Papers by Hanen ben ismail
International Journal of Innovative Approaches in Agricultural Research, 2021
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak affected the whole world at different scales: politically, ec... more The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak affected the whole world at different scales: politically, economically, and socially, including compromising food security. All over the world people experienced significant changes contributing to different reactions and attitudes: fear, anxiety, depression... Therefore, this pandemic has altered their behaviour. This research aimed to evaluate to which extent crisis situation, like COVID-19 pandemic, would affect consumers interest to food labels, and the consequences on food waste. An online survey of 295 Tunisian consumers was conducted three months after COVID-19 lockdown. The survey collected information on demographic data, extent of household food waste, use and knowledge of food labelling information and food waste assessment. The pandemic situation enhanced consumers' interests to labels, as 61% of respondents stated to pay great attention to labels and to always check them. Elderly and university educated respondents are the most sensitive people to labels, in a COVID-19 context. Regarding understanding food labels, particularly date labels, Tunisian consumers still have some ambiguity as 33% could not provide correct answers about date labels definitions, which may lead to food spoilage and misuse. Interestingly, most of respondents declared to waste a low amount of food on post Covid-19 period. Their judgment in discarding a food product was based mostly on food storage considerations than on the use of date labels. These findings indicate the need of more effective communication about food labels, particularly date labels, in order to contribute in reducing household food waste, and potentially improving food security.
Agriculture
There is a growing interest in the Mediterranean regions to switch to conservation agriculture (C... more There is a growing interest in the Mediterranean regions to switch to conservation agriculture (CA) to address climate change and soil deterioration issues. The novelty of this study lies in the quality of the supply chain, from the raw material (durum wheat grain) to the ready-to-sell product (spaghetti), under long-term CA, and using two varieties over two years of study. This study aims to investigate the impact of two soil management systems (SM) (CA after 10/11 (since 2009–2010) years switching vs. conventional tillage (CT)) on grain quality, dough texture profile, and pasta quality of two Tunisian durum wheat varieties (Karim and Monastir) in a 2-year-long experiment (2019 and 2020). The results showed that the SM had a significant impact on the grain quality in both years in terms of protein content and wet gluten, which were, respectively, lower under CA (11.92% vs. 11.15% for protein content) and (18.75% vs. 17.68% for wet gluten) in the wet year. These parameters increased...
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
The North African Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, 2022
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic deeply marked 2020 at different scales: socially, economically,... more Background: The COVID-19 pandemic deeply marked 2020 at different scales: socially, economically, and environmentally. Accordingly, several changes were observed at these different scales. Aims: This study aimed to highlight changes induced by COVID-19 lockdown on consumer behaviors and awareness related to food consumption and wastage during a celebration period, Ramadan in Tunisia. Methodology: An online survey on 317 respondents (71.6% women and 28.4% men) was carried out during the first 15 days of Ramadan season and was focused on demographic data, awareness and attitudes toward food waste, food purchase and consumption habits. Results: Although the COVID-19 has impaired the construction of Iftar menus, 53.9% of respondents have kept preparing, overcooking and consuming traditional meals. Interestingly about 66% claimed decreasing food waste this year. Conclusion: Results of this study have clearly established that time of crisis has led to virtuous consumers’ behaviors and att...
Dans le but de valoriser et diversifier les bio ressources exploitables des côtes tunisiennes, 2 ... more Dans le but de valoriser et diversifier les bio ressources exploitables des côtes tunisiennes, 2 espèces d’Holothuries H. tubulosa et H. polii récoltées dans les franges littorales de Bizerte, Nabeul et au golfe de Tunis ont servi à l’étude de la composition physico-chimique de ces échinodermes. Leur teneur en oligo-éléments a montré respectivement une quantité appréciable en oligo-éléments notamment le calcium. Quant à leur composition en acides gras, et bien que ces espèces ont présenté des teneurs faibles en lipides, elles présentent toutefois un intérêt nutritionnel non négligeable vu leurs teneurs intéressantes en oméga 3.
DOI: 10.21276/sjeat.2018.3.8.2 Abstract: Despite their well-known harmfulness to human health, pe... more DOI: 10.21276/sjeat.2018.3.8.2 Abstract: Despite their well-known harmfulness to human health, pesticides persist largely used for plant cultivation. These molecules are highly resistant to degradation by plant metabolism, while their presence, even as traces is dangerous at phytosanitary quality and environment impact. Now, due to regulations and quality standards, food industries seek to control these contamination risks and conduct research on technologies able to efficiently eliminate pesticide residue traces. Since the mechanisms of eradicating molecules are classified in three ways of evaporation, dissolution, and thermal degradation; the decontamination process should depend on three important factors: i/ the nature of the products (composition and technological/structural aptitude), ii/ the nature of the pesticides (volatility, solubility, and thermal stability), and iii/ the type of the disinfection process. The instant treatment operations have the particularity of 1/ weak...
