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Special Issue "Food Waste Prevention: Reduction, Reuse and Recycling"

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A special issue of Resources (ISSN 2079-9276).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 27461

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Prof. Dr. Konstadinos Abeliotis

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School of Environment, Geography and Applied Economics, Department of Geography Harokopio University, 176 71 Athens, Greece
Interests: food waste; environmental impact assessment; life cycle assessment; social life cycle assessment; circular economy; sustainability; waste prevention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Katia Lasaridi

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Guest Editor

School of Environment, Geography and Applied Economics, Department of Geography Harokopio University, 176 71 Athens, Greece
Interests: sustainable management of waste and natural resources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on Food Waste Prevention, Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling. Food waste prevention via food donation and redistribution is among the top priorities set by the food waste management hierarchy and it is included among this millenium’s sustainable development goals. Moreover, technological progress in valorisation pathways for specific components of food waste, including novel or significantly improved processes, such as feed from food or bioplastics production, and progress in management procedures are also relevant in this context. Studies reporting on synergies between sectors or individual entities are particularly welcome.

Prof. Dr. Konstadinos Abeliotis
Prof. Dr. Katia Lasaridi
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.

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Keywords

food waste
food waste prevention
food waste valorisation
feed from food
food donation
food redistribution
organic resources
life cycle assessment

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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Open AccessEditorial

Food Waste Prevention: Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling

Konstadinos Abeliotis

and

Katia Lasaridi

Resources 2023, 12(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources12010003 - 30 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1331

Abstract

Food loss and waste (FLW) is a global concern that has adverse environmental, social, and economic impacts [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste Prevention: Reduction, Reuse and Recycling)

Research

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Open AccessArticle

Environmental Impact Assessment of a Solar Drying Unit for the Transformation of Food Waste into Animal Feed

Konstadinos Abeliotis

and

Resources 2022, 11(12), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources11120117 - 09 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1152

Abstract

Food waste valorization via its transformation into animal feed is a viable alternative for improving food security and the diversion of organic waste from landfills. The manuscript presents the environmental impact assessment of the construction and operation of a novel solar food waste drying unit on the island of Crete in Greece, which is treating food waste from hotels. Life cycle assessment is utilized for the impact assessment. The results indicate a total carbon footprint of approximately 217.5 kg CO₂ eq. per ton of treated food waste. In conclusion, the operation phase is the major contributor to the environmental impacts, due to the utilization of electricity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste Prevention: Reduction, Reuse and Recycling)

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Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Study of Unpicked Grapes Valorization: A Natural Source of Polyphenolic Compounds and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant Capacity

Edurne Elejalde

María Carmen Villarán

Iratxe Lopez-de-Armentia

Daniel Ramón

Raquel Murillo

and

Rosa María Alonso

Resources 2022, 11(3), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources11030033 - 21 Mar 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2104

Abstract

Every year great amounts of high-quality wine grapes are left on the vine unpicked, and consequently lost, to control the overproduction in wine areas with limited appellation production yield. In the context of circular bioeconomy, the valorization of these grapes as a potential source of natural antioxidants is of great interest. The study carried out is focused on the polyphenolic profile characterization of different unpicked grape varieties using the ultrasound-assisted extraction technique to extract the polyphenolic fractions. Moreover, the evaluation of the antioxidant capacity by several assays was carried out: oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), stability of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant capacity (FRAP), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and stability of 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical (ABTS) assays. The results showed a strong relationship between total phenolic content and hydroxycinnamic acids (R² = 0.9088) followed by flavan-3-ols (R² = 0.8792) and tannins (R² = 0.7705). The antioxidant capacity of the grapes was dependent on the total phenolic content. These results supply new information for a better understanding of the importance of giving an added value to the unpicked grapes due to their high content of polyphenols. These findings help the wine sector to consider the valorization of the unpicked grapes, classified as wastes, as an interesting source of natural antioxidants to be used as food supplements and with potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste Prevention: Reduction, Reuse and Recycling)

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Open AccessArticle

Distribution of Phosphorus Forms Depends on Compost Source Material

and

Resources 2021, 10(10), 102; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources10100102 - 08 Oct 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1821

Abstract

Composting is a sustainable method for recovering nutrients from various organic wastes, including food waste. Every input waste has different nutrient contents, in turn, suggesting that every compost has different fertilizer and/or soil improvement values. The phosphorus (P) concentration and relative distribution of P forms is related to the original organic material. The relative distribution of P forms determines how readily plants can absorb P from the compost-amended soil. The aim of this study was to investigate the content and relative share of P forms in composts made from fish waste, sewage sludge, green waste, and horse manure. Six forms of P (labile; bound to reducible metals; bound to non-reducible metals; bound to easily degradable organic material; and bound to calcium) were determined using sequential extraction method. The results indicated that fish waste compost had relatively high proportion of labile P, suggesting good biological availability. In comparison, sewage sludge compost contained the highest overall P concentration per dry weight unit, while labile P constituted only 6% of summary of P forms. The results indicate that the evaluation of composts as alternative P sources in agriculture should rely on the relative distribution of P forms in the compost in addition to the typically recognized value of the total P. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste Prevention: Reduction, Reuse and Recycling)

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Open AccessArticle

Lean Management Approach to Reduce Waste in HoReCa Food Services

Bartłomiej Gładysz

Aleksander Buczacki

and

Cecilia Haskins

Resources 2020, 9(12), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9120144 - 08 Dec 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 10770

Abstract

A significant share of food waste originates in the food services domain and HoReCa (hotels, restaurants, catering) sector. Organizational improvements leading to the decrease of food waste and costs in restaurants are needed. The literature reports on applications of lean management in service businesses, and while food services belong in this category, the literature contains few works on specific applications in this domain. Those studies are limited mainly to economic aspects. Nor was there evidence of the applicability of lean management to achieve food waste elimination. This article analyzes the applicability of lean management methods for food services in order to achieve efficient operations and eliminate food waste, based on a literature review and three case studies from Poland. Lean management was found to be useful in these cases to decrease food waste and reduce operational costs. The case studies suggest a set of activities for organizations delivering food services to streamline their processes by applying lean management practices. This study contributes to the theory and practice of sustainable restaurant management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste Prevention: Reduction, Reuse and Recycling)

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Open AccessCase Report

Turning Food Waste into Value-Added Resources: Current Status and Regulatory Promotion in Taiwan

Wen-Tien Tsai

Resources 2020, 9(5), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9050053 - 30 Apr 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 8291

Abstract

Food waste is daily generated in significant amounts around the world, implying the depletion of natural resources and the emergence of environmental pollution issues if discarded without valorization or utilization. In this regard, food waste management poses an important challenge in the circular society. Based on the official statistics and the national laws and regulations database in Taiwan, this study analyzed the on-line reporting amounts of collected food waste since it has been officially designated as one of the mandatory recyclable wastes. Furthermore, the regulatory measures for promoting food waste utilization in Taiwan were addressed to valorize it for the production of value-added resources and also prevent the spread of African swine flu. It showed that the collected amounts of food waste from residential and commercial sectors in Taiwan significantly increased from about 168,600 metric tons in 2003 to the maximal amount (i.e., 834,500 metric tons) in 2012, reflecting the regulatory promulgation and promotional measures. Based on the joint efforts by the central governing authorities (including the Environmental Protection Administration, the Council of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs), this study also examined the regulatory promotions for utilizing food waste as an available resource for the production of value-added resources (i.e., organic fertilizer, pig feed, and bioenergy). Through the central governing authority, local governments, and private recyclers, about 2000 metric tons of food waste in Taiwan was recycled every day, which can not only mitigate the pressure on waste incineration and disposal systems, but also conform to the trends of environmental sustainability and circular bioeconomy. Therefore, the Taiwan government is currently supporting the establishment of anaerobic digestion and aerobic composting plants for turning food waste into organic fertilizers and biogas-to-electricity because they have been evaluated as the best options of food waste valorization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste Prevention: Reduction, Reuse and Recycling)

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