A Life Cycle Assessment of Dehydrated Apple Snacks

Abstract

This study identifies and assesses the main contributors to the environmental impact of dehydrated apple snacks produced through the hot air drying method, which is the most common method for dehydrating food. The study aims to fill the gap of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies regarding dehydrated apple snacks produced using the hot air drying method. A “cradle to gate” approach of an LCA is performed, including the apple production, storage and calibration, peeling and cutting, dehydration, and packaging stages. The inventory used is mainly primary data collected from a fresh and dehydrated apple snacks producer. The results show that the snack producer’s stages have a larger contribution to the majority of categories when compared to the fresh apple producer’s stages. The electricity consumption within the snack production and the use of liquefied petroleum gas in dehydration are shown to be the largest contributors to the majority of the impacts. However, apple production is also shown to have a relevant contribution to the impact categories due to the use of pesticides, fertilizers, diesel, and electricity.