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to far-reaching health, social, and economic ... more The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to far-reaching health, social, and economic consequences. In order to secure the safety of students and staff, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has established general guidelines for University campuses including canteens, based on prevention and protective measures. Food wastage is a major global issue impairing food security. The objective of the present study was to evaluate these COVID-19 measures on food wastage in a Tunisian University canteen. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the university canteen has changed their practices by setting up a meal bag service for lunch and dinner. Face to face interviews based on a structured questionnaire, were conducted during one month on 154 on 143 student respondents (mean age 23 years old, 76% women) in June 2020, after COVID-19 lockdown lifting. Interestingly the COVID-19 crisis has positively impacted the students’ awareness about food wastage since 28% of resp...
Background: The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most widely grown edible legume specie... more Background: The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most widely grown edible legume species in Tunisia. The physical properties of three white varieties of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) namely; 'Twila', 'Coco', and 'Beldia' were investigated. Objective: This study projects the physical properties of beans in view of designing the equipments necessary for harvesting, handling, sorting, and processing. Methods: Physical and morphological studies were done for each variety by conventional methods. Seed mass, seed size, seed density, hydration capacity, hydration index, hydration coefficient, swelling capacity, swelling index, and swelling coefficient was determined for the three varieties. Results: The bean varieties which used in this study showed large variability in all physical and morphological features. The results revealed that seed mass, seed size, seed density, hydration capacity, hydration index, hydration coefficient, swelling capacity, swelling index, and swelling coefficient ranged from 27.63-50.95 g/ 100 seeds, medium-large, 1.26-1.34 g/ mL, 0.22-0.53 g/ seed, 0.47-0.52, 1.94-2.12 %, 0.21-0.50 mL/ g, 0.23-0.57, and 2.22-2.48 %, accordingly. Conclusion: In view of nutritional importance of (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seeds, impact of soaking, cooking, autoclaving, and germination on their antinutritional factors needs further insight.
Journal of Medicinal Food, 2015
This research aimed at assessing the content and the functional properties of phytohemagglutinin ... more This research aimed at assessing the content and the functional properties of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in different varieties of beans widely consumed in Tunisia through soaking, cooking, autoclaving, germination, and their combinations. This study was carried out on three varieties of white beans grown in different localities of Tunisia, namely Twila, Coco, and Beldia, as well as on imported and local canned beans. All bean samples underwent biochemical and immunological evaluation by employing several techniques such as indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), hemagglutinating assay, Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Biochemical and immunological analyses indicated that raw dry beans contained a considerable amount of proteins and PHAs. ELISA demonstrated that soaking, either in plain water or in alkaline solution, caused an increase in the concentration of PHA. A slight increase of PHA was produced equally by germination during 4 days in all bean varieties. Cooking or autoclaving of presoaked beans resulted in a complete disappearance of PHA. ELISA test also proved that both imported and local canned beans contained fingerprints of PHA. Hemagglutination assays showed that not only cooked and autoclaved presoaked beans lacked the ability to agglutinate red blood cells but also autoclaved unsoaked beans did. In agar gel immunodiffusion using rabbit anti-PHA serum, raw, soaked, cooked unsoaked, and sprouted beans gave precipitin arc reactions, indicating that PHA existed in immunoreactive form in the tested seeds. SDS-PAGE electrophoretograms showed protein isolates of Twila and Beldia beans to have different profiles through soaking, cooking, and autoclaving processes. This work revealed that the combination of soaking and cooking/autoclaving was the best way in reducing PHA content and its activity in all bean varieties when compared with germination.
Industries alimentaires …, 2003
Résumé/Abstract Deux cent souches de bactéries halotolérantes ont été isolées, en surface et en p... more Résumé/Abstract Deux cent souches de bactéries halotolérantes ont été isolées, en surface et en profondeur, au cours de la maturation d'un fromage industriel de type Camembert fabriqué avec du lait de vache pasteurisé, sur une période de 30 jours. L'identification des ...
Uluslararası tarım araştırmalarında yenilikçi yaklaşımlar dergisi, Sep 30, 2022
Food waste reduction strategy involves a quantification of food waste generation. This work aimed... more Food waste reduction strategy involves a quantification of food waste generation. This work aimed to evaluate the volume and the type of post consumption food waste and to identify its main causes in a university canteen (INAT, Tunis, Tunisia). Based on a direct method, wasted food was weighed with an electronic scale, during 23 working days. Three main food groups were quantified: prepared food (PF), plate waste (PW), which is the amount of food rejected by students and left on their plates, and non-served food (NS), which is the amount of food not distributed to diners and remaining in the serving bowls. Daily direct quantification has revealed that average meals served was 209 kg/day, whereas as average food daily waste was 15.90 % of PF, 0.074 kg per student and 13.4% of PF were non-served. The average index of waste/consumption was approximately 17 %, and classified as bad, and the per capita plate was 29.3 g. The daily quantities of food waste varied from 0 to 15 kg. The most rejected foodstuffs were stews (25.3%), pasta and cereal products (20.7%), and especially bread with a waste percentage of 43%. Cause and effect diagram coupled with interviews and survey allowed identifying principal causes for the food waste generation: perceived sensory quality, poor food presentation, poor menu planning and poor management of the fluctuation of the students' number (the quantities served were not adjusted) as well as customers' behaviours and habits. The cost of this food waste was estimated to 15.2% of the canteen annual budget. Potential interventions for food waste preventions are discussed.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic-related measures in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region have resul... more The COVID-19 pandemic-related measures in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region have resulted in many lifestyle modifications, including changes in diet and food buying patterns among adults. However, the pandemic has impacted women and men differently and exacerbated existing socio-economic and gender inequalities. Indeed, numerous studies conducted worldwide have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionately negative impact on women compared to males. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the effects of COVID-19 on women’s food behaviors in three countries of the North Africa sub-region, namely, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. The study was based on an online poll conducted by SurveyMonkey from 15 September to 5 November 2020, with 995 participants. The outcomes of the research found that when compared to men, (1) women tend to consume more food out of fear, anxiety, or boredom; (2) women prefer to eat more unhealthy food; (3) women tend to stockpile a greater amou...
