The consumer decision-making process for buying food products is based on various factors. One of these is the perceived value that the consumer acquires upon seeing a certification label, such as “Protected Designation of Origin” (PDO) and “Protected Geographical Indication” (PGI), which is an indicator of product quality and the degree of sustainability of the supply chain. The aim of the study is to identify the main factors influencing the behaviour and purchasing intentions of Italian consumers through the divulgation of a survey and the application of a statistical approach. The results were elaborated upon using a conceptual model, estimated following the partial least squares approach to structural equation modelling. As a result, the perception of quality influences purchasing decisions and food patterns, as labels play an increasing role in contemporary society, thus making quality standards relevant for the buying outcome. This research contributes to supporting studies on the importance of certifications of origin, as well as highlighting that food safety is a major determinant in the purchasing of certified food products.

Nowadays, arsenic (As) accumulation in agricultural soils and its transfer in crop yields is representing a growing concern that threatens food safety and security in the Mediterranean environment. Soil tillage and fertilization may increase the accumulation of As in plant tissues; therefore, there is a need to develop sustainable agronomical practices capable of supporting crop yield while mitigating As accumulation. The current study was carried out through a 7-year experiment with the aim of evaluating the As uptake by different parts of the durum wheat plant. The experimental treatments include the following: (i) three soil tillage practices (plowing, subsoiling, and spading) and (ii) two fertilization methods (mineral and organic). A factorial randomized complete block design with three replications was adopted. The experimental period refers to the 2018/2019, 2019/2020, and 2020/2021 growing seasons. The results suggest that the maximum level of As was found in plant roots and the minimum in wheat kernels. The chemical fertilization as 2020 × Mineral (1.522 mg As kg⁻¹ d.m.) and 2020 × Plowing (1.855 mg As kg⁻¹ d.m.) had the maximum As content in the roots. Conversely, the content of As was at a minimum in the wheat kernels for organic fertilization as 2021 × Organic (0.012 mg As kg⁻¹ d.m.) and subsoiling tillage as 2021 × Subsoiling (0.008 mg As kg⁻¹ d.m.). Moreover, the application of an organic fertilization source as a tool for enhancing the soil organic matter content also significantly decreased the As content. The results suggest that reduced tillage practices and the adoption of organic amendment could be classified as sustainable agronomic practices in agri-food systems, which are able to improve plant quality and assure a safe consumption of wheat kernels.

Nowadays, Arsenic accumulation in agricultural soils and its transfer in crop yields is representing a growing concern that threat to food safety and security in Mediterranean environment. Soil tillage and fertilization may increase the accumulation of Arsenic in plant tissues, therefore, there is the need to develop sustainable agronomical practices able to support crop yield while mitigate As accumulation. The current study carried out in a 7-year long-term experiment with the aim to evaluate As uptake by different plant parts of durum wheat. The experimental treatments are: (i) three soil tillage practices (plowing, subsoiling and spading) and (ii) two fertilization methods (mineral and organic). A factorial randomized complete block design with three replications was adopted. The experimental period refers to the 2018/2019, 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 growing seasons. The results suggested that the maximum level of Arsenic was found in plant roots and minimum was found in wheat kernels. The chemical fertilization as 2020×Mineral (1.522 mg As kg-1 d.m) and 2020×Plowing (1.855 mg As kg-1 d.m) had the maximum Arsenic content in roots. Conversely, the level of Arsenic content was minimum in wheat kernels for organic fertilization as 2021×Organic (0.012 mg As kg-1 d.m) and subsoiling tillage as 2021×Subsoiling (0.008 mg As kg-1 d.m.). Moreover, the application of organic fertilization source, as a tool for enhancing the soil organic matter content also significantly decreased the Arsenic level. The results suggests that reduced tillage practices and adoption of organic amendment could be identified as sustainable agronomic practices in agri-food systems able to improve the quality and assure a safe consumption of wheat kernels. Further studies will be required to evaluate the effectiveness of these agronomical practices also in other crops.

Evidence from the literature highlights a strong consumer preference and/or purchase intention for fortified food products due to their health benefits. They prefer enriched food products with an increase of micronutrients and a better nutritional profile, specific for their needs. Yet sensory appeal remains a key driver to their final acceptance and at the same time, there are few evidence in literature regarding organoleptic aspect of horticultural fortified. Investigating sensory profiles is therefore critical to developing enriched food products that meet both health expectations and hedonic preferences. This paper aims to evaluate organoleptic aspects of a radish plant enriched with magnesium, and a combination of magnesium and zeolite solution, using a trained panel of tasters. Data collected were analyzed using the Co-efficient of Variation, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) tests. Treatment samples with magnesium solutions increased magnesium concentrations relative to the control sample. The estimated increase is 27.2% in swollen root and 58.4% in leaf. In fact, the treatment significantly altered the sensory profiles of the radish plant. Both magnesium and magnesium and zeolite samples significantly exhibited lower bitterness and crunchiness intensity while showing an increase intensity of spiciness. Notably, the treatment samples were perceived as spicier but less bitter than the control sample. Sensory profiles of functional foods are altered by incorporation of nutrients and foliar treatments, ultimately having the ability to affect the hedonic preferences of potential consumers. The study produces new data on the topic of sustainable product innovation in the agri-food industry, delineating new opportunities for future research. Finally, it addresses the gap in the literature on fortified vegetable sensory evaluation. A further hedonic analysis with a larger number of panelists along with surveys assessing consumer willingness to consume and purchase these products are needed.