Valorization and Utilization of Plant-Based Food Wastes and By-Products: Recent Trends, Technologies and Sustainability Challenges

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 October 2024) | Viewed by 7102

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Instituto Universitario de Ingeniería de Alimentos para el Desarrollo, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: food engineering; food processing; food science and technology; food waste valorization; functional foods development
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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Forest and Food Science, Università Degli Studi Di Torino, Via Largo Braccini, 2 Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
Interests: food structure; food processing and technology; food rheology; sustainability and valorization

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Guest Editor
Instituto Universitario de Ingeniería de Alimentos para el Desarrollo, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: food engineering; food processing; food science and technology; food waste valorization; functional foods development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture and the agri-food industry, especially those focused on the minimal processing of plant-based foods, generate large amounts of waste and by-products. Due to their composition, these by-products are of great interest for reintroduction into the value chain, thus contributing to the sustainability of the food system. The extraction of components of interest for their antimicrobial, health, or technological properties, along with their integral transformation into powdered ingredients and the application of technologies that increase the extraction yield or the bioaccessibility and digestibility of the final products, are strategies that have been developed for some years. More recently, plant protein extraction or controlled fermentation have been explored as alternatives to meet the global challenges of climate change and growing food demand.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect research or review papers related to the valorization and utilization of plant-based food wastes and by-products. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Nutritional evaluation of by-products and their impact on human health;
  • New plant protein sources;
  • Fermentation;
  • Technologies for extraction or processing.

Dr. Noelia Betoret
Dr. Virginia Teresa Glicerina
Dr. Ester Betoret
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant-based by-products
  • vegetable proteins
  • extraction
  • fermentation
  • nutritional value

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 187 KiB  
Editorial
Valorization and Utilization of Food Wastes and By-Products: Recent Trends, Innovative Technologies and Sustainability Challenges
by Noelia Betoret, Ester Betoret and Virginia Teresa Glicerina
Foods 2024, 13(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13010009 - 19 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1461
Abstract
The recovery of food by-products and waste is an issue of universal concern, as every year the food industry generates a huge amount of waste and by-products from a variety of sources [...] Full article

