Valorization of Agri-Food Byproducts and Fresh Produce Waste to Generate High-Value Food Ingredients
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 18 December 2025 | Viewed by 82
Special Issue Editor
Interests: dietary antioxidants; phytochemicals; polyphenols; flavonoids and their derivatives; chemoprevention; molecular mechanisms of action; DNA damage signaling and DNA repair; postbiotics of polyphenols
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Globally, enormous quantities of agri-food byproducts and fresh produce waste are generated every year, and yet much of this material remains vastly underutilized. These byproducts, ranging from fruit peels and vegetable trimmings to cereal bran and seed husks, are often discarded despite being rich in essential macro- and micronutrients, dietary fiber, and a wide array of bioactive phytochemicals. With growing concerns over food security, environmental sustainability, and resource efficiency, there is an urgent need to reimagine these waste streams as valuable raw materials. For example, advanced green extraction technologies, such as supercritical fluid extraction, microwave- and ultrasound-assisted extraction, provide eco-friendly and efficient avenues to recover and concentrate these bioactive compounds. However, successful valorization requires the development of scalable, sustainable, and economically viable processing techniques. Moreover, ensuring the safety, functionality, consumer acceptance, and regulatory compliance of the resulting ingredients is crucial. This Special Issue seeks innovative research and critical reviews focused on unlocking the full potential of agri-food waste valorization.
Prof. Dr. H. P. Vasantha Rupasinghe
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- upcycling
- fruits, vegetables and cereals
- byproducts
- food waste
- food ingredients
- nutrients
- phytochemicals
- value-addition
- functional foods
- eco-friendly extraction
- fermentation
- sustainability
- circular economy
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