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 1439
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
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- upcycling
- fruits, vegetables and cereals
- byproducts
- food waste
- food ingredients
- nutrients
- phytochemicals
- value-addition
- functional foods
- eco-friendly extraction
- fermentation
- sustainability
- circular economy
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
