Browsing by Title

Previous studies have demonstrated that legume proteins have high potential to lose their native functional properties during conventional wet fractionation, since heating and drying in the processes can lead to protein aggregation and solubility reduction. However, the effect of this process on faba bean protein has not been investigated thoroughly before, according to the literature review. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of wet fractionation process with and without spray drying on faba bean protein gelling properties. The hypothesis was that protein isolate produced with isoelectric precipitation without spray drying would have better solubility and gelling properties than spray dried isolate. Faba bean protein concentrate (FBPC) was used to prepare faba bean protein isolate with alkaline extraction followed by isoelectric precipitation, which was then dispersed into water and neutralized (faba bean protein slurry, FBPS). Some of FBPS was spray-dried (pilot faba bean protein isolate, FBPI-P). Commercial faba bean protein isolate (FBPI-C) was used as a reference sample. Their (FBPC, FBPS, FBPI-P, FBPI-C) functionality was studied by measuring thermal denaturation (DSC), protein solubility, particle size and light microscope pictures. In addition, glucono delta lactone (GDL) induced oil-in-water emulsion gels were prepared from FBPS, FBPI-P and FBPI-C. Water holding capacity (WHC), rheological and texture properties were measured from the gel samples. Surprisingly the obtained results of faba bean in this study were different from previous research on other legume proteins. It was found that spray-dried FBPI-P showed better gelling properties than wet based FBPS. This might be due to differences in thermal denaturation. Based on DSC curves, FBPI-C was found to be fully denatured and in a poor solubility. Interestingly, GDL-induced gels had strongest gel properties, which might be highly related to industrial manufacturing process of FBPI-C. When considering the theoretical environmental impact of these processes, FBPS could show potential of being more environmentally friendly process, as it could be more energy efficient than processes which require drying and heating. It was demonstrated that FBPS showed almost as good functional properties as the pilot spray-dried isolate. Hence, FBPS could work as functional and more environmentally friendly option for food industry. Future study could be conducted in near future about FBPS safety, technological applications, process optimization and environmental impact.

The article shows the history of studies of DC, stresses the importance of lateral transport of DC, explores and reviews the factors (vegetation, soil, temperature and precipitation, discharge, pH, weathering, global change and human perturbations) affecting transport of DC from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems and reveals many research gaps, which currently hinder a systematic understanding of lateral transport of DC from aquatic to ecosystems. The inclusion of DIC and DOC in the context of lateral transport of carbon offers more information on studies of DC. This article offers insight into the factors affecting the lateral transport of DC for future studies that focus on constructing models of the global carbon cycle and the estimate of terrestrial/global carbon budget. In addition, the factors affecting the transport of DC from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems shed some light on the management of forests, peatlands, agricultural activities and land use changes.

Outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism have increased during the last ten years. In addition, the interest towards national parks has grown, which can be seen also as an increasing trend in the development of the number of visits to national parks. The aim of this thesis is to explain the cross-sectional variation in the visitation data representing different parks and hiking areas. Another aim is to explore the question of why the visitation in national parks has increased in Finland. These questions are studied separately for the national parks and hiking areas, because the development of the number of visits in national parks and hiking areas has been different. In addition, the separation is made also between Southern Finland and Northern Finland due to for example the size differences and close link of the national parks in Northern Finland with the ski-resort centers. Explanatory factors are divided into supply side factors (services inside and outside the park) and demand side factors (economic and demographics factors). The data is a panel data, including all national parks and hiking areas in the time period 2000?2008. The one-way fixed effects model is used in the regression analysis. According to results the land area of the park, services inside the park and population size seemed to have positive effects on the number of visits. Income per capita had negative impact on the visits. In Southern Finland the size of the age-class 65?74 affected positively the number of visits, whereas the effect of gasoline price was negative. Used time period was short due to the lack of appropriate data. Thus, the results reflect more the cross-sectional variation between parks. Results can be used in the planning of the management of national parks and hiking areas.

