Valorized Food Processing By-Products in the EU: Finding the Balance between Safety, Nutrition, and Sustainability
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
In general, I read the article with interest. The title of the manuscript points to finding a balance between safety, nutrition, and sustainability. I think the security / threats are well described. However, more emphasis should be placed on the application of by-products from agri-food processing. Please do better to study the literature that indicates new uses for such by-materials. This will make it possible to better balance the issues described.
In addition, the amounts of the waste described in the manuscript currently produced should be indicated. This can be done e.g. on the example of selected countries. Basically free form, table or histogram etc. I think a graph or diagram would add value to this article.
Detailed notes below:
Line 31: What do the authors understand by the concept of green food? Come on, what does safe food mean? ....... Please also add something about organic food. The concept of functional food is also an important issue. Many of the innovative products are functional foods.
Please better explain why the by-products listed below have been selected for your description. (BSG, frut, vegetable pomace ..........). Please try to better describe the benefits of the analyzes carried out.
Line 128: I propose to refer to the literature. There are studies which show that spent grains can be used as an additive, for example in the production of extruded breadcrumbs, etc. Sometimes, at the production stage, the addition of wet grain to the mix is used. Please read the articles: “Brewer's Spent Grain From By-Product to Health: A Rich Source of Functional Ingredients”or/end “Characterisation of corn extrudates with the addition of brewers' spent grain as a raw material for the production of functional batters” or/end “By-products from brewery industry as the attractive additives to the extruded cereals food”
I think that an indication of a real application would be a perfect complement to this article. This will also underline the importance of the analyzes being conducted.
Line 152: There is little research in this manuscript about the "security" of the BSG. There are studies in the literature that indicate that pesticides may be present in BSG. I think this fact is also worth including. You can use literature: “Assessing the influence of roasting process parameters on mepiquat and chlormequat formation in dark barley malts”.
Line 154-157: Are you sure it is small? Please refer to the literature. There should also be figures in this regard.
Line 164: The same as above. There are many studies that show that fruit pomace can be added to food. For example, they are added to sweet cookies. Look at the literature on this subject: “Effect of fruit pomace addition on shortbread cookies to improve their physical and nutritional values” or/end “Fiber from fruit pomace: A review of applications in cereal-based products”, There are of course even more uses.
Line 164-166: The idea of sustainable development also includes the use of pomace, e.g. for the production of biodegradable materials. These materials are now used to make plates, cutlery and various kitchen accessories. There are more and more publications on this topic.
Line 264: This part was well described.
Author Response
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Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Although the work in general is relevant, it lacks an empirical part, as it does not analyze or collect data from any particular company.
I strongly recommend that the authors present a company from each sector analyzed and present how they have faced the challenges and objectives that the work intends to cover.
It also lacks a methodological part and the conclusions are vague and imprecise due to the absence of any empirical data collection.
In the current development of the work it would be very incomplete without these two issues previously mentioned.
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
In this manuscript, the authors discuss why food safety may be a cause for concern while valorising food processing by-products and analyse whether the benefits of valorisation offset the food safety risks. Broadly, the authors examine whether it is possible for valorised food processing by-products to be safe, sustainable, and nutritionally valuable at the same time.
For individual by-streams, the various articles cited in this paper as well as the Food WasteExplorer database have already created comprehensive lists of hazards that could 88 occur during the valorisation process. Authors' aim, therefore, is not to repeat this exercise but to create new knowledge on the topic by weighing food safety risks against nutritional benefits and potential uses of these by-products.
The paper is well done, it is clear and has a good scientific sound.
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 4 Report
Dear authors,
I read with interest your article "Valorised food processing by-products in the EU: finding the balance between safety, nutrition, and sustainability" and I think that the presented information is very interesting and useful to understand synthetically the unsustainability of human presence on our planet. However, the present form of your paper, in my opinion, cannot be considered useful as a scientific article. The given structure seems a research report (and, maybe, it is).
Paragraphs no. 1-2 are well done and well-described but consistent research questions, methodology, results are missing and, in my opinion, the discussion paragraph could be a continuation of the previous part of the paper.
Moreover, I appreciated the conclusion paragraph and I shared the contents but, in any case, I consider your paper not a scientific paper.
Best regards
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear Authors,
Thank you for following the comments. I accept all corrections made by the authors.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you once again for your valuable comments on our manuscript. We are grateful for your help in improving our work.
With kind regards on behalf of my co-authors,
Madhura
Reviewer 2 Report
Although the introduction of the new section of the practical implications may be useful. It is a pity not to make reference at least to companies that could be found in each category.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you once again for taking the time to go through our manuscript. In line with your suggestion to mention the empirical limitations of our work, we now include the following in lines 602 – 608 of the revised manuscript:
"By analysing existing knowledge on the topic through a conceptual lens, we suggest that it is possible to valorise food processing by-products while ensuring safety, high nutritional quality, and sustainability. Although well embedded in literature, it is important to further build upon the ideas discussed in this paper through empirical research. One way to do this could be by examining how food businesses practically experience the various bottlenecks we highlight and whether proposed solutions are indeed feasible."
With kind regards, on behalf of the co-authors,
Madhura
Reviewer 4 Report
Dear Authors,
thank you for taking into account my suggestions and I appreciated your reply. The new version of your manuscript includes some changes that I shared. However, I would also suggest to include a section dedicated to the limitation of the study.
Best regards.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
Thank you once again for taking the time to go through our manuscript. In line with your suggestion to mention the empirical limitations of our work, we now include the following in lines 602 – 608 of the revised manuscript:
"By analysing existing knowledge on the topic through a conceptual lens, we suggest that it is possible to valorise food processing by-products while ensuring safety, high nutritional quality, and sustainability. Although well embedded in literature, it is important to further build upon the ideas discussed in this paper through empirical research. One way to do this could be by examining how food businesses practically experience the various bottlenecks we highlight and whether proposed solutions are indeed feasible."
With kind regards, on behalf of the co-authors,
Madhura
