**Preface to "Food Waste Valorization"**

During the industrial processing of agricultural or animal products, large amounts of waste are produced. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), one-third of all food production is wasted globally, and in particular, 1.3 billion tons of food produced for human consumption is wasted per year, representing an economic loss of EUR 800 billion. This waste, generated in large amounts throughout the year, can be considered the most abundant renewable resource on earth. Due to the high availability and richness in components of these raw materials, there is a great interest in their reuse, both from economical and environmental points of view. This economical interest is based on the fact that a high quantity of such wastes could be used as low-cost raw materials for the production of new value-added compounds, with further production cost reductions. The environmental concern is derived from their composition, especially agro-industrial wastes, that can contain potentially toxic compounds, which may cause deterioration of the environment when uncontrolled wastes are burned, left on the soil to decay naturally, or buried underground. Moreover, these materials exhibit both high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) values, and give rise to serious pollution problems if not properly discarded. Recycling and the transformation of food waste represents a great opportunity in supporting sustainable development through their conversion into value-added products through the fermentation process. In fact, appropriate waste management is recognized as an essential prerequisite for sustainable development, contributing to the attainment of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 12 and 13).

The Special Issue focuses on new food waste fermentation technologies and value-added products resulting from food waste fermentation, such as enzymes, feed additives, biofuels, animal feeds, as well as other useful chemicals or products, food grade pigments, and single-cell protein (SCP), enhancing food security and environmentally sustainable development.

The manuscripts collected represent a great opportunity for adding new knowledge to the scientific community as well as for the industry.

> **Giuseppa Di Bella and Alessia Tropea** *Editors*
