Purpose

We evaluated the environmental impacts of the peach transportation process using life cycle assessment with the damage area ratio as an indicator to assess both food loss and the environmental burden. A hot spot analysis was also conducted to identify the most relevant impact categories and processes in the peach life cycle.

Methods

The environmental burden of the peach life cycle was assessed by using a mass-based functional unit (kg of undamaged peaches). The environmental impact of the packaging scenario (using plastic packaging and cardboard during transportation) in the peach life cycle was compared with that of the nonpackaging scenario (using cardboard only). Vibration tests for transportation were performed for several transportation distances to determine the damage area ratios. An impact assessment of the characterization and a calculation of single score results were followed by LIME2, and 15 impact categories were investigated.

Results and discussion

The packaging scenario had lower environmental impacts than the nonpackaging scenario, and the climate change (CC), resource consumption (RC), and urban air pollution (UAP) impacts in the packaging scenario were reduced by up to 94.1% compared with those in the nonpackaging scenario. Packaging decreased food losses related to injury during transportation; in turn, it also mitigated the environmental burden of additional peach cultivation to compensate for food losses. The results of the hot spot analysis indicated that cultivation, package production, peach waste (due to food loss), and transportation from a fruit sorting facility to the wholesale market stage largely formed the life cycle, with the cultivation stage accounting for the largest portion of the cycle (contribution ratios 36.4 to 89.4%).

Conclusion

This study shows that packaging can potentially reduce the environmental impacts of peach production; notably, using packaging for peaches effectively decreases the environmental burden of the peach life cycle. This finding suggests that considering the trade-offs between food loss and the environmental burden associated with the peach life cycle is important for achieving a sustainable postharvest process for peaches from an environmental perspective.

中文翻译：

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考虑粮食损失与环境影响之间权衡的桃运输生命周期评估

目的

我们使用生命周期评估和损伤面积比作为评估食物损失和环境负担的指标，评估了桃子运输过程的环境影响。还进行了热点分析，以确定桃子生命周期中最相关的影响类别和过程。

方法

桃子生命周期的环境负担通过使用基于质量的功能单位（kg未损坏的桃子）进行评估。将包装方案（在运输过程中使用塑料包装和纸板）在桃子生命周期中的环境影响与非包装方案（仅使用纸板）的环境影响进行了比较。在几个运输距离上进行运输振动测试，以确定损伤面积比。LIME2进行了表征的影响评估和单分数结果的计算，并对15种影响类别进行了调查。

结果和讨论

与非包装方案相比，包装方案对环境的影响要小，与包装方案相比，包装方案对气候变化（CC），资源消耗（RC）和城市空气污染（UAP）的影响减少了多达94.1％。非包装方案。包装减少了与运输过程中受伤有关的食物损失；反过来，它也减轻了增加桃子种植以弥补粮食损失的环境负担。热点分析的结果表明，种植，包装生产，桃类废物（由于粮食损失）以及从水果分选设施到批发市场阶段的运输构成了生命周期，其中种植阶段所占比例最大。周期（贡献率36.4％至89.4％）。

结论

这项研究表明，包装可以潜在地减少桃子生产对环境的影响。值得注意的是，为桃子使用包装有效地减轻了桃子生命周期的环境负担。这一发现表明，从环境的角度出发，考虑到食物损失与桃子生命周期相关的环境负担之间的折衷对于实现桃子的可持续采后过程非常重要。