Economic and Environmental Impact Analysis of Innovative Peeling Methods in the Tomato Processing Industry

Elham Eslami, Giovanni Landi, Miriam Benedetti and Gianpiero Pataro ()
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Elham Eslami: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
Giovanni Landi: ENEA, Portici Research Center, Piazzale Enrico Fermi, Località Granatello, 80055 Portici, NA, Italy
Miriam Benedetti: ENEA, Casaccia Research Center, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, RM, Italy
Gianpiero Pataro: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-18

Abstract: Peeling is a key step in the industrial production of canned peeled tomatoes, vital for optimizing efficiency, yield, product quality, waste reduction, and environmental impact. This study presents a comparative assessment of the economic and environmental impacts of adopting innovative peeling technologies, including infrared (IR), ohmic heating-assisted lye (OH-lye), and ultrasound-assisted lye (US-lye) peeling, relative to conventional steam and lye peeling methods. Focusing on a medium-sized Italian tomato processor, the impacts of these methods on productivity, water and energy consumption, wastewater generation, and environmental footprint using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, were evaluated. Findings indicated that adopting IR, OH-lye, and US-lye methods enhanced peelability (ease of peeling > 4.5) and increased production capacity by 2.6–9.2%, while reducing solid waste by 16–52% compared to conventional steam and lye methods. LCA results showed IR as the most environmentally favorable method, followed by steam, OH-lye, and US-lye, with conventional lye peeling being the least sustainable. OH-lye and IR methods also significantly reduce water and energy use, while US-lye shows higher demands in these areas. Additionally, OH-lye and IR methods require little or no NaOH, minimizing chemical consumption and wastewater production, which offers notable environmental and cost advantages. Overall, this preliminary study underscores economic and environmental potential for novel peeling technologies, encouraging industry consideration for adoption.

Keywords: tomato processing; steam peeling; lye peeling; infrared peeling; ohmic heating peeling; ultrasound peeling; peeling loss; Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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