Food and Agro-Industrial Wastes

Globally, it is estimated 1.3 billion tons of food, valued at $1 trillion is wasted a year, according to the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization. (FAO) In addition, billions of tons of agro-industrial waste from agriculture and food processing activities are generated yearly, putting a strain on natural resources, and negatively effecting the environment. Food and Agro-Industrial Wastes: Sustainable Impacts, Transformation and Added Value of By-Products, addresses both the valorization of food waste and agro-industrial waste as a promising and sustainable solution to recycle material back into the supply chain to create new, value-added products—from functional foods to enhanced product packaging. Divided into four parts, Food and Agro-Industrial Wastes: Sustainable Impacts, Transformation and Added Value of By-Products, sequentially addresses the fundamentals of food waste. It begins with explaining sustainable development methods through responsible consumption and production and moves on to emphasize the practical protocol-based valorization methods for food and agro-industrial wastes and ways to extract value-added products. This includes a deep dive into the meat and dairy industries, crop, and processing residues for leaves, stems, pods and straw, and husks, seeds, bagasse (a byproduct of the sugar extraction process) and roots, respectively. The valorization and safety of fruit and vegetable waste highlights peels, tops, skins and shells and how their bioactive compounds are used to nutritionally enhance and innovate food products. The book concludes with valuable, real-life case studies on the valorization of food and agro-industrial wastes highlighting bioactive compounds, nutraceuticals and other bio-based enzymes.

• Addresses sustainable solutions and different valorization methods for food and agro-industrial waste
• Discusses risks, challenges, safety aspects and opportunities for food and agro-industrial wastes within a circular economy
• Focuses on bioprocessing, chemical and biological methodologies, synthesis and purification of food and agro-food waste
• Highlights added value and practical uses of products obtained from food and agro-industrial waste
• Demonstrates case studies on bioactive compounds and nutraceuticals derived from food waste