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Valorisation and Applications of Agri-Food Wastes and By-Products: Challenges and New Strategies for Sustainable Food Systems

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 6392

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eva Dorta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias, San Cristobal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
Interests: antioxidant capacity; fruits; food extracts; fruit wastes and by-products; antifungal activity; meat proteins

Prof. Dr. Camilo López-Alarcón

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Departamento de Química Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Interests: protein oxidation; reactive species; biomarkers; antioxidant capacity; polyphenols

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As Guest Editors, we would like to invite you and your colleagues to contribute either a review or an original research article to the Special Issue “Valorisation and Applications of Agri-Food Wastes and By-Products: Challenges and New Strategies for Sustainable Food Systems” to be published in the Foods journal (IF: 5.561, ISSN 2304-8158, Q1).

A large number of wastes and by-products (e.g., derived from post-harvest feedstock, animal farms and food processing) are generated annually from numerous industrial processes of the agricultural and food industry. Together with the loss of compounds that are potentially useful for beneficial purposes, their decomposition constitutes an environmental problem due to the emission of harmful greenhouse gases and the formation of leachates, among other consequences. Despite the efforts made by researchers and industry, new investigations in the field aiming to improve strategies for the valorisation and management of agri-food wastes and by-products are currently necessary. We expect to open a discussion and collect novel investigations in the field. For such aims, we propose (not exhaustively) the following themes as principal topics:

Agri-food wastes.
By-products.
Bioactive compounds.
Functional ingredients.
Human health.
Food.

You may submit your manuscript now or up until the deadline on 30 January 2023.

All submissions are peer-reviewed, and accepted papers will be published online shortly.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

I look forward to hearing from you and welcome your contribution.

Best regards,

Dr. Eva Dorta
Prof. Dr. Camilo López-Alarcón
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 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

agri-food wastes
by-products
bioactive compounds
functional ingredients
human health
food

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 6584 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From Food Waste to Functional Biopolymers: Characterization of Chitin and Chitosan Produced from Prepupae of Black Soldier Fly Reared with Different Food Waste-Based Diets

by Alessia Mannucci, Luca Panariello, Linda Abenaim, Maria Beatrice Coltelli, Annamaria Ranieri, Barbara Conti, Marco Santin and Antonella Castagna

Foods 2024, 13(2), 278; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13020278 - 16 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1190

Abstract

The use of food waste as a rearing substrate to grow insects is an ecofriendly and sustainable alternative to food waste disposal. In the present research, Hermetia illucens prepupae were reared with a standard diet, different food waste-based diets based on vegetables, fruits, and meat, and a mixed one, where the previous three components were present equally. The demineralization and deproteination of the prepupae allowed for the obtainment of chitin that was then deacetylated to produce chitosan. Also, the bleaching of chitosan was attempted for further purification. The yield of the different reactions was investigated, and the infrared spectra of the obtained materials were analyzed to obtain information on the quantity and acetylation degree trend of the chitin and chitosan as a function of the diet. The possibility to slightly modulate the yield and acetylation degree of both biopolymers thanks to the specific diet was enlightened. Interestingly, the standard diet resulted in the highest fraction of chitin having the highest acetylation degree, and in the highest fraction of chitosan having the lowest acetylation degree. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Valorisation and Applications of Agri-Food Wastes and By-Products: Challenges and New Strategies for Sustainable Food Systems)

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15 pages, 825 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Physicochemical Characterization and In Vitro Digestibility of Maple Sugar Sand and Downgraded Maple Syrups

by Gautier Decabooter, Claudie Aspirault, Marie Filteau and Ismail Fliss

Foods 2023, 12(19), 3528; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12193528 - 22 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1110

Abstract

The maple syrup industry generates substandard syrups and sugar sand as by-products, which are underused. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the physicochemical composition of these products to assess their potential for valorization. Using HPLC analysis, we measured sugar and organic acid content as well as total polyphenol content using the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Additionally, we evaluated the in vitro digestibility using the TIM-1 model. We showed that the composition of ropy and buddy downgraded syrups is comparable to that of standard maple syrup, whereas sugar sand’s composition is highly variable, with carbohydrate content ranging from 5.01 mg/g to 652.89 mg/g and polyphenol content ranging from 11.30 µg/g to 120.95 µg/g. In vitro bioaccessibility reached 70% of total sugars for all by-products. Organic acid bioaccessibility from sugar sand and syrup reached 76% and 109% relative to standard maple syrup, respectively. Polyphenol bioaccessibility exceeded 100% during digestion. This can be attributed to favorable extraction conditions, the breakdown of complex polyphenol forms and the food matrix. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that sugar sand and downgraded maple syrups exhibit digestibility comparable to that of standard maple syrup. Consequently, they hold potential as a source of polyphenols, sugar or organic acids for applications such as industrial fermentation or livestock feeds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Valorisation and Applications of Agri-Food Wastes and By-Products: Challenges and New Strategies for Sustainable Food Systems)

