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Sustainable Strategies for Food Waste Utilization
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Sustainable Strategies for Food Waste Utilization

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Food".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 4954

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Philip Soladoye

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe Research and Development Centre, Lacombe, AB, Canada
Interests: food waste utilization; value-added meat co-products

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent global occurrences, including the COVID-19 pandemic, population growth, war and climate change, have challenged the global food security landscape, with more severe impacts on developing countries. With these incidents, the United Nations has estimated that the number of people that suffer from hunger globally will surpass 840 million by 2030. Despite this challenge, however, nutrient-dense foods still end up in landfills as food waste, or are used inefficiently in low-value outlets, resulting not only in resource, environmental or economic consequences but also challenging our moral responsibility as humans. Increasing outputs from existing resources is one of the viable strategies that could be employed to prevent these food wastes and alleviate global food insecurity. This Special Issue intends to capture scientific research that focuses on innovative ways to sustainably use these secondary streams that are generated at all levels of the food value chain.

This Special Issue will cover the whole spectrum of the value pyramid, from the low-value to the high-value utilization of food waste. It will also cover the whole hierarchy of solutions that could be employed to sustainably address food loss and waste, including strategies to reduce waste from the source, recover value from food waste, and recycle food waste.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Plant- and animal-derived food waste;
  • Recovery and recycling of food waste;
  • Value-added meat secondary streams;
  • Nutrient extraction from food waste (proteins, fatty acids, etc.);
  • Extraction of bioactive components of food waste;
  • Food waste reduction strategies;
  • Food waste use in bioplastics and polymers applications;
  • Food waste use in biofuels;
  • Food waste use in energy and heat generation;
  • Food waste use in pharmaceutical applications;
  • Food waste use in food and feed;
  • Process efficiency in food waste utilization.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Philip Soladoye
Guest Editor

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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • circular economy
  • food waste utilization
  • environmental sustainability
  • greenhouse gas emission
  • food security
  • food waste recycling
  • food waste reduction

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1082 KiB  
Article
Modulating Coffee Fermentation Quality Using Microbial Inoculums from Coffee By-Products for Sustainable Practices in Smallholder Coffee Production
by Luisa-Fernanda Duque-Buitrago, Karen-Dayana Calderón-Gaviria, Laura-Sofia Torres-Valenzuela, Martha-Isabel Sánchez-Tamayo and José-Luis Plaza-Dorado
Sustainability 2025, 17(5), 1781; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17051781 - 20 Feb 2025
Viewed by 677
Abstract
This study developed an inoculum culture for semi-controlled coffee fermentation using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast, with coffee production by-products as carbon sources. The viability of the inoculum was optimized by using a mixture design to vary the proportions of coffee pulp [...] Read more.
This study developed an inoculum culture for semi-controlled coffee fermentation using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast, with coffee production by-products as carbon sources. The viability of the inoculum was optimized by using a mixture design to vary the proportions of coffee pulp (CP) and wastewater (CWW) in 0.25 increments; as a process variable, fermentation time ranged from 36 to 48 h for LAB and 12 to 36 h for yeast. Soluble solids (SS), pH, and titratable acidity (TA) were monitored, and the response variable was the variation in microbial viability. The optimized inoculums were used for coffee fermentation alone and in combination, and fermentation parameters and sensory evaluation were measured. The optimal by-product combination for LAB inoculum was 100% CP, with a 48 h fermentation, reaching a maximum of 7.8 × 107 CFU/mL. The optimal formulation for yeast was 100% CWW for 36 h, achieving a maximum concentration of 8.3 × 108 CFU/mL. Experimental results for both inoculums were fit to a quadratic statistical model with R2 of 0.84 and 0.88 and Adj-R2 of 0.77 and 0.83 for LAB and yeast, respectively. The optimized inoculums produced high sensory scores, particularly in balance, fragrance, and acidity. Using mixed inoculums, we achieved the highest fragrance/aroma score (8.25) and an improved balance, attributed to higher TA and lower pH, which are linked to enhanced flavor complexity. This demonstrates that by-product-based inoculums can not only increase microbial viability but also improve the sensory quality of coffee, supporting sustainable practices in coffee processing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Food Waste Utilization)
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11 pages, 401 KiB  
Article
Transforming Coffee and Meat By-Products into Protein-Rich Meal via Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens)
by Claudia L. Vargas-Serna, Angie N. Pineda-Osorio, Heidy Lorena Gallego-Ocampo, José L. Plaza-Dorado and Claudia I. Ochoa-Martínez
Sustainability 2025, 17(2), 460; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020460 - 9 Jan 2025
Viewed by 864
Abstract
In response to increasing food waste and the necessity for sustainable resource utilization, this study evaluated the effectiveness of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae in converting a mixture of coffee and meat residues into protein-rich meal suitable for animal feed. [...] Read more.
In response to increasing food waste and the necessity for sustainable resource utilization, this study evaluated the effectiveness of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae in converting a mixture of coffee and meat residues into protein-rich meal suitable for animal feed. A two-component mixture design optimized the substrate composition, followed by model validation and a comprehensive nutritional characterization of the larvae-derived protein. The larval meal contained 30–39 g of protein per 100 g (dry basis). The results indicated that increasing the meat residue content to 35% in the substrate maximized the protein yield. The optimized larval meal contained 52.9 g of protein per 100 g (dry basis) and favorable parameters such as moisture and fat, demonstrating a nutrient profile suitable for aquaculture feed. These findings suggested that Hermetia illucens larvae could convert agro-industrial by-products into high-quality protein. Coffee and meat residues served as suitable substrates for larval growth, supporting proper metabolic development and yielding a high bioconversion rate. This work contributes to the constant efforts in food waste valorization by integrating nutrient recovery processes into circular economy principles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Food Waste Utilization)
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13 pages, 1600 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Analysis of Household Food Waste Collection in Warsaw: Assessing Efficiency and Waste Minimization
by Piotr Manczarski, Anna Rolewicz-Kalińska and Krystyna Lelicińska-Serafin
Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16827; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416827 - 14 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2443
Abstract
Food waste management is one of the key challenges of the circular economy and climate transition policies. The proper collection of food waste is the starting point for its further value recovery. Most of the quantitative and qualitative data used to measure the [...] Read more.
Food waste management is one of the key challenges of the circular economy and climate transition policies. The proper collection of food waste is the starting point for its further value recovery. Most of the quantitative and qualitative data used to measure the scale of food waste in households and its collection are based on statistical data, diaries, and questionnaires. There is a visible gap in research in terms of the use of direct research methods. This paper presents the results of a quantitative research study on household food waste accumulation and collection in Warsaw from two sources: single-family and multi-family households. The results of the study indicate that in Warsaw households, one can expect generation at the level of 33.4 kg·capita−1·year−1 of avoidable food waste and 38.2 kg·capita−1·year−1 of unavoidable food waste. The average food waste collection rate from households in Warsaw was determined to be at a level of 19.6 kg·capita−1·year−1. In multi-family buildings, which are dominant in Warsaw, this rate is half as pronounced (17.3 kg·capita−1·year−1) compared to single-family buildings (36.2 kg·capita−1·year−1). The average food waste collection efficiency rate from Warsaw households was at a level of 32%. Avoidable food waste accounted for 47% of all food waste generated. The study indicates a growing need to develop policy tools to support the separate collection and prevention of food waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Strategies for Food Waste Utilization)
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