This study explores the feasibility of producing electrolyzed water (EW) for post-harvest treatment of fruits and vegetables as a new substitute for current chemical products. A prototype generator using tap water and NaCl solution was tested for EW’s sanitization efficiency, energy, and economic costs. In vitro tests on Penicillium e., Aspergillus n., Botrytis c., and Alternaria a. assessed EW pH, chlorine concentration, electro-oxidative potential, pathogen contact time, and energy consumption. Optimal results were achieved with a pH of 4.6, electro-oxidative potential of 188 mV, active chlorine concentration of 3.4 mg/L, and a contact time of 1–2 min. The prototype produced 10.0 L of EW in 1 h, consuming 0.11 kWh of electricity. Real-scale energy consumption was 545 kWh/m³ EW, costing 12.51 euro/m³. The study concludes that optimizing EW production can reduce energy consumption, making it a viable alternative for industrial sanitization of fruits and vegetables.

This study evaluates the potential of acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) as an alternative sanitizing solution for the fruit and vegetable industry. Conducted on a near-industrial scale, the experiment used a 300 L solution with 10% AEW, measuring pH, free chlorine concentration, and electro-oxidative potential (EOP). The sanitizing efficacy of AEW was tested against common phytopathogens responsible for post-harvest decay including Penicillium expansum, Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, and Alternaria alternata. With a pH of 7.27, EOP of −0.40 mV, and free chlorine at 5 mg/L, AEW achieved an 85–90% decay reduction in a 2 min wash. Energy consumption for AEW production was notably lower than that for sodium hypochlorite, a widely used industrial sanitizer, and AEW production demonstrated a reduced environmental impact due to its recycling potential and favorable effluent properties. However, free chlorine levels necessitated further treatment before wastewater discharge.

Fermentation temperature plays a critical role in defining the chemical and sensory characteristics of wine. This study evaluates the thermal distribution and energy consumption of two fermentation techniques, Sequential Air-Modulated Injection System (AMI system) and pumping-over, during Syrah must fermentation. Temperature measurements at different depths of the fermentation tanks revealed that the AMI system maintained a more homogeneous thermal profile, reducing temperature gradients that could affect yeast metabolism. In contrast, the pumping-over system exhibited greater temperature fluctuations, potentially impacting fermentation kinetics. Energy consumption analysis showed that the AMI system required less external cooling, leading to lower energy demands compared to the pumping-over system. These results suggest that the AMI system offers advantages in terms of energy efficiency and temperature management, making it a viable alternative for sustainable winemaking. The findings highlight the need for optimized fermentation strategies to balance thermal control and energy use, ultimately improving wine quality.

The agri-food sector is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions while facing increasing demand for food production driven by population growth. Transitioning towards sustainable and low-carbon agricultural systems is therefore critical. Green hydrogen, produced from renewable energy sources, holds significant promise as a clean energy carrier and chemical feedstock to decarbonize multiple stages of the agri-food supply chain. This systematic review is based on a structured analysis of peer-reviewed literature retrieved from Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar, covering over 120 academic publications published between 2010 and 2025. This review provides a comprehensive overview of hydrogen’s current and prospective applications across agriculture and the food industry, highlighting opportunities to reduce fossil fuel dependence and greenhouse gas emissions. In agriculture, hydrogen-powered machinery, hydrogen-rich water treatments for crop enhancement, and the use of green hydrogen for sustainable fertilizer production are explored. Innovative waste-to-hydrogen strategies contribute to circular resource utilization within farming systems. In the food industry, hydrogen supports fat hydrogenation and modified atmosphere packaging to extend product shelf life and serves as a sustainable energy source for processing operations. The analysis indicates that near-term opportunities for green hydrogen deployment are concentrated in fertilizer production, food processing, and controlled-environment agriculture, while broader adoption in agricultural machinery remains constrained by cost, storage, and infrastructure limitations. Challenges such as scalability, economic viability, and infrastructure development are also discussed. Future research should prioritize field-scale demonstrations, technology-specific life-cycle and techno-economic assessments, and policy frameworks adapted to decentralized and rural agri-food contexts. The integration of hydrogen technologies offers a promising pathway to achieve carbon-neutral, resilient, and efficient agri-food systems that align with global sustainability goals and climate commitments.

A study was conducted in a winery in Puglia on the effect of cooling crushed and destemmed Bombino Nero grapes, comparing two different systems: (1) traditional indirect heat exchange using a water-cooled with a tube-in-tube heat exchanger and (2) a direct refrigeration system with a CO₂ system. The must obtained from crushed grapes cooled with CO₂, compared to that treated with an exchanger, has a lower ethanol content, greater presence of sugars and higher color and tone; these qualitative advantages are due to much faster cooling and deoxygenation, which slowed down the development of indigenous yeasts present on the surface of the grapes and allowed for greater extraction of the anthocyanin components in the must. These qualitative advantages give added value to the wine, justifying higher energy costs. In fact, the test results highlighted limitations associated with higher energy costs for the direct cooling system with CO₂ compared to the traditional one with indirect heat exchange. Energy consumption in the winery is lower for the CO₂ system, but energy and costs for capture, liquefaction and stockage must also be considered. However, from an energy and functional point of view, the potential advantages related to the clarification phase should not be neglected: it could be carried out at higher temperatures than those currently adopted for musts treated with CO_2, limiting the amount of the required CO₂ and consequently the total energy consumption for the whole process.

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