Syftet med avhandlingen är att med ekonometrisk analys undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar prisbildningen på vete under åren 2000–2022 och om det är någon skillnad mellan de förklarande variablerna under stabilare tidsperioder jämfört med volatila tidsperioder. I undersökningen användes prisdata samlat ur Europeiska kommissionens - och världsbankens datamaterial, samt data på lagernivåer samlat ur USDAs rapporter och pristermin data ur CFTCs rapporter. All data som användes hade månatliga observationer mellan januari 2000 och december 2022. De förklarande variablerna valdes på basis av tidigare forskning och teori. Undersökningen gjordes genom att forska i variablernas korrelation, stationaritet och genom ekonometrisk tidsserieanalys. Ekonometrisk tidsserieanalys gjordes i fyra omgångar. En analys för hela tidsperioden mellan åren 2000–2022 med hjälp av dummyvariabler, samt tre analyser för åren 2007–2008, 2010–2013 och 2020–2022. Undersökningen visar att det är skillnad mellan variablerna under de tidsperioder som valdes att forskas i. Också modellernas förklaringskraft varierade i de olika ekonometriska tidsserieanalyserna. Under tidsperioden 2000-2022 visade sig alla förklarande variabler sig vara signifikanta (oljepris, naturgaspris, ureapris, valutakursen och veteslutlagren), förutom spekulanternas innehav av pristerminer. Dummyvariablerna som representerade de olika tidsperioderna visade sig också alla vara signifikanta. Det fanns icke-stationaritet i observationerna för de valda variablerna, men detta lyckades fångas upp genom att tillföra en tidsvariabel i modellen.

Avhandlingen behandlar världsmarknadspriset på socker och de faktorer som påverkar prisbildningen. Målet med avhandlingen är att identifiera och kvantifiera olika förklarande faktorers påverkan på världsmarknadspriserna på socker. Speciell tyngdpunkt läggs på EU:s sockerordning, dess reformering år 2006 samt dess möjliga inverkan på sockerpriserna. Som avhandlingens teoretiska referensram används pristeori ur lantbrukets synvinkel och som empirisk undersökningsmetod tillämpas ekonometrisk estimering. Världsmarknadspriserna för socker har fluktuerat väsentligt de senaste 40 åren. Speciellt det senaste decenniet har prisernas volatilitet ökat och stundvis nått de högsta nivåerna på 30 år. Bakom denna ökning i volatilitet och ökning i prisnivå finns många olika faktorer. I litteraturen nämns balansen mellan utbudet och efterfrågan, den ökande konsumtionen av bioetanol och politisk styrning som orsaker till den senaste tidens utveckling. Även makroekonomiska fenomen så som valutakurser och energipriser lyfts fram. Av de politiskt styrda marknaderna har EU:s sockermarknad varit den som genomgått en av de största förändringarna de senaste åren. I och med reformen av EU:s sockerordning år 2006, sänktes referenspriset på vitt socker med 36 procent. Tillsammans med sänkningar i referenspriserna och nedskärningar i produktionskvoterna minskade produktionen i EU med upp till sex miljoner ton. Detta förvandlade EU till en nettoimportör, från att tidigare varit en nettoexportör. Reformen har i diskussionspapper lyfts fram som en orsak till de stigande priserna de senaste åren. Utgående från litteraturgenomgången, som bestod av böcker, vetenskapliga artiklar och diskussionspapper, samt tidigare studier byggdes flera ekonometriska modeller för att förklara prisbildningen på råsocker. Som undersökningsmaterial användes statistisk data för olika påverkande faktorer från åren 1971-2011. Både linjära och log-linjära modeller användes för att estimera och kvantifiera de olika faktorernas inverkan på råsockerpriserna. Resultaten visar att mängden socker som finns i lager i slutet av året påverkar sockerpriserna negativt. En ökning av lagervärdet med 10 procent innebär en minskning i priset med 13,2 procent. Enligt resultaten innebär en förstärkning av dollarns värde, jämfört med euron, att sockerpriserna sjunker. Då dollarn förstärks med 10 procent innebär det en minskning i sockerpriset med 14,3 procent. Oljepriset påverkar sockerpriserna positivt med en fördröjning på ett år. Ett 10 procent högre oljepris föregående år medför en höjning av sockerpriset med 4,2 procent. Inget samband mellan EU:s sockerreform och sockerpriset kunde dock fastlås i avhandlingen.

