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Food By-Products as a Source of Active Ingredients for a...
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Food By-Products as a Source of Active Ingredients for a Sustainable Food Industrial Sector

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 3628

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Matteo Alessandro del Nobile

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economic, Management and Territory, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
Interests: food packaging; modeling; functional food; by-product valorization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Amalia Conte

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Humanistic Studies. Letters, Cultural Heritage, Educational Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
Interests: food packaging; food processing and preservation; shelf life extension; functional food; sanitizing techniques; by-product valorization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The scientific community has expressed significant interest in food by-products; therefore, this Special Issue aims to collect research articles and reviews on the possible valorization of by-products in the food sector. The environmental pollution and high costs caused by their disposal represent a global problem that has prompted research into recycling solutions. Food by-products are generally recognized as an important source of bioactive compounds like polyphenols, fibers, and minerals. Therefore, significant efforts have been made around the world to create opportunities to valorize these valuable resources as new ingredients.  By-products have been suggested as valid compounds for the development of functional foods, or more simply, for producing fortified food. Due to their well-known active properties, they can be applied as natural food additives to control detrimental phenomena and prolong the shelf life of fresh food. Despite the considerable research conducted and the beneficial nutritional properties of by-products, investigations into concrete reduction, environmental impacts, and limitations in sensory quality need to be further studied. This Special Issue will publish research on processing and preservation processes that can foster the development of a sustainable bioeconomy within the industrial sector. These approaches, inspired by the principles of a circular economy, not only optimize resource use but also support the creation of new economic opportunities and innovative business models.

Prof. Dr. Matteo Alessandro del Nobile
Dr. Amalia Conte
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • by-products
  • food waste
  • sustainability
  • food fortification
  • shelf life extension
  • biopolymeric film
  • active coating
  • antioxidant activity
  • antimicrobial properties

