Rocky Marius Q. De Ramos, Evelyn B. Taboada
In this work, a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment is conducted in order to assess the impact of pineapple production in the Philippines to the people and the environment, determine the predominant challenges of all pineapple growers and processors and identify opportunities for further improvement. The cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment includes the analysis of non-renewable energy use (NRE), carbon footprint, acidification potential, ozone creation potential, blue water and total water footprint of pineapple farming, processing, and packaging. With the use of 1 serving of fruit as a functional unit, processed pineapple has the higher NRE and carbon footprint as compared with fresh pineapple and other fruits like fresh apple and orange. Pineapple farming demands less water and the good tropical conditions of the Philippines negates the need for more irrigation. Processed pineapple demands more water than fresh pineapple because of the amount of water required in washing and other manufacturing processes involved. The current manufacturing process has the greatest environmental impact because of the use of bunker fuel. The distance from farm to processing also contribute to the increase in consumption of diesel and the inefficiency in the introduction of fertilizer can increase carbon emission. © 2018 Technoscience Publications. All rights reserved.
Engineering Graduate Program, School of Engineering, University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City, 6000, Philippines; Department of Industrial Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, Ateneo De Davao University, Davao City, 8000, Philippines; BioProcess Engineering and Research Center, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City, 6000, Philippines