Research

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9 pages, 703 KiB  
Article
Production of Pectic Oligosaccharides from Citrus Peel via Steam Explosion
by Toni-Ann Martorano, Kyle L. Ferguson, Randall G. Cameron, Wei Zhao, Arland T. Hotchkiss, Hoa K. Chau and Christina Dorado
Foods 2024, 13(23), 3738; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233738 - 22 Nov 2024
Viewed by 30
Abstract
Steam explosion (STEX) of peel from commercially juice-extracted oranges was used to convert peel pectin into pectic oligosaccharides (POSs). Surprisingly uniform populations, based on the polydispersity index (PDI; weight-average molecular weight (Mw)/number-average molecular weight (Mn)) of POSs, were obtained [...] Read more.
Steam explosion (STEX) of peel from commercially juice-extracted oranges was used to convert peel pectin into pectic oligosaccharides (POSs). Surprisingly uniform populations, based on the polydispersity index (PDI; weight-average molecular weight (Mw)/number-average molecular weight (Mn)) of POSs, were obtained from the Hamlin and Valencia varieties of Citrus sinensis. The POSs from Hamlin and Valencia peel had PDI values of (1.23 ± 0.01, 1.24 ± 0.1), respectively. The Mw values for these samples were 14.9 ± 0.2 kDa for Hamlin, and 14.5 ± 0.1 kDa for Valencia, respectively. The degree of methyl-esterification (DM) was 69.64 ± 3.18 for Hamlin and 65.51 ± 1.61 for Valencia. The composition of the recovered POSs was dominated by galacturonic acid, ranging from 89.1% to 99.6% of the major pectic sugars. Only the Hamlin sample had a meaningful amount of rhamnose present, indicating the presence of an RG I domain. Even so, the Hamlin sample’s degree of branching (DBr) was very low (2.95). Full article
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16 pages, 1177 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Nanovesicles Isolated from Olive Vegetation Water
by Sandra Buratta, Raffaella Latella, Elisabetta Chiaradia, Anna Maria Salzano, Brunella Tancini, Roberto Maria Pellegrino, Lorena Urbanelli, Giada Cerrotti, Eleonora Calzoni, Husam B. R. Alabed, Sabrina De Pascale, Luana Lugini, Cristina Federici, Andrea Scaloni and Carla Emiliani
Foods 2024, 13(6), 835; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13060835 - 8 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1679
Abstract
Edible plant and fruit-derived nanovesicles (NVs) are membrane-enclosed particles with round-shape morphology and signaling functions, which resemble mammalian cell-derived extracellular vesicles. These NVs can transmit cross-kingdom signals as they contain bioactive molecules and exert biological effects on mammalian cells. Their properties and stability [...] Read more.
Edible plant and fruit-derived nanovesicles (NVs) are membrane-enclosed particles with round-shape morphology and signaling functions, which resemble mammalian cell-derived extracellular vesicles. These NVs can transmit cross-kingdom signals as they contain bioactive molecules and exert biological effects on mammalian cells. Their properties and stability in the gastrointestinal tract suggest NVs as a promising nutraceutical tool. In this study, we have demonstrated for the first time the presence of NVs in olive vegetation water (OVW), a waste by-product generated during olive oil production. Biophysical characterization by scanning electron microscopy, cryo-transmission electron microscopy, and nanoparticle tracking analysis revealed the presence in OVW of NVs having size and morphology similar to that of vesicles isolated from edible plants. Integrated lipidomic, metabolomic, and proteomic analyses showed that OVW-NVs carry a set of lipids, metabolites and proteins which have recognized antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The nature of biomolecules identified in OVW-NVs suggests that these vesicles could exert beneficial effects on mammalian cells and could be used in the nutraceutical and food industries. The successful isolation of OVW-NVs and the characterization of their features strengthen the idea that agricultural waste might represent a source of NVs having features similar to NVs isolated from edible plants/fruits. Full article
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19 pages, 2590 KiB  
Article
Production of Novel Bigels from Cold Pressed Chia Seed Oil By-Product: Application in Low-Fat Mayonnaise
by Abdulaziz S. Alkabaa, Alican Akcicek, Osman Taylan, Mohammed Balubaid, Mohammed Alamoudi, Waqar Ahmad Gulzar, Hisham Alidrisi, Enes Dertli and Salih Karasu
Foods 2024, 13(4), 574; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13040574 - 14 Feb 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1663
Abstract
The objective of this study was to produce an innovative bigel formulation by combining glycerol monostearate (GMS) oleogel with hydrogels stabilized by various agents, including cold pressed chia seed oil by-product gum (CSG), gelatin (G), and whey protein concentrate (WPC). The findings indicated [...] Read more.
The objective of this study was to produce an innovative bigel formulation by combining glycerol monostearate (GMS) oleogel with hydrogels stabilized by various agents, including cold pressed chia seed oil by-product gum (CSG), gelatin (G), and whey protein concentrate (WPC). The findings indicated that the choice of hydrogel influenced the rheological, textural, and microstructural properties of the bigels. The G′ value of the bigel samples was higher than G″, indicating that all the bigels exhibited solid-like characteristics. In order to numerically compare the dynamic rheological properties of the samples, K′ and K″ values were calculated using the power law model. K′ values of the samples were found to be higher than K″ values. The K′ value of bigel samples was significantly affected by the hydrogel (HG)/oleogel ratio (OG) and the type of stabilizing agent used in the hydrogel formulation. As the OG ratio of bigel samples increased, the K′ value increased significantly (p < 0.05). The texture values of the samples were significantly affected by the HG/OG ratio (p < 0.05). The study’s findings demonstrated that utilizing CSG, G, and WPC at an OG ratio more than 50% can result in bigels with the appropriate hardness and solid character. The low-fat mayonnaise was produced by using these bigels. The low-fat mayonnaise showed shear-thinning and solid-like behavior with G′ values greater than the G″ values. Low-fat mayonnaise produced with CSG bigels (CSGBs) showed similar rheological properties to the full-fat mayonnaise. The results showed that CSG could be used in a bigel formulation as a plant-based gum and CSGB could be used as a fat replacer in low-fat mayonnaise formulation. Full article
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Review

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24 pages, 2792 KiB  
Review
Valorization of Fruit and Vegetables Industry By-Streams for 3D Printing—A Review
by Alona Tyupova and Joanna Harasym
Foods 2024, 13(14), 2186; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13142186 - 11 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1315
Abstract
An energy supply crisis is impacting all the branches, including the agriculture and food industry. The wise and responsible utilization of plant raw materials already cultivated is becoming a must in the country’s economy. Not only the waste of the resources included but [...] Read more.
An energy supply crisis is impacting all the branches, including the agriculture and food industry. The wise and responsible utilization of plant raw materials already cultivated is becoming a must in the country’s economy. Not only the waste of the resources included but also the environmental challenge are concerns behind the not exploited food production by-streams and leftovers’ valorization. Fruits and vegetables’ out of the market quality “beauty” standards are still valuable sources of nutritious compounds. The conversion of raw materials into edible products can be provided by many techniques, with three-dimensional printing being the most individualized one. The main objective of this review was to summarize the existing efforts for the valorization of fruits and vegetable residuals into edible 3D inks and then 3D printed products. The clustering analysis was used for the separation of certain research approaches in fruit and vegetable wastes exploitation for 3D printing inks’ formulation. As the multilayer deposit technique is strongly dependent on the printing conditions and 3D ink formulation, therefore the tabularized description was included presenting the nozzle diameter, printing speed and other conditions specified. Full article
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