Agri-Food Wastes and Residues as Sources of Biopolymers for Food-Related Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural and food wastes and residues is currently a multi-faceted topic undergoing research worldwide. On the one hand, there is the issue of the exacerbated generation of waste and residue and the consequent need for the development of adequate management strategies; on the other hand, there are a multitude of possible ways to upcycle these wastes and residues into value-added products in line with the concepts of sustainability and the circular economy. Current management strategies of these wastes and residues usually involve burning, composting, soil mulching, and animal fodder. These are the cheapest applications of agricultural and food wastes and residues because they do not require extensive and costly processing, and both their processing and use can be carried out in loco without the need for complex logistics and transportation. However, these applications present serious issues regarding their environmental impact, creating an urgent need for devising strategies for the proper utilization and valorization of these wastes and residues (i.e., upcycling) that not only will mitigate these environmental issues, but also will allow for increased revenues for producers. Devising adequate strategies for upcycling agri-food wastes and residues requires a deep knowledge of their composition and properties, as well as of how their targeted components will impact the intended applications. The most common components of agri-food wastes can be grouped into classes of compounds such as polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, polyphenols, and isolated bioactive molecules. Polysaccharides and proteins comprise most of the biopolymers present in agri-food wastes and residues and, as such, are the components that are mostly targeted for extraction and further application in the food sector.

In view of the aforementioned issues, this Special Issue aims to present cutting-edge studies and developments regarding the extraction, separation, purification, and characterization of biopolymers from agri-food wastes and residues and on the application of these biopolymers to food products and food-related materials. Studies on how the extracted agri-food biopolymers and their respective interactions affect the target application products are most welcomed. In this Special Issue, we encourage the submission of original research articles, short communications, and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Adriana Franca
Prof. Dr. Leandro S. Oliveira
Guest Editors

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• agricultural wastes
• agri-food by-products
• upcycling
• circular economy
• sustainability in the agri-food sector
• biopolymers