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15 pages, 792 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Situ Inactivation of Selected Bacillus Strains in Brewer’s Spent Grain during Fermentation by Lactococcus lactis ATCC 11454—The Possibility of Post-Production Residues Management

by Patryk Pokorski and Monika Trząskowska

Foods 2023, 12(12), 2279; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122279 - 6 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1584

Abstract

The safety and quality of post-production residues is essential before they can be reused. Both to explore the possibility of reuse as a fermentation medium and the context of pathogens’ inactivation, the research aimed to characterize the fermentation system of L. lactis ATCC 11454 and brewer’s spent grain, malt and barley, especially to in situ inactivation of selected Bacillus strains during the fermentation and storage. Barley products were milled, autoclaved, hydrated and fermented with L. lactis ATCC 11454. Then, the co-fermentation with Bacillus strains was carried out. The amount of polyphenols in the samples ranged from 483.5 to 718.4 ug GAE g⁻¹ and increased after 24 h fermentation with L. lactis ATCC 11454. The high viability of LAB in the fermented samples and after 7 days of storage at 4 °C (8 log CFU g⁻¹) indicates the high nutrients bioavailability during the storage. Also, this co-fermentation on different barley products indicated a high reduction level (2 to 4 logs) of Bacillus due to the biosuppression effect of the LAB strain in this fermentation system. Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) fermented with L. lactis ATCC 25 11454 produces a highly effective cell-free supernatant (CFS) for suppressing Bacillus strains. This was evident in both the inhibition zone and fluorescence analysis of bacteria viability. In conclusion, the obtained results justify the use of brewer’s spent grain in selected food products, increasing their safety and nutritional value. This finding is highly beneficial in the sustainable management of post-production residues when current waste material can still serve as a source of food. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Valorisation and Applications of Agri-Food Wastes and By-Products: Challenges and New Strategies for Sustainable Food Systems)

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Review

Jump to: Research

25 pages, 1273 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Trends in Valorization of Food Industry Waste and By-Products: Encapsulation and In Vitro Release of Bioactive Compounds

by Mriganka Shekhar Borah, Ajita Tiwari, Kandi Sridhar, Kairam Narsaiah, Prakash Kumar Nayak and Baskaran Stephen Inbaraj

Foods 2023, 12(20), 3823; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12203823 - 18 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2003

Abstract

Food by-products and waste are a boundless source of bioactives, nutraceuticals, and naturally occurring substances that are good for human health. In fact, a lot of by-products and wastes are generated by several food businesses. Therefore, waste management and by-product utilization are the most important aspects of the food sector. According to various studies, many bioactive compounds such as phenolics, carotenoids, and proteins can be recovered as feed stock from various industries’ by-products and wastes using potential technologies. As a result, current trends are shifting attention to the sustainable valorisation of food sector waste management and by-products utilization. Thus, the circular economy principles have been applied to the field of food science. The aim of the circular economy is to ensure environmental protection and promote economic development while minimizing the environmental impact of food production. All of these aspects of the circular economy, at present, have become a challenging area of research for by-product valorisation as well. Hence, this review aims to highlight the emerging trends in the efficient utilization of food industry waste and by-products by focusing on innovative encapsulation techniques and controlled release mechanisms of bioactive compounds extracted from food industry waste and by-products. This review also aims to suggest future research directions, and addresses regulatory and toxicity considerations, by fostering knowledge dissemination and encouraging eco-friendly approaches within the food industry. This review reveals the role of encapsulation strategies for the effective utilization of bioactive compounds extracted from food industry waste and by-products. However, further research is needed to address regulatory and toxicity considerations of encapsulated bioactive compounds and health-related concerns. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Valorisation and Applications of Agri-Food Wastes and By-Products: Challenges and New Strategies for Sustainable Food Systems)

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