Análise comparativa do ciclo de vida de produtos alimentícios industriais e artesanais da culinária mineira

Abstract

Although the largest share of demand for food products typical of Minas Gerais such as minas cheese and milk candy is catered for by industrial production, much of it still consists of handicraft products. The production of milk candy in Brazil is made by many companies, from large to small dairy artisan producers and according to data from Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas (SEBRAE) in 2008, 40% of total cheese produced in Brazil was supplied by craft production. This study presents the application of the tool of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the products: minas cheese and milk candy, determining which type of process, industrial or craft, that generates less environmental impact. To this end, the analysis was also performed in two kinds ofindividual processes (industrial and artisanal) of each product analyzed, also determining the environmental impact by stages of the life cycle. Data collection for the study was conducted through visits to artisan producers and industrial producers of minas cheese and milk candy. The data collected from field research were included in the SimaPro software, and impact analysis of the life cycle was carried out using the method Eco-Indicator 99. Results indicate that the artisanal production causes less harm to the environment in both products, minas cheeseand milk candy, and that the stage of milk production is the largest generator of environmental impact in the life cycle of the industrial cheese, artisanal cheese and artisanal milk candy. In the life cycle of the milk candy industrial the step of mixing and cooking had a higher environmental impact. Among the impact categories evaluated in this study, the highlights are the respiration of inorganic particles, land use and climate change. These results show in the analysis areexplained by the use of electricity by industrial producers.