Valorization and Utilization of Plant-Based Food Wastes and By-Products: Recent Trends, Technologies and Sustainability Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture and the agri-food industry, especially those focused on the minimal processing of plant-based foods, generate large amounts of waste and by-products. Due to their composition, these by-products are of great interest for reintroduction into the value chain, thus contributing to the sustainability of the food system. The extraction of components of interest for their antimicrobial, health, or technological properties, along with their integral transformation into powdered ingredients and the application of technologies that increase the extraction yield or the bioaccessibility and digestibility of the final products, are strategies that have been developed for some years. More recently, plant protein extraction or controlled fermentation have been explored as alternatives to meet the global challenges of climate change and growing food demand.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect research or review papers related to the valorization and utilization of plant-based food wastes and by-products. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Nutritional evaluation of by-products and their impact on human health;
• New plant protein sources;
• Fermentation;
• Technologies for extraction or processing.

Dr. Noelia Betoret
Dr. Virginia Teresa Glicerina
Dr. Ester Betoret
Guest Editors

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