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1102 KB  
Article
Ethyl Oleate Synthesized from Fermentation Waste and Its Stability Evaluation as a Food Additive
by Ana Luiza Fontes, Ana Maria S. Soares, Francisca S. Teixeira, Paula T. Costa, Lígia L. Pimentel and Luís Miguel Rodríguez-Alcalá
Foods 2026, 15(8), 1382; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15081382 - 16 Apr 2026
Viewed by 533
Abstract
Ethyl oleate (EO) is an emerging compound used in the food industry as a pre-treatment additive in preservation processes, such as drying, allowing the shelf-life to be extended while preserving the nutritional value of the treated food without compromising consumer safety. Currently, EO [...] Read more.
Ethyl oleate (EO) is an emerging compound used in the food industry as a pre-treatment additive in preservation processes, such as drying, allowing the shelf-life to be extended while preserving the nutritional value of the treated food without compromising consumer safety. Currently, EO is mostly synthesised from edible oils, which raises concerns about competition with the food chain. As an alternative, we previously developed an EO product from a High-Oleic Waste (HOW) obtained from industrial distillation pipelines. Due to the potential application of EO as a food additive, the present study aimed to evaluate its stability throughout its shelf-life in comparison with two commercial benchmarks under accelerated conditions (40 °C, 75% relative humidity, 6 months). Colour parameters (Total Colour Difference and Yellow Index), structural properties by FTIR-ATR, thermal properties by DSC, compositional stability by GC-MS, formation of lipid oxidation products by UV-Vis and cytotoxicity in keratinocytes were evaluated at the beginning (T0) and at the end (T6) of the assay. In general, the synthesised EO showed no considerable changes in the parameters studied after storage, being comparable to the assayed benchmarks. In conclusion, the developed EO was found to be stable during the assayed shelf-life, confirming its potential suitability as an additive for the food industry. Future studies should perform validation in food matrices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food By-Products as a Source of Active Ingredients for a Sustainable Food Industrial Sector)
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11 pages, 742 KB  
Article
Valorizing Oregano Distillation Wastewater in New Pasta Formulations: Physical, Sensory and Chemical Characteristics
by Alessandro Gallina, Maria Concetta Di Bella, Enrica Pistorio, Edoardo Marco Napoli and Maria Grazia Melilli
Foods 2026, 15(6), 1092; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15061092 - 20 Mar 2026
Viewed by 708
Abstract
The agro-food industry faces significant environmental and economic challenges due to waste production. To promote sustainability, it is essential to valorize agricultural by-products, such as wastewater from essential oil distillation. Despite being a disposal burden, this wastewater retains valuable compounds with high antioxidant [...] Read more.
The agro-food industry faces significant environmental and economic challenges due to waste production. To promote sustainability, it is essential to valorize agricultural by-products, such as wastewater from essential oil distillation. Despite being a disposal burden, this wastewater retains valuable compounds with high antioxidant and antibacterial potential, making it an ideal ingredient for functional foods. Given that pasta and bread are daily staples in the Italian diet, they represent a strategic opportunity to improve public nutritional intake. In this study, a novel pasta formulation was developed by replacing 50% or 100% of the processing water with wastewater derived from oregano distillation. The investigation focused on the quality of the cooking process and the composition of phenolic compounds. A sensory analysis was also conducted to assess consumer acceptance. The enriched pasta demonstrated positive sensory characteristics, with an overall appreciation around 7, and higher levels of phenolic compounds (up to 0.79 mg GAE/g) in relation to the control sample (0.14 mgGAE/g). This highlights the potential of these rich raw materials for use in sustainable food and represents a sustainable strategy to improve the nutritional profile of pasta. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food By-Products as a Source of Active Ingredients for a Sustainable Food Industrial Sector)
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23 pages, 2366 KB  
Article
Assessment of Quality and Environmental Impact of Artisanal Fresh Pasta Fortified with Agri-Food By-Products
by Manazza Ayub, Alessia Le Rose, Olimpia Panza, Dario Caro, Matteo Alessandro Del Nobile and Amalia Conte
Foods 2025, 14(19), 3379; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14193379 - 29 Sep 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1325
Abstract
Fresh pasta was enriched with olive pomace (OP) and artichoke by-products (AB), respectively, at three concentrations: 13.5%, 14.5%, and 15% for OP, and 15%, 17%, and 19% for AB. Both control and fortified samples were assessed for technological properties, nutritional content and sensory [...] Read more.
Fresh pasta was enriched with olive pomace (OP) and artichoke by-products (AB), respectively, at three concentrations: 13.5%, 14.5%, and 15% for OP, and 15%, 17%, and 19% for AB. Both control and fortified samples were assessed for technological properties, nutritional content and sensory quality. A Life Cycle Assessment was also performed to estimate the carbon footprint associated with pasta production. Results demonstrated a worsening of pasta quality, above all the resistance to break for row pasta and sandiness and taste for cooked samples, even though the pasta remained in an acceptable range. Fibers, polyphenol content, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were found to be better in fortified samples than in the control pasta. With AB as new ingredient, the antioxidant activity increased substantially. The environmental impact revealed two different scenarios: compared to the control (1.08 kgCO2eq), lower carbon footprint values were found for pasta fortified with OP (from 0.96 to 0.98 kgCO2eq) and higher values for pasta fortified with AB (from 1.53 to 1.62 kgCO2eq), due to the energy consumption associated with by-product processing (dehydration at 50 °C and grinding). Thus, combining sensory quality, nutritional improvements and environmental impact, a Global Quality Index (GQI) was also calculated for each sample. The GQI values, according to the weighting scheme of this index, revealed that the benefits of AB superimposed the drawbacks and suggested that 15% AB fortification is the best solution to balance pros and cons of by-product recycling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food By-Products as a Source of Active Ingredients for a Sustainable Food Industrial Sector)
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Review

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27 pages, 1036 KB  
Review
Upcycling Apple and Carrot Pomace into Fortified Food Ingredients: Advancing Sustainability and Resource Efficiency
by Ramona Căpruciu and Simona Mariana Popescu
Foods 2026, 15(9), 1514; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15091514 - 27 Apr 2026
Viewed by 515
Abstract
The generation of byproducts during the production of apple and carrot juices can negatively impact the environment. Using these byproducts as functional ingredients represents an integrated and innovative strategy for today’s food industry. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the [...] Read more.
The generation of byproducts during the production of apple and carrot juices can negatively impact the environment. Using these byproducts as functional ingredients represents an integrated and innovative strategy for today’s food industry. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the progress made over the past decade in the applications of apple and carrot pomace in the food industry, with an emphasis on qualitative analyses (compositional, sensory, functional) in the context of promoting sustainability and resource efficiency. The main quality parameters of apple and carrot pomace and pomace powders, as well as of the composite food products in which they were incorporated, were examined with the optimal dosage. The analysis reveals the extent to which the studied powders can improve—or fail to improve—the nutritional, functional, or sensory parameters of composite products, while accounting for environmental impact and sustainable practices within the context of circular economy. It is found that the industrial reintegration of apple and carrot pomace has nutritional, functional, and bio-packaging development potential, with the main remaining challenge being the development of solutions to preserve the color and rheology of composite products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food By-Products as a Source of Active Ingredients for a Sustainable Food Industrial Sector)
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