The aim of this thesis was to study the accumulation and depletion of inorganic soil phosphorus (P) in a long term (37 yrs) field experiment in Southern Finland. The soil has a loamy texture and a high pH (7.4) due to heavy liming before the onset of the experiment. The field contains three treatments with different rates of P fertilization 0, 32 and 67 Kg ha-1 a-1 (abbreviated as P0, P1 and P2K) and it has been cultivated with a rotation of barley, oats, spring wheat and rye grass. The grain and straw have been collected every year and analysed for yield and mineral element composition. Soil samples were also collected from the plough layer at the beginning of the experiment in 1978, and also in the years 1995, 2005 and 2015, including also subsoil samples (25-50 cm). The changes in soil inorganic P along the years were studied with the Chang and Jackson fractionation The highest rate of P fertilization (P2K) increased the P concentration extracted with NH4Cl, NH4F, NaOH and H2SO4. These extractions are assumed to dissolve, easily available P, P sorbed by aluminium and iron oxides and calcium phosphates, respectively. On the other hand, the continuous P depletion (P0 treatment) decreased the NH4Cl-P and NH4F-P pools, while the NaOH-P and H2SO4-P pools remained stable. None of the P pools changed significantly at the lower rate of P fertilization (P1). The results indicate that the iron and aluminium oxides have a similar capacity for P sorption. However, P sorbed by iron oxides appears to remain non-available. Moreover, this study shows that in heavily limed soils the formation of secondary calcium phosphate compounds can be an important sink of the applied P. After 37 years, the P2K and P1K treatment increased the inorganic P reserves of the soil by 732 Kg P ha-1and 32 Kg P ha -1, respectively, while the P0 treatment depleted -459 Kg P ha -1. The recovery rates of P in the plough layer (i.e share of the P balance that is accumulated or depleted in the soil) were 79%, 30% and 56% for the P0, P1 and P2K treatments, respectively. An estimation of the P movement between adjacent plots was included in the calculation. These low recovery rates indicate that a significant proportion of the applied P is lost either in surface runoff or leached below the plough layer. However, the Chang and Jackson analysis of the subsoil samples did not reveal any significant changes in any of the P fractions. The lack of P accumulation might be attributed to the use of an invalid sampling strategy, to the loss of P to deeper layers through preferential flow and to the possibility that some P has been lost through surface runoff. The highest rate of P fertilization (P2K) resulted in a decrease of the P buffer capacity of the soil (BC) and increased the EPC0 (i.e. P concentration in solution at which no net P sorption or desorption occurs) as derived from the sorption isotherms. The resulting low BC and high EPC0 (1.30 mg L-1) are in agreement with measurements made in other heavily fertilized soils in Finland. The lower fertilization rate (P1 treatment) did not have an observable effect on the BC or the EPC0 (0.33 mg L-1). The depletion of soil P in the P0 treatment caused a decrease on the EPC0 (0.12 mg L-1) but only a slight increase on the BC. The degree of P saturation (DPS) of the plough layer was calculated as the ratio between the sum of P extracted with NH4Cl, NH4F and NaOH and the P sorption capacity of the soil (PSC; i.e. sum of extractable iron and aluminium multiplied by a 0.5 index (α)). Despite the large P applications during 37 years, the DPS reached only 20% for the topsoil of the P2K treatment, which can be attributed to the high PSC of the soil. The 0.5 α value is an operationally defined parameter, widely used in international publications, which is supposed to represent the proportion of short-range ordered Fe and Al oxides that contribute to the PSC of the soil. Due to the young age of Finnish soils and their usually high organic matter content, a low crystallinity of the oxides is expected, which could result in a higher α value. To prove this hypothesis, a long term incubation was done as a replicate of other published experiments (250 days, soil solution 1:50, P concentration 155 mg P L-1). Since the incubation includes only 4 samples from a single field, they cannot be extrapolated to other Finnish soils. However, the results (α =0.3) might be indicative of a low reactivity of the Al and Fe oxides in our soil. Iron and aluminium oxides are responsible for the accumulation in the soil of large amount of the applied P. However, the P recovery rates in field experiments are usually far for complete. To quantitatively assess the losses of P from the plough layer, a more congruent sampling strategy in the soil profile is needed, together with the analysis of P surface runoff and leaching water

