Food Waste Valorization: Safety and Nutritional Aspect

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2023) | Viewed by 32947

Special Issue Editors


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Department of Agricultural Science, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Località Feo di Vito, 89122 Reggio Calabria, RC, Italy
Interests: mycotoxins; e-nose; e-tongue; SPME-GC/MS and HPLC food analysis; statistical analysis of experimental data
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Agrofood Technology Department, Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernández University, 03312 Orihuela, Alicante, Spain
Interests: essential oils; food chemistry; bioactive compounds; use of natural inhibitors (antioxidants and antimicrobials) to increase the shelf life of food; valorization of agrofood industry coproducts; development of new functional food products; meat product innovation
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Department of Agricultural Science, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Località Feo di Vito, 89122 Reggio Calabria, RC, Italy
Interests: chemical toxicology and food contaminants; food chemical characterization, vitamins and antioxidants, food design and novel food; conventional and unconventional analytical techiniques, chromatography and MS spectrometry
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Guest Editor
1. MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, IIFA-Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
2. Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Sciences and Technology, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
Interests: food microbiology; food science and technology; food fermentation; molecular biology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food waste valorization is one of the current research areas that has attracted a great deal of attention over the past few years as a potential alternative to the disposal of a wide range of residues. Valorization means redirecting former food waste to either food products, feed products, or converting it or extracting ingredients for food or feed, taking into consideration their robustness of supply, quality and composition and/or the technologically feasible, economically viable, legislatively compliant and environmentally sustainable/healthiness.

The advancement of valorization alternatives to tackle the food waste issue, from plant-derived foods, is the focus of this Special Issue. Also, the global food industry continues to be burdened by the problem of food waste, as we attempt to minimize the environmental impacts of feeding an ever-growing population. The food system is currently, responsible for a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce this, it is necessary to make the production and consumption of food more sustainable.

Over the past 20 years, the term “sustainability” and the concept of “sustainable development” are one of the main issues that have been underlined by policy makers and researchers at the national and international levels. This issue aims to provide a general overview on food waste valorization - waste obtained by plants used for human consumption - and their effect on the sustainability of food production. The management of food industrial by-products is important not only to decrease the volume of food waste accumulated in the landfills but also to develop strategies through reuse with the purpose to valorize and add nutritional value. In addition to all the benefits, the sustainability of the production and consumption of food also entails disadvantages. In a circular economy, recycling will become highly important, for it is important that materials can be reused as much as possible. To prevent hazardous substances from entering our food supply chain, the waste reused will need to be carefully assessed.

The goal of this Special Issue of Plants is to provide insightful and critical advances in food safety and nutrition of vegetable food waste and new food obtained from the vegetable industrial by-product.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Analysis of bioactive constituents in food
  • Analysis of xenobiotic in food
  • Recovery of bioactive compounds from vegetable by-products food industry
  • Characterization of food matrices
  • Analysis of phytonutrients, and nutraceuticals in foods

Dr. Rosa Di Sanzo
Dr. Manuel Viuda-Martos
Dr. Sonia Carabetta
Dr. Marta Laranjo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Food safety
  • Vegetables food waste
  • Novel food
  • Chemical characterization
  • Flavor composition
  • Mycotoxins
  • Bioactive compounds

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3101 KiB  
Article
The Valorization of Spent Coffee Ground Extract as a Prospective Insecticidal Agent against Some Main Key Pests of Phaseolus vulgaris in the Laboratory and Field
by Hany Hussein, Waleed Abouamer, Hatem Ali, Manal Elkhadragy, Hany Yehia and Amr Farouk
Plants 2022, 11(9), 1124; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11091124 - 21 Apr 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4697
Abstract
The exploitation of massive amounts of food and agro-waste represents a severe social, economic, and environmental issue. Under the growing demand for food products that are free of toxic synthetic insecticides, a methanolic extract of spent coffee grounds (SCGs), which represent the main [...] Read more.
The exploitation of massive amounts of food and agro-waste represents a severe social, economic, and environmental issue. Under the growing demand for food products that are free of toxic synthetic insecticides, a methanolic extract of spent coffee grounds (SCGs), which represent the main byproduct of coffee production, was applied in the current study as a bioinsecticide against the main pests of the green bean: Spodoptera littoralis, Agrotis ipsilon, Bemisia tabaci, Empoasca fabae, and Aphis craccivora. A deterrent assay, contact bioassay, and lethal concentration analysis were performed to reveal the repellent, antifeedant, and oviposition deterrent effects. Parallel to the above-mentioned bioassays, the phytochemical composition of the methanolic SCG extract was investigated via a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Fourteen phenolic acids and five flavonoids, in addition to caffeine (alkaloid), were identified in the extract. Cinnamic, rosmarinic, and gallic acids were the predominant phenolics, while apigenin-7-glucoside was the main flavonoid, followed by naringin, catechin, and epicatechin. The extract of SCGs showed an insecticidal effect, with a mortality between 27.5 and 76% compared to the control (7.4%) and based on the concentration of the extract used. In the same trend, the oviposition efficiency revealed different batches of laid eggs (0.67, 2.33, 7.33, and 8.67 batches/jar) for 100, 50, and 25% of the SCG extract and the control. Finally, the major components of the SCG extract were docked into the insecticide acetylcholinesterase enzyme to explore their potential for inhibition, where apigenin-7-glucoside showed a higher binding affinity, followed by catechin, compared to the control (lannate). The obtained findings could be a starting point for developing novel bioinsecticides from SCGs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste Valorization: Safety and Nutritional Aspect)
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17 pages, 1238 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Drying Methods and Extraction Techniques on Oleuropein Content in Olive Leaves
by Darija Cör Andrejč, Bojan Butinar, Željko Knez, Kaja Tomažič and Maša Knez Marevci
Plants 2022, 11(7), 865; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11070865 - 24 Mar 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 8571
Abstract
Increased demand for olive oil has caused higher quantities of byproducts in olive processing, such as olive leaves, olive skins, and vegetation water. It is well known that olive leaves contain several phenolic compounds, including secoiridoids. Oleuropein is the major secoiridoid in olive [...] Read more.
Increased demand for olive oil has caused higher quantities of byproducts in olive processing, such as olive leaves, olive skins, and vegetation water. It is well known that olive leaves contain several phenolic compounds, including secoiridoids. Oleuropein is the major secoiridoid in olive leaves. Oleuropein has been found to exhibit antioxidative, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antiatherogenic activities. We studied the effect of extraction techniques and drying methods on oleuropein content in olive leaves of Istrska belica and Lecino cultivar. Three different procedures of drying were used: at room temperature, at 105 °C, and freeze drying. Ethanol-modified supercritical extraction with carbon dioxide, conventional methanol extraction, and ultrasonic extraction with deep eutectic solvent were performed. Antioxidant activity was determined, as well as methanolic and supercritical extracts. The presence of olive polyphenols was confirmed by the HPLC method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste Valorization: Safety and Nutritional Aspect)
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24 pages, 645 KiB  
Article
Reintegration of Brewers Spent Grains in the Food Chain: Nutritional, Functional and Sensorial Aspects
by Anca Corina Farcas, Sonia Ancuța Socaci, Maria Simona Chiș, Oana Lelia Pop, Melinda Fogarasi, Adriana Păucean, Marta Igual and Delia Michiu
Plants 2021, 10(11), 2504; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112504 - 18 Nov 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5476
Abstract
Nowadays, the pandemic situation has encouraged the idea of sustainable healthy foods leading to new trends in food consumption. Brewers spent grain (BSG) represents a potential functional food rich in fiber, protein, lipids, mineral and phenols that needs to be further exploited. In [...] Read more.
Nowadays, the pandemic situation has encouraged the idea of sustainable healthy foods leading to new trends in food consumption. Brewers spent grain (BSG) represents a potential functional food rich in fiber, protein, lipids, mineral and phenols that needs to be further exploited. In this vein, five different BSG types were collected from local breweries and valorized in cookies manufacturing. Thus, proximate composition (protein, minerals, lipids, ash, crude fiber and carbohydrates) was analyzed using AACC (American Association of Cereal Chemists) methods, DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), and Folin Ciocalteu methods were used to determined antioxidant activity and total phenols, while minerals and aroma volatile compounds were performed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and ITEX/GC-MS (in tube extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) respectively. Color and physical characteristics, together with sensorial analysis, were also evaluated. The results highlighted a significant difference between BSG samples, mainly from the total phenols, antioxidant activity and aroma volatile compounds point of view. BSG volatiles compounds from the aldehydes group such as 2-methyl-propanal, 3-methyl-butanal and 2-methyl-butanal were identified also in the final baked goods, leading