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The purpose of this paper is to explore and compare consumer perceptions of unpolished pigmented rice and milled white rice between unfamiliar and typical consumers.

This study first employed focus groups to explore attitudes and habits relating to rice consumption among British subjects. A sensory descriptive analysis method, flash profiling (FP), was then applied on consumer panels in the UK and Thailand to gain perceived sensory quality of unfamiliar and typical rice samples. The sensory profiles generated by British and Thai panellists were analysed by generalised procrustean analysis (GPA) and compared based on perceived attributes, dominant characteristics and repeatability.

Focus group results suggested that consumer familiarity with rice might influence preferred rice textural quality. The prominent textures of stickiness and bittiness of unpolished pigmented rice were negatively associated with perceived quality in the UK participants. The sensory profiles generated by GPA consisted of similarity with darkness of colour and sweet/earthy type odours that are key dominant characteristics of the Thai pigmented rice.

The research has provided sensory information of the unpolished pigmented rice as compared with milled white rice. The information gives insights on product development directions for export and further research on rice processing and cooking instructions.

This study is the first to apply sensory evaluation in a cross-cultural comparison of pigmented rice.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the implications of and assess the economic and sustainable impact of environmentally friendly technological packages introduced into agribusiness players in the centre of chilli-producing regions of Indonesia.

This study used a theory of optimisation in production as a fundamental analysis. Producers are assumed to maximise profit by allocating rational amounts of inputs as the components of technological packages. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. The rate of technology adoption was evaluated, and agribusiness performance was measured using an economic advantage and technical efficiency. Data were compiled using group discussions and individual surveys.

The packages of technologies improved economic and sustainability performance of agribusiness resulting from efficient use of agrochemicals and water resource, and increase the production. Socio-economic and technical factors influenced performance farmers, as agribusiness players responded positively towards the ecological technology packages.

The sustainability of agribusiness was indicated by the reduction in agrochemical use and by the efficient use of water irrigation. There are other measures of sustainability, which are beyond this study. Additional studies are expected to fill the gap.

Considerable potential exists for broad adoption of these technological packages in Indonesia if they are disseminated effectively and in a close partnership with local extension agencies, farmers’ organisations, local non-governmental organisations and private sectors.

This study provides a realistic representation of a current condition because this is an empirical study conducted at the grass-root level. Sustainability of agribusiness practices was achieved with ecological technological packages.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer preferences towards innovative rice products, and cross-cultural determinants of customers’ perceived value and loyalty.

A self-administered survey was designed to obtain participants’ perceptions about Thai rice, and preferences towards innovative Thai rice products. A total of 937 surveys were distributed and 908 valid surveys were returned, yielding a 96.7 per cent overall response rate. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assure the reliability and validity of the measures used in the survey instrument. Structural equation modelling was employed to assess the five hypothesised relationships between the four elements of the marketing mix, customer perceived value, and post-purchase behaviour, and to compare the path coefficients across the two cultural groups.

The findings reported herein show that eastern and western customers’ perceptions of marketing mix variables positively impact their perceptions of value, in turn, enhancing their loyalty to Thai rice. A successful marketing strategy should meet changing customer needs through adopting new products, services and unique marketing mix bundles. Such strategies should be tailored to the differing needs across cultures, and can address issues arising from changing competitive and environmental landscapes.

The first limitation concerns the scope of the study. Specifically, the authors only conducted surveys during a two-month time period in 2018; the sampling sites were limited to several shopping malls in Bangkok; and the authors surveyed a high proportion of young, single, educated participants. The second limitation pertains to the selection and adaptation of constructs and their observed variables (such as the 4P indicators). Most of the observed variables were selected based on a literature review and the opinions of the scholars who participated in this study.

These results should be beneficial to members of the international rice industry, Thai rice exporters, the Thai government and to academics. Long-term success will be supported by focused attention on target segments and launch of innovative rice products that match differing preferences across nationalities.

Understanding consumers’ perspectives and preferences are critical to appropriate positioning and marketing of value-added Thai rice products. This study represents one of the first attempts to integrate marketing mix decisions, customers’ perceived value and loyalty within a Thai rice purchase behaviour context across eastern and western customers.

The theory of complex adaptive systems (CASs) represents an interesting perspective to study the characteristics of circular supply chains (CSCs). In this regard, the current literature lacks evidence regarding coordination and integration mechanisms, characteristics of the environment and emerging system properties of CSCs. This paper aims to fill this gap and focuses on how and why companies design (i.e. configure and coordinate) their CSCs and what value these design choices help to create across different industries.

The authors use a multiple case study approach and analyze data collected from a sample of five sustainable start-ups operating in the fashion and construction industries in Italy to better understand how these companies design (i.e. configure and coordinate) their CSCs.

Results reveal that in the two industries under investigation, the design of CSCs built around open and closed–loop logic is triggered by the intention to solve a negative sustainability impact. The sustainability impact determines whether the value is restored within the same supply chain, in another, or inside or outside the same industry. Interestingly, start-ups appear to coordinate other CSC actors with three leading roles: (1) orchestrator, (2) integrated orchestrator and (3) circular manufacturer. The coordination role of the start-ups differs in each supply chain configuration based on the level of vertical integration of manufacturing activities.

From a theoretical perspective, the authors' results expand previous supply chain management (SCM) literature by presenting an empirical analysis of the configuration and coordination of CSCs, and discussing the drivers for creating such circularity from a CAS perspective. From a managerial perspective, the authors offer a practical experience to entrepreneurs on how to transform circular and sustainable business model aspirations into CSC practices.

