Abstract

The functional unit (FU) of foods has always been a topic of discussion within life cycle analysis (LCA) of foods. The main issue is the complexity of foods, both their multiple environmental impacts and their multiple nutritional values. As a result, no FU covering the actual functions have been developed. Nutritition is complex in itself with the large number of nutrients involved. The value of a certain nutrient in a single product is not static; it depends on the dietary context. We focus on nutritional value, and choose protein content and quality as basis. Protein supply is a critical aspect of food security, and protein can be produced by different means, with different environmental impacts and different quality in terms of amino acid profile and digestibility. We have developed a methodology that considers the content and quality of protein, the digestibility and the dietary context. The result is "g quality weighted protein index/kg product (PQI)", specific for the diet of which the product is part.

Published in

Title: International conference on Life Cycle Assessment as reference methodology for assessing supply chains and supporting global sustainability challenges : LCA for "Feeding the Planet and Energy for Life"
ISBN: 978-88-8286-321-0
Publisher: ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development

Conference

EXPO 2015 Conference: LCA for "Feeding the planet and energy for life"

SLU Authors

• Hessle, Anna

  • Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Lindberg, Mikaela

  • Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Witthöft, Cornelia

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Linnaeus University

UKÄ Subject classification

Food Science
Animal and Dairy Science


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/70080