Cocoa butter (CB) is the predominant continuous phase in chocolate systems and has a significant impact on the macroscopic properties of the end product. Conventional methods such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (pNMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and polarized light microscopy (PLM) have been used to study CB crystallization primarily in bulk. Potential of alternative techniques to study crystallization such as Raman spectroscopy and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) has been explored. The main objective of this thesis research was to study the feasibility of both conventional and alternative techniques to study CB crystallization in different matrices and in tempered conditions. Bulk fat (CB with 1%, 5% or without lecithin), suspensions (CB with 1% lecithin (on fat basis) and sucrose or inulin) and chocolates were sampled as such (non-tempered systems) subjected to a laboratory scale tempering procedure to produce tempered systems. Both non-tempered and tempered products were subjected to DSC, NMR, XRD, PLM, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR and diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS), in which primary crystallization was monitored or long-term storage was assessed. A toolbox was developed comprising feasibility of complementary techniques and, moreover, the toolbox was used to study the effect of lecithin and bulking materials on the CB crystallization behavior. The tempering procedure was successfully validated for every sample, as proven by the melting profile at 6 hours through DSC. The determination of the solid fat content (SFC) from the raw free induction decay signal by NMR showed to be more useful than the scripted SFC, especially for bulk fat systems. XRD showed its feasibility to study fat polymorphism for both bulk matrices and suspensions, except when sucrose is present, due to its interference in short spacings. PLM could only be used for non-tempered bulk fat systems since in other systems sample preparation cannot be standardized to measure crystallinity. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy seemed to be useful complementary techniques and capable of differentiating polymorphic forms, as is also possible using XRD. DWS showed to be comparable with DSC with an additional improved deconvolution of crystallization peaks. This study resulted in a feasibility toolbox and was used to study the effect of lecithin concentration and bulking materials, where the addition of 1% lecithin concentration in bulk fat and usage of inulin in model suspensions improves the crystallization of the CB matrix.

Elintarvike-emulsioiden lipidifaasin hapettuminen voi merkittävästi heikentää elintarvikkeen laatua. Stabilointiaineella on vaikutusta emulsion kemialliseen ja fysikaaliseen pysyvyyteen. Kuusesta eristetty hemiselluloosa, galaktoglukomannaanin (GGM), stabiloi hyvin öljy vedessä -emulsioita sekä fysikaalisesti että kemiallisesti. Tutkielman kirjallisuusosiossa tarkasteltiin hemiselluloosien eristysmenetelmien vaikutusta hemiselluloosan rakenteeseen ja fenolisten yhdisteiden pitoisuuteen sekä hemiselluloosien mahdollisia käyttösovelluksia elintarvikkeissa. Lisäksi tarkasteltiin fenolisten yhdisteiden vaikutusta o/w-emulsioiden kemialliseen pysyvyyteen. Työn kokeellisessa osassa selvitettiin eri menetelmillä kuusesta eristettyjen hemiselluloosien sisältämien fenolisten yhdisteiden vaikutusta emulsion lipidifaasin hapettumiseen ja emulsion fysikaaliseen pysyvyyteen. Emulsioiden stabilointiin käytetyt hemiselluloosat olivat kuusen termomekaanisesta massasta eristetyt GGM:t, jotka oli kuivattu joko sumutuskuivauksen (tTMP-GGM) tai etanolisaostuksen (eTMP-GGM) avulla, kuusen sahajauhosta paineistetulla kuumavesiuutolla eristetty GGM (PHWE-GGM) ja alipaineessa kuumalla vedellä eristetty BLN-GGM. Lisäksi tutkittiin, lisäsikö kuusen fenoliuute GGM:lla stabiloidun emulsion pysyvyyttä. Emulsioiden valmistuksessa käytettiin antioksidanteista puhdistettua rypsiöljyä ja emulsioita säilytettiin 40 C:ssa valolta suojattuna. Emulsioiden lipidifaasin hapettumista seurattiin kahden viikon ajan määrittämällä peroksidiluku spektrofotometrisesti, heksanaalipitoisuus head space -kaasukromatografisesti ja jatkoreaktiotuotteiden pitoisuus kokoekskluusiokromatografisesti. Emulsioiden