Innovative Technologies for the Recovery and Stabilization of High-Added Value Compounds from Agro-Food Wastes

Dear Colleagues,

At present, approximately one-third of the edible parts of food produced for human consumption are lost or wasted worldwide. Improper handling and disposal of agro-food waste can lead to significant environmental damage; therefore, a first option to avoid environmental issues and support the economy and society is to minimize agro-food waste and by-products. Minimization can be achieved by recovering and valorizing bioactive compounds such as the polyphenols, dietary fiber, proteins, lipids, vitamins, organic acids, and minerals contained in different types of agro-food waste. Recovered bioactive compounds can thus, from the perspective of sustainability and a circular economy that moves closer to the global goal of "zero waste" in the environment, become raw materials for other products (nutritional foods, bioplastics, bioenergy, biosurfactants, or biofertilizers). Extraction methods, the conditions for stabilization of bioactive components, and the validation of their bioactivity, stability, safety, and bioavailability ought be investigated in more detail. This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts exploring any aspect of agro-food waste processing including the bioactive compounds found in agro-food waste, recovery and extraction methods for bioactive compounds from agro-food waste, the stability of bioactive compounds, the application of bioactive compounds in the food industry (food fortification and food preservation), the circular economy and agro-food waste recycling strategies, and other related topics.

Dr. Cristina Ghinea
Dr. Ana Leahu
Guest Editors

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• agro-food wastes
• bioactive compounds
• extraction methods
• stability
• bioavailability
• circular economy
• nutritional foods