Rethinking Agri-Food Waste: Towards a Circular and Regenerative Future

Dear Colleagues,

The minimization of waste has become a pressing global concern, impacting both developing and developed countries. Every year, 30% of the food produced worldwide is lost or wasted, despite 12.9% of the population in developing regions suffering from hunger (UN Environment Programme, 2024). The largest category of food waste is fruit and vegetables, accounting for 0.5 billion tons of losses per year during the post-harvest process and distribution (Jorge et al., 2023). At the same time, there is an urgent need for new and environmentally friendly, advanced, and functional materials that can find applications as antibacterial surfaces, separation membranes, sensing surfaces, or advanced food packaging materials. While polymeric materials are a common solution, the rapid increase in disposable plastic product production and excessive use of fossil resources have created a need for alternative production models. The development of integrated biorefinery concepts within the circular bioeconomy era could provide the solution to this urgent problem. For example, biopolymers derived from food waste can replace typical polymers. In particular, agrifood waste has a range of applications to reduce its initial weight from the recovery of bioactive compounds (tannins, flavonoids, polyphenols, fatty acids) to the production of soil compost, animal feed, energy, recycling, and nanotechnology (Goswami et al., 2021; Gaspar et al., 2023; Yafetto et al., 2023; Lerma-Moliz et al., 2024; Shawky et al., 2025; Kraeim et al., 2016).

We invite researchers and practitioners to contribute to a Special Issue dedicated to exploring the latest advancements in food waste and loss prevention through innovative technologies for environmental remediation. This Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge research, practical applications, and interdisciplinary approaches that address the pressing challenges of reducing food waste and loss, ultimately leading to environmental sustainability.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Food waste and loss prevention;
• Advanced Packaging solutions;
• Composting technology and soil fertility;
• Advanced and functional materials (nanomaterials, interfaces, biomaterials, biochar) derived from wastes;
• Circular economy approaches in new environmental applications (i.e., sensing, filtering, separation, etc.);
• Smart monitoring and control systems and devices (i.e., sensors).

Submissions should present original research, case studies, or reviews that contribute to the understanding and advancement of rethinking food waste and providing food waste circular utilization models. Examples of applications (but not limited to) include food packaging, sensing, separation, and filtration.

Bibliography

• https://www.unep.org/topics/chemicals-and-pollution-action/circularity sectors/ food-and-food-waste
• Gaspar, M. C., & Braga, M. E. M. (2023). Edible films and coatings based on agrifood residues: a new trend in the food packaging research. Current Opinion in Food Science, 50, 101006. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.COFS.2023.101006
• Goswami, L., Dey, G., & Panda, S. K. (2021). Valorization of agrifood wastes and byproducts through nanobiotechnology. Valorization of Agrifood Wastes and By-Products: Recent Trends, Innovations and Sustainability Challenges, 963–978. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-824044-1.00042-8
• Jorge, A. M. S., Gaspar, M. C., Henriques, M. H. F., & Braga, M. E. M. (2023). Edible films produced from agrifood by-products and wastes. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, 88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2023.103442
• Kraiem, N., Lajili, M., Limousy, L., Said, R., & Jeguirim, M. (2016). Energy recovery from Tunisian agrifood wastes: Evaluation of combustion performance and emissions characteristics of green pellets prepared from tomato residues and grape marc. Energy, 107, 409–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ENERGY.2016.04.037
• Lerma-Moliz, R., López-González, J. A., Suárez-Estrella, F., Martínez-Gallardo, M. R., Jurado, M. M., Estrella-González, M. J., Toribio, A. J., Jiménez, R., & López, M. J. (2024). Antioxidant and biofertilizing effect of compost extracts on horticultural crops to minimize the use of agrochemicals. Environmental Technology & Innovation, 36, 103776. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ETI.2024.103776
• Shawky, E., Gibbons, S., & Selim, D. A. (2025). Bio-sourcing from byproducts: A comprehensive review of bioactive molecules in Agrifood Waste (AFW) streams for valorization and sustainable applications. Bioresource Technology, 431, 132640. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2025.132640
• Yafetto, L., Odamtten, G. T., & Wiafe-Kwagyan, M. (2023). Valorization of agro-industrial wastes into animal feed through microbial fermentation: A review of the global and Ghanaian case. Heliyon, 9(4), e14814. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.HELIYON.2023.E14814

Dr. Zacharias Ioannou
Dr. Kosmas Ellinas
Guest Editors

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• circular economy
• agri-food waste
• advanced packaging technology
• nanotechnology
• compost
• advanced materials
• smart technology