The purpose of this paper is to study the possibility of preparing high performance, agro‐based composites from rice straw, using eco‐polyalcohol polymers‐based adhesive system. The utilization of rice straw (undesirable biowastes) for the production of high quality biocomposite products, will add economic value, help to reduce the environmental impact of waste disposal and, most importantly, provide a potentially inexpensive alternative to the existing commercial artificial wood‐panels.

Simple synthesizing and optimizing the polyalcohol polymers‐based non‐toxic adhesive system were carried out, by blending corn starch, as natural polyalcohol polymer with polyvinyl alcohol, as synthetic polyalcohol polymers‐based adhesive (St/PV adhesive), at temperature ∼75°C. The percentages of adhesive components, type of starch, bonding temperature and time were optimized. Assessment of the synthesized adhesive was performed from its adhesion behavior (bond strength), in comparison with commercial thermosetting resin (urea‐formaldehyde), as well as the properties (mechanical and physical properties) of the composites produced. The effects of amount and type of water resistance co‐additives (paraffin wax and polyester), on mechanical properties of RS‐based composite were also optimized.

The promising adhesive system exhibits improved performance over a previously commercially HCHO‐based adhesive (UF), and results bonding strength 9.8 N/mm2, as well as MOR, IB and TS of RS‐based composites up to 31 N/mm2, 0.49 N/mm2 and 20%, respectively.

Through the studied eco‐adhesive with relatively high natural polyalcohol polymer (starch) in presence of water‐resistance additive (PE) provided a good bonding strength and comparative RS‐based composite properties, with that produced from commercial UF. For the mechanical properties (MOR and IB) are complied the standard values; while water resistance is still higher. Further study is needed to solve this problem.

The approach provided a HCHO‐free adhesive with good bonding strength, comparative board strength and water resistance, reasonable working life, and without formaldehyde emission. Starch‐based adhesive with low percentages of polyvinyl alcohol is considered a promising inexpensive alternate adhesive in wood industry based on rice straw wastes, which traditionally required expensive pMDI.

The paper provides a potential way to utilise undesirable rice by‐product (RS), corn starch as industrial raw material. This will benefit farmers significantly. Meanwhile, the modified starch adhesive with low percentage of PVA is promising to partly or completely replace urea formaldehyde resin and pMDI that are mainly used in wood industry, or pMDI in RS‐based artificial wood, avoiding formaldehyde emission or toxic gases during exposed to burning, and reducing the dependence on petroleum products.

This paper analysed survey data of 715 rice-producing households in China to assess the determinants of adoption of five mutually exclusive soil conservation practices (SCPs) and their impact on rice yield and chemical fertiliser use.

The multinomial endogenous treatment effects model was used to account for selection bias and endogeneity arising from both observed and unobserved heterogeneity.

Farms that adopted SCPs as a package experienced an increase in rice yield and decrease in chemical fertiliser use. Adoption of SCPs as a package led to a 12.0% increase in yield and 15.2% decrease in chemical fertiliser use; these results have policy implications for the non-point source pollution control in the agricultural sector. In contrast, adoption of straw retention only significantly reduced yield by 4.9% and increased chemical fertiliser use by 18.1%.

The authors evaluate and compare multi-type of SCPs, such as straw retention, deep tillage and use of organic fertiliser, separately or in combination, and their impacts on smallholder farmers’ rice yield and chemical fertiliser usage.

Solid-state fermentation (SSF) has been highlighted as an alternative to obtain valuable compounds using agro-industrial wastes as a substrate. The present study evaluated the impact of extrusion combined with SSF on the production of phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity using pecan nut shell (PWS) as a substrate.

PWS and extruded pecan nut shell (PWSE) were fermented for 120 h at 30°C using Aspergillus oryzae (A. oryzae). Samples were withdrawn from incubator at 6 h, 12 h and then every 12 h until 120 h fermentation. PWS and PWSE samples were extracted. The total phenolic content (TPC) and radical scavenging activity (RSA) extracts were characterized from the resulting extracts.

The use of PWSE yielded higher A. oryzae biomass and at a higher rate after 120 h of fermentation (PWS 75.74% vs PWSE 87.50%). In general, the TPC and the RSA increased with fermentation time. However, the PWSE yielded significantly higher (p < 0.05) TPC and RSA values after SSF in comparison to the nonextruded PWS. Condensed tannins showed different trends depending on the fermented substrate. Overall, results showed that the extrusion pretreatment joint with the SSF represents a good alternative to raise the phenolic content and antiradical activity of lignocellulosic materials such as PWSs.

This study offers valuable information that may be used by the pecan walnut industry to valorize the shell coproduct as a substrate to produce functional ingredients or fungal enzymes.

Bagasse and rice straw lignins undergo different treatments, e.g. acid hydrolysis, oxidation with hydrogen peroxide and thermal treatment, before being used as a partial replacement for phenol in phenol formaldehyde resin. These treatments improved the resin formation properties of the lignin. The effect of these treatments on the improvement of the properties of the resin produced has the following sequence: lignin treated with HCl (1‐3N) > lignin treated with H₂O₂ (1‐3 per cent) > thermally treated lignin (120‐140°C). The improvement of the properties of the resin produced from bagasse lignin is greater than that produced from rice straw lignin. The treatment of rice straw lignin with acid increases its ability to form a resin. Treatment of rice straw lignin with acid leads to its increased concentration in the phenol lignin formaldehyde resin with good properties. In general, the resin produced from treated lignin has better properties than resin produced from untreated lignin.