Sustainable Protein from Food Waste: Modification Using Non-Thermal Techniques and Characterization
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: food waste protein is gaining popularity in the world as a sustainable source due to non-thermal modification and various desirable changes that take place
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Food waste is generated during processing of various foods. Discarded food may be used in land fillings that create pollution of soil, water and air. Therefore, it is imperative to use it as raw material for extraction of protein. Plant- and animal-derived proteins have recently attracted more attention in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to their health benefits such as availability, contamination, infection, less religious, cultural food habit limitations, and consumer lifestyle. Proteins serve as a crucial nutrient in the human diet and welfare. The nutritional quality substantially varies with their amino acid profile, biodigestibility, bioavailability, processing techniques, solubility, and purity. From a nutritional point of view, the therapeutic protein is now extensively used in medical field practices to treat various diseases. In addition, protein ingredients are widely used in the food industry because of their health benefits and functionality in food formulations due to their desired functionality.
Non-thermal processing/extraction techniques of protein are high-pressure processing, ultrasound treatment, microwave heating, radio frequency treatment, extrusion, supercritical carbon dioxide, and plasma technology are being used to induce significant changes in protein modification without alteration in its indigenous properties. Novel technique consumes less time, and less energy, and inexpensive eco-friendly technology has been considered as an alternative to conventional processing. Due to this processing, various functional and structural changes take place which makes it suitable as food ingredients. Therefore, it is imperative to develop novel modification methods to improve the functionality of food waste-based protein.
Prof. Dr. Pradyuman Kumar
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- food waste
- protein
- non-thermal processing
- protein modification
- functional properties
- structural properties
- nutritional value
- bioavailability
- in-vitro protein digestibility
- amino acid profile
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