rakennetta ja pisarakokojakaumaa tarkasteltiin optisella mikroskoopilla ja partikkelikokoanalysaattorilla. Fenolisten yhdisteiden pitoisuuksien muutokset kahden viikon aikana määritettiin emulsion jatkuvasta faasista ja rajapinnoilta erikseen erittäin suuren erotuskyvyn nestekromotografisella menetelmällä. Emulsioiden hapettumiskestävyys pysyvimmästä epäpysyvimpään oli seuraava: tTMP > PHWE > eTMPF > eTMP. tTMP-emulsion lipidifaasi ei hapettunut lainkaan. Kaikissa emulsioissa havaittiin fenolisten yhdisteiden pitoisuuden pienenemistä jatkuvassa faasissa tai rajapinnalla. Useammin fenolisten yhdisteiden pitoisuus pieneni rajapinnalla. Fenoliuutteen lisääminen vähensi eTMP-emulsion hapettumista. Kaikilla hemiselluloosilla stabiloidut emulsiot BLN-GGM:a lukuun ottamatta olivat fysikaalisesti pysyviä kahden viikon ajan. PHWE-emulsion keskimääräinen pisarakoko oli pienin. Emulsioiden kemialliseen ja fysikaaliseen pysyvyyteen arvioitiin vaikuttavan sekä pisarakokojakauma että fenolisten yhdisteiden antioksidatiivisuus. Tulevaisuudessa olisi mielenkiintoista selvittää, miksi pienimolekyylinen PHWE-GGM muodostaa pienempiä lipidipisaroita kuin suurimolekyyliset tTMP- ja eTMP-GGM:t.

Sustainable forest management and forest certification is a global issue. They are particularly important in Vietnam where forest covers above 40% of the country’s areas. The thesis aims to anticipate the financial sustainability of PEFC group certification in central Vietnam through a comparison of the costs and benefits of certification, and an analysis of the Acacia value chain. The study sites are in three cooperatives in TTH province. The research approach is qualitative. Data are obtained primarily from observation, group focus discussion and semi-structured interviews with key informants from the management boards of cooperatives, farmers, traders, woodchip factories, furniture processing companies, and experts from governmental organizations and NGOs stretching from the north to the south. Besides, secondary data is collected from scientific journals, documents published and unpublished by the research institutions, and books. Results confirmed the potential of smallholder forestry in securing the sustainable supply of industrial timber and improving the livelihood of farmers by providing a new income stream. However, the contribution of Acacia plantation to the total annual net income is modest, mainly due to small landholdings. The smallholders in Central Vietnam face many bottlenecks preventing them from maximizing benefits from planted forests, including limited access to land, high-quality inputs, capital, advanced silvicultural practices, and fair market. Besides, they bear a high risk of exposure to extreme natural events such as typhoons and floods. These obstacle is also limiting the participation of smallholders in voluntary verification schemes such as forest certification. Engaging in forest certification is proven to create extra revenue for smallholders while reducing pressure on imported certified timber. The total costs of certification are affordable for smallholders if joining together under a single certificate. In Vietnam, forest certification is often associated with the planting of perennial trees for sawlogs and price premiums for certified timber. This scheme is argued inappropriate for smallholders in Central Vietnam, who are often described as high weather-related risks and financial fragility. Under the current situation, forest certification does not create tangible and intangible benefits for middlemen, woodchip factories and local carpenters. Smallholders and furniture processors are the direct beneficiaries. However, the circumstance is predicted to change in the future, resulting in the participation of all actors in the value chain in the forest certification. This study also suggests several interventions for expanding forest certification, starting from recognizing smallholder farmers as a distinctly different category of forest producers whose conditions need to cautiously considered when developing standards for group certification. Secondly, there should be a strong focus on capacity building for the group entity as well as raising awareness for members of group certification. Thirdly, linking smallholders with private sectors are not only attracting more investment but also widening market access for farmers. Additionally, it must be mentioned the importance of secure tenure, clear guidelines for implementing SFM and forest certification, incentive policy and cost-sharing mechanism on insurance and certification.

