Agri-Food Waste Extracts: Structural and Functional Characterization
A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 June 2026 | Viewed by 1973
Special Issue Editor
Interests: plants extracts; bioactivity; extraction techniques; biomaterials; in vitro cell compatibility; cytotoxicity; mutagenicity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Globally, the demand for fruits and vegetables has risen sharply in recent years due to dietary guidelines and shifts in eating habits. This has led to significant food losses and waste throughout the agri-food supply chain, i.e., during harvesting, handling, transportation, and processing. The industry produces approximately 90 million tons of waste annually, a figure expected to grow in the future. A major concern with these residues is their impact on environmental pollution, given their high biodegradability. Anaerobic breakdown of plant waste is the third largest human-related source of methane emissions into the atmosphere. Additionally, food waste results in substantial economic losses. Socially, it is also troubling, especially considering that nearly a billion people worldwide suffer from chronic undernourishment. Therefore, significant changes in the agri-food system are necessary to manage these by-products effectively. Implementing circular economy models within agri-food systems can help reduce food losses and waste by repurposing them as valuable resources. Agri-food waste is rich in numerous bioactive molecules with health benefits, making it a viable extraction substrate. However, the significant variability in raw materials requires thorough characterization of each by-product to determine its composition and identify potential applications. In light of this, the goal of this Special Issue is to explore various aspects of the structural and functional characterization of agri-food waste extracts. By linking extraction methods with the chemical makeup and bioactivity of the extracts, we aim to uncover the characteristics of agri-food compounds that could serve as active substances across multiple industries.
Dr. Stefania Lamponi
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- agri-food waste
- extracts
- extraction techniques
- chemical characterization
- bioactivity
- cytotoxicity and cytocompatibility
- isolation of bioactive molecules
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