levels in terms of: i) What kind of incomes do the local families get? ii ) How have the agricultural activities, which are part of the taungya agroforestry system, affected plantation productivity? iii) Who is benefiting from Stora Enso’s “village program” and how? Six research villages were selected, including five villages where Stora Enso operates and one where the company does not operate. Biophysical plantation measurements were done in 28 study plots in five villages. Plantation production was measured from the trees in the taungya agroforestry areas in each village. In each trial village, the Village Head was interviewed about basic village information such as population, livelihood and geographic information. Two Focus Group Discussions were conducted in each village, with information about villagers’ livelihoods and changes to livelihoods after the SEVP was started in the village. Participatory mapping exercises were carried out to determine the location of the households in the villages for random household selection. Interviews were conducted in 15 households in each village (90 households in total) to gather household-specific information such as incomes, livelihood activities and experiences of the taungya agroforestry sites. Village crop production in the taungya agroforestry sites were estimated at the household level. Results showed that employment opportunities increased in the village mostly in the first years of plantation cycle. The villagers were pleased with the land preparation carried out by Stora Enso and the crop yield in agroforestry areas, however, this was limited to when the plantation trees were smaller. Lack of labour, shade from plantation trees, and long distances to the plantation areas were the main reasons why villagers did not use the plantation areas for crop production. Plantations were generally in good condition, however, there were some insect and other stem damages. Lack of agricultural machinery and big distances from households to the agroforestry areas led to variation between villages´ crop production. There was limited work available for the villagers who wanted to work. The key findings of this thesis highlight the benefits of extra incomes and work opportunities for the local people in the villages and the positive outcomes in terms of the SEVP funds being used to build infrastructure and schools for the villages. The result of the study shows that the location of the villages affected negatively on villages that were far away from the market place and had limited possibilities to sell surplus crops. Cash crop production only occurred in the villages near the main roads and markets. Long distance to the taungya agroforestry area also limited the usage of the areas. This study has shown how the SEVP provides some benefits at both the village level and the household level. At the village level - positive impacts from village fund include improved infrastructure such as roads, water systems and electricity, while at the household level, positive impacts include employment opportunities and support to grow crops in the taungya agroforestry system. However, there are also challenges and limitations, such as agroforestry potential for producing crops between tree rows are not fully utilized during tree rotation, and most of the plantation employment opportunities are only available in the first years of plantation establishment. The SEVP is a trial program that attempts to integrate local communities’ needs by producing food and cash crops in the plantation area. The concept needs further development, more trials and research to improve the system, but has potential to be replicated in other places. It needs to be designed to suit the specific context of the local communities according to local culture and needs.

Kaupunkien ja maatalouden lähteistä johtuva vesistöjen mikrobiologinen kontaminaatio muodostaa merkittävän riskin ihmisten, eläinten ja ympäristön terveydelle. Saastumisen lähteiden tunnistaminen auttaa ymmärtämään sen luonnetta ja auttaa estämään uusia saastumisia. Mikrobilähteiden jäljitys tunnistaa tehokkaasti vesistöjen saastumisen lähteet geenimerkkien kautta, tarjoten tarkan ja herkän tavan tunnistaa mikrobiperäisen saastumisen luonnetta. Tässä tutkimuksessa valittiin 10 geenimerkkiä, jotka kohdistuivat viiteen taudinaiheuttajaan ja viiteen mikrobisaasteeseen vesiympäristöissä. Kun valittujen geenimerkkien alukkeiden ominaisuudet eivät olleet yhteneväisiä SmartChip qPCR-asetusten kanssa, suunniteltiin uudet alukkeet NCBI:n Primer BLAST -työkalulla valitun geenimerkin havaitsemiseksi. Sopivilla ominaisuuksilla varustetut alukkeet analysoitiin in silico analyysillä käyttäen primer-BLASTN työkalua, jotta alukkeiden tarkkuus kohde geeniin varmistettiin. qPCR tuotteet analysoitiin Sanger-sekvensoinnilla, jotta voitiin havaita, olivatko odotettuja. Tämä analyysi tarjosi tietoa alukkeiden mahdollisesta väärin sitoutumisesta. Tämä kymmenen alukkeen kokonaisuus suunniteltiin korkean yhteensopivuuden saavuttamiseksi SmartChip qPCR:n sykliolosuhteiden kanssa. Se luotiin myös tarkasti heijastamaan geenejä ja organismeja, jotka esiintyvät ympäristön vesinäytteissä.

Forests are highly valued for the wide range of ecosystem services they provide and are increasingly expected to play a role in providing solutions to both rural development and global challenges. In countries where forest ownership structure is characterized by a high share of private ownership, non-industrial, private forest owners eventually determine the type and extent of management of a large part of national forest resources. In Italy, where this is the case, the potential of forests remains largely unexploited, and the alleged lack of active management even threatens to increase forest vulnerability. In this context, the new Italian Forest Strategy aims to untap the forests’ potential and enhance the delivery of their services by promoting an active, sustainable management, but is faced with the challenge of reviving the interest of private owners in managing their land. Despite being implicitly entrusted with the responsibility of stewardship of forest resources, the Italian forest owner is still a mysterious figure, due to data scarcity, and is mostly absent from the political and economic scene. Characterizing forest owners, understanding their values, objectives, and other factors affecting their behavior is crucial to develop appropriate and effective policy instruments that will sensitize and incentivize them to “own” their land in the way that society would expect of them. This work contributes to filling the data gap on Italian forest owners by presenting a case study from a region of the western Alps, the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley. By the way of a structured questionnaire and in-depth semi-structured interviews, we investigated how forest owners perceived forest management and the role they played, could play, or would be willing to play in forest stewardship. The results show that forest owners unanimously believe that forests need to be managed, a term which they mostly associate to maintenance, intended as taking care of the forests in order to keep it healthy and prosperous. However, they still hold a rather traditional view of forest uses, in which social and societal functions of forests are rarely addressed or related to owner’s responsibility. Also, they do not perceive the forest as economically valuable, and the current lack of economic sustainability of forest operations is driving forest abandonment, which indicates that economic factors are a driving force for stewardship decisions. Five stewardship types, ranging on a gradient of low to high stewardship behavior, characterize the Aosta Valley forest owners: the oblivious and self-willed stewards (types that emerged from participants’ narratives), and the wishful, dutiful, and committed steward types (types represented by the participants). The wishful and dutiful types offer two targets of interest for policy intervention: the first is longing for a greater role in forest stewardship but needs guidance to act, and the second, whose stewardship behavior is driven by their moral norms towards their heritage, could be motivated to extend their existing range of action or diversify the ecosystem services they foster. Overall, we found that forest owners displayed willingness to increase their stewardship behavior but lacked the capacity to take on this responsibility alone in the current context. Raising stewardship levels will require regional forest authorities to engage more deeply with private owners and their forests, as well as strong supporting policies that should not neglect financial incentives in the difficult context of mountain forestry but should also aim to revalorize the forests and forest sectors, including the non-wood sector, which can help tackling the challenge of ensuring the societal outcomes of forest stewardship.