Magisteravhandlingen behandlar temat unga jordbrukare och deras roll i EU:s gemensamma jordbrukspolitik. Målet med avhandlingen är att kartlägga vilken roll unga jordbrukare spelar i Finlands lantbruk och jämföra med situationen i hela EU. Genom att undersöka utvecklingen i åldersstrukturen, stödformer och särdragen på gårdar ägda av jordbrukare yngre än 35 år kan man skapa en grund för utarbetandet av Finlands nationella strategi för att nå EU:s gemensamma målsättningar för inkommande stödperiod 2021–2027. Avhandlingen strävar också till att ge svar på om det finns någon interventionslogik mellan åtgärden att betala ut stöd till unga jordbrukare i Finland och EU:s gemensamma målsättningar för kommande stödperiod. Som teoretisk referensram används teorin bakom den politiska processen och i avhandlingen analyseras aggregerade data. Andelen unga jordbrukare har minskat inom EU, men åldersdistributionen avspeglar samtidigt en allmän trend för Europas befolkning. Oron för en åldrande landsbygdsbefolkning grundar sig primärt på antagandet att Europas lantbruk förlorar potential som unga jordbrukare skulle tillföra lantbrukssektorn. I litteraturen finner man belägg för att unga jordbrukare är mer produktiva än äldre jordbrukare och mer troliga att ta i bruk nya innovationer. Undersökningar visar även på skillnader i miljöbeteende och villighet at satsa på djurens välfärd åldersgrupperna emellan. Inom ramen för EU:s gemensamma jordbrukspolitik har man under den senaste programperioden stött unga jordbrukare främst genom ett riktat arealbaserat direktstöd under första pelaren och ett etableringsstöd under andra pelaren. Bägge stödformerna ser ut att kunna utnyttjas i kommande stödperiod. Speciellt direktstödet till unga jordbrukare har fått kritik för att det saknar tydliga mål, interventionslogik och indikatorer för att granska effekten av stödet. Genom att undersöka aggregerade data, främst från Lantbrukets strukturundersökning, kan man se att andelen jordbrukare yngre än 40 i Finland varit ungefär densamma 2010-2019, medan andelen jordbrukare som är 65 år eller äldre ökat drastiskt. Trenden avspeglar den allmänna situationen för Finlands befolkning och kommer sannolikt att fortsätta i samma riktning. Resultaten visar även att de finländska jordbrukare som är yngre än 35 år främst odlar gårdar i de största storleksklasserna och de är mest sannolika att förbinda sig till miljöåtgärder. Frågan hur jordbrukarens ålder påverkar ekonomiska nyckeltal på de finländska gårdarna har inte fått sitt svar i denna avhandling på grund av bristande tillgång på data. Analysen av interventionslogiken för stödet till unga jordbrukare tyder på att antagandet att en ökad andel unga jordbrukare bidrar till målsättningarna för EU:s gemensamma jordbrukspolitik är korrekt. Däremot finns det skäl att anta att andelen unga jordbrukare inte ökar genom att man riktar ett arealbaserat direktstöd till åldersgruppen och således brister interventionslogiken. Målbilden för jordbrukspolitiken är väldigt komplex och det finns andra stöd som står i konflikt med målet att öka andelen unga jordbrukare.