Annals of Microbiology
Purpose With the present work, we aimed to assess the occurrence of ochratoxigenic fungi and Ochr... more Purpose With the present work, we aimed to assess the occurrence of ochratoxigenic fungi and Ochratoxin A (OTA) in dried grapes from Tunisia. Methods Dried grapes samples (n = 90) were investigated for the presence of ochratoxigenic fungi, which were further characterized at the species level through amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product sequencing. Fungal isolates were tested for their ochratoxigenic potential by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD), as well as dried grapes samples after an immunoaffinity column (IAC) clean-up procedure. Results Black Aspergilli isolates were the dominant genre among the filamentous fungi found in dried grapes samples and were the only OTA-producing fungi encountered. Aspergillus niger aggregate were the most frequently found isolates reaching 70%, 80%, and 85% in dried grapes samples from regions of Kelibia, Sfax, and Rafraf, respectively, ...
Annals of Microbiology
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
Materials, Feb 23, 2020
This article presents a novel potential bio-based rejuvenator derived from waste pig fat (WPF) fo... more This article presents a novel potential bio-based rejuvenator derived from waste pig fat (WPF) for use in recycled asphalt applications. To achieve this purpose, the impact of different doses waste pig fat (e.g., 0, 3, 6, and 9 wt.% WPF) on the reclaimed asphalt pavement binder (RAP-B) performance is investigated. The unmodified and WPF-modified asphalts are characterized by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thin-layer chromatography–flame ionization detection (TLC-FID), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Physico-rheological properties of asphalt blends are assessed through Brookfield viscometer, softening point, penetration, and dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) tests. TLC-FID data highlighted that incremental WPF addition into RAP-B restored its original balance maltenes-to-asphaltenes ratio; finding which was supported by FT-IR analysis. SEM disclosed that WPF has a great compatibility with the aged asphalt. AFM observations showed that grease treatment induced a decline in surface roughness (i.e., bee structures) and a rise in friction force (i.e., para-phase dimension) of RAP binder. TGA/DSC studies revealed that the bio-modifier not only possesses an excellent thermal stability but also can substantially enhance the binder low-temperature performance. Empirical and DSR tests demonstrated that WPF improved the low-temperature performance grade of RAP-B, reduced its mixing and compaction temperatures, and noticeably boosted its fatigue cracking resistance. The rejuvenation of aged asphalt employing WPF is feasible and can be an ideal approach to recycle both of RAP and waste pig fats.
Environment, Development and Sustainability
The 2019-2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a public health issue. Lockdown is among options ... more The 2019-2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a public health issue. Lockdown is among options suggested to reduce spread of the virus. This study aimed to determining the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on Tunisian consumer awareness, attitudes and behaviors related to food wastage. An online survey was conducted during the first 2 weeks of COVID-19 lockdown. The survey collected information on demographic data, awareness and attitudes toward food waste, food purchase behavior and household food expenditure estimation; extent of household food waste; willingness and information needs to reduce food waste. This study included 284 respondents. About 89% of respondents claimed to be aware of food waste, and the COVID-19 lockdown would impact for 93% of respondents, their waste levels, and for 80%, their grocery shopping habits. Interestingly, the COVID-19 lockdown improved food shopping performances and pushed toward a positive behavioral change regarding food wastage: 85% respondents declared nothing of what they bought would be discarded, and most of the respondents have set up a strategy of saving, storing and eating leftovers. The most cited reasons given for discarding food were overcooking, inappropriate storage and overbuying. Consumers' changes in food waste prevention might be probably driven more by the socioeconomical context of the COVID-19 lockdown (i.e. food availability, restricted movements, loss of income), than by a pro-environmental concern. Finally, our study pointed out the consumers' needs of information for taking further action. In conclusion, our study can constitute a basis to further promote household food waste prevention behavior, outlasting the COVID-19 crisis.
Food and Bioprocess Technology, 2016
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Papers by Hanen ben ismail