Plenary Speakers

• Plenary Lecture 1

  

  Carbon emissions and how to mitigate them

  Professor Judith EVANS

  Heating and Cooling Research Group, School of Engineering, London South Bank University

  Studies have estimated that 26-35% of global greenhouse gas emissions are a result of food and agriculture. Approximately 18-29% of these emissions are related to the food supply chain (the remaining proportion is related to land use, crop and animal production). The food industry is important both economically and is integral to many of the UNs sustainable development goals. The food sector often has a large impact on the GDP of a country, and this is especially the case in less developed countries.
  Refrigeration has a significant role to play in creating secure, sustainable and resilient food chains. Approximately 13% of the food produced in the world is lost because of a lack of refrigeration which if correctly refrigerated could feed 950 million inhabitants per year . In low-income countries most of the food is lost at the start of the chain and this is due to poor logistics, lack of cooling and poor handling and practices. In high income countries food is mainly wasted at the consumer end of the cold chain. It is essential to limit food loss and waste as this not only contributes to carbon emissions but results in less food being available for consumption.
  Othe emissions in food chains originate from the energy that is used to operate the refrigeration systems and for the heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Emissions also result from any gas used for heating and emissions from leakage of refrigerants. Refrigeration often consumes the greatest proportion of the electricity energy and significant opportunities exist to reduce energy and carbon emissions. The focus of this keynote is on technologies and strategies available to food chain operators to reduce their carbon emissions. This covers the emissions that they generate today and also how emissions moving forward 2050 could be reduced to ultimately assess how they could become zero carbon.

• Plenary Lecture 2

  

  Multiscale modelling of food refrigeration processes

  Prof. Bart Nicolaï

  Biosystems Department – MeBioS Division Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
  Director of Vlaams Centrum voor Bewaring van Tuinbouwproducten vzw - Flanders Centre of Postharvest Technology

  Computational models are increasingly utilized in designing food refrigeration processes. These models typically focus on a specific spatial scale according to the design requirements. For instance, system-wide models handle energy transfers across the entire refrigeration plant, whereas more detailed heat transfer models allow for calculations such as temperature distribution within the refrigerated food. Consequently, the design challenge is broken down into smaller problems, each independently solved. However, the behavior of the food refrigeration process at larger scales is often influenced by small features of the food product, which current reductionist design methodologies struggle to accommodate due to the diverse spatial scales involved.
  A new modeling paradigm, known as multiscale modeling, has recently emerged to tackle this issue. Multiscale models consist of a hierarchy of interconnected models at different spatial scales. Numerical experiments are conducted at the smallest scale to compute apparent parameters, which are then integrated into a model operating at a coarser scale. This iterative process continues until the largest scale is reached. The advantage lies in enabling refrigeration engineers to directly assess the impact of design decisions at the smallest scale on the operation of the entire refrigeration process.
  This presentation introduces the multiscale modeling paradigm for food refrigeration design. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of obtaining accurate 3D geometric models of food using advanced tomographic techniques at multiple scales, as well as the importance of considering spatial heterogeneity. Approaches to creating virtual food materials with spatial features matching real food materials, yet parameterized for simulation studies and refrigeration process design, will be discussed. The methodology will be exemplified through examples of postharvest storage of pome fruit.

• Plenary Lecture 3

  

  The status and issues of Frozen Foods and Cold Chains in Japan
  & development of natural refrigerant units for the industrial refrigeration market

  Mr. Kuniaki KAWAMURA

  Mayekawa Mfg. Co., Ltd. Advisory Board Member
  JSRAE Honorary President
  WASEDA University Adjunct Researcher

  Worldwide, there are demands for Cold Chains securing the long-term preservation of food related to quality, ensuring safety, and reducing food losses. High energy demand and installation costs have been pointed out as risks. This lecture outlines pros and cons of Cold Chains, and describes the status and prospects for Frozen Foods and Cold Chains in Japan.
  In Japan, the use of natural refrigerants in the refrigeration market is progressing as a countermeasure against global warming and environmental impact. Japanese government support continues for applying natural refrigerant units. This lecture explains the technological development and development of natural refrigerants in the industrial refrigeration market.