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Food Waste Prevention: Reduction, Reuse and Recycling
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Food Waste Prevention: Reduction, Reuse and Recycling

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 48123

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Konstadinos Abeliotis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
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

E-Mail Website
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.

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. Resources is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1600 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

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

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 180 KiB  
Editorial
Food Waste Prevention: Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling
by Konstadinos Abeliotis and Katia Lasaridi
Resources 2023, 12(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources12010003 - 30 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4186
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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11 pages, 1065 KiB  
Article
Environmental Impact Assessment of a Solar Drying Unit for the Transformation of Food Waste into Animal Feed
by Konstadinos Abeliotis, Christina Chroni, Katia Lasaridi, Evangelos Terzis, Fenia Galliou and Thrassyvoulos Manios
Resources 2022, 11(12), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources11120117 - 9 Dec 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2801
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 [...] Read more.
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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14 pages, 1069 KiB  
Article
Study of Unpicked Grapes Valorization: A Natural Source of Polyphenolic Compounds and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant Capacity
by 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 10 | Viewed by 3668
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 [...] Read more.
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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11 pages, 1030 KiB  
Article
Distribution of Phosphorus Forms Depends on Compost Source Material
by Marge Lanno, Mait Kriipsalu, Merrit Shanskiy, Maidu Silm and Anu Kisand
Resources 2021, 10(10), 102; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources10100102 - 8 Oct 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4673
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 [...] Read more.
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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20 pages, 1676 KiB  
Article
Lean Management Approach to Reduce Waste in HoReCa Food Services
by Bartłomiej Gładysz, Aleksander Buczacki and Cecilia Haskins
Resources 2020, 9(12), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9120144 - 8 Dec 2020
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 18375
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 [...] Read more.
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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Other

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11 pages, 822 KiB  
Case Report
Turning Food Waste into Value-Added Resources: Current Status and Regulatory Promotion in Taiwan
by Wen-Tien Tsai
Resources 2020, 9(5), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9050053 - 30 Apr 2020
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 11953
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 [...] Read more.
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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