Scholarlink

Purpose <p>With the rapid growth of production and market demand for composite seasoning products (multi-ingredient blended seasonings), their carbon footprint has become a key challenge for emission reduction in the food industry. This study quantifies the carbon footprint of a large-scale manufacturer in China and establishes a refined, industry-specific accounting model to enable dynamic and hotspot-oriented carbon footprint assessment and low-carbon transformation. Beyond this case, the framework is intended to be transferable to other multi-ingredient processed foods with similar supply-chain complexity and variable energy demand.</p> Methods <p>Using the internationally recognized Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, a precise carbon footprint quantification model for composite seasoning products was developed on the SimaPro 9.0 platform. Three years of consecutive monthly activity data were used to capture inter-annual variability and seasonal patterns and to enhance the robustness of the assessment beyond single-year inventories. The study then quantified temporal dynamics of product carbon footprints and decomposed their stage- and ingredient-level contributions to identify key hotspots and drivers.</p> Results and discussion <p>The results show that the average carbon footprint per unit product over the three years was 2.05 t CO₂-eq/t, exhibiting a downward trend. The upstream material acquisition and preparation stage was the dominant emission source, contributing approximately 73%, with monosodium glutamate (MSG) accounting for about 24%. Production, packaging, and transportation contributed around 10%, 13%, and 4%, respectively. Dynamic analysis further revealed seasonal fluctuations: carbon footprints peaked during July–August and December–January, while a trough occurred in February, primarily due to temperature-driven electricity use and increased production intensity. The identified emission magnitudes of key inputs (e.g., MSG and salt) provide actionable evidence for ingredient-level mitigation and can inform carbon reduction strategies for other food products using similar materials.</p> Conclusion <p>This study demonstrates how a refined, industry-specific carbon footprint model can support dynamic evaluation and hotspot identification for composite seasoning production. The findings offer robust data support and methodological guidance for achieving precise carbon reduction and promoting green transformation in composite seasoning production. Future research should focus on expanding continuous operational datasets and exploring low-carbon alternatives for key materials to further enhance emission reduction efficiency and model applicability.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Three-year monthly analysis of carbon footprint dynamics and emission characteristics of composite seasoning products

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月21日

查看全文
  • Zichi An,
  • Zouxia Long,
  • Ziqiang Gan,
  • Junjie Li,
  • Yuhao Wen,
  • Wenli Han

摘要

Purpose

With the rapid growth of production and market demand for composite seasoning products (multi-ingredient blended seasonings), their carbon footprint has become a key challenge for emission reduction in the food industry. This study quantifies the carbon footprint of a large-scale manufacturer in China and establishes a refined, industry-specific accounting model to enable dynamic and hotspot-oriented carbon footprint assessment and low-carbon transformation. Beyond this case, the framework is intended to be transferable to other multi-ingredient processed foods with similar supply-chain complexity and variable energy demand.

Methods

Using the internationally recognized Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, a precise carbon footprint quantification model for composite seasoning products was developed on the SimaPro 9.0 platform. Three years of consecutive monthly activity data were used to capture inter-annual variability and seasonal patterns and to enhance the robustness of the assessment beyond single-year inventories. The study then quantified temporal dynamics of product carbon footprints and decomposed their stage- and ingredient-level contributions to identify key hotspots and drivers.

Results and discussion

The results show that the average carbon footprint per unit product over the three years was 2.05 t CO₂-eq/t, exhibiting a downward trend. The upstream material acquisition and preparation stage was the dominant emission source, contributing approximately 73%, with monosodium glutamate (MSG) accounting for about 24%. Production, packaging, and transportation contributed around 10%, 13%, and 4%, respectively. Dynamic analysis further revealed seasonal fluctuations: carbon footprints peaked during July–August and December–January, while a trough occurred in February, primarily due to temperature-driven electricity use and increased production intensity. The identified emission magnitudes of key inputs (e.g., MSG and salt) provide actionable evidence for ingredient-level mitigation and can inform carbon reduction strategies for other food products using similar materials.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates how a refined, industry-specific carbon footprint model can support dynamic evaluation and hotspot identification for composite seasoning production. The findings offer robust data support and methodological guidance for achieving precise carbon reduction and promoting green transformation in composite seasoning production. Future research should focus on expanding continuous operational datasets and exploring low-carbon alternatives for key materials to further enhance emission reduction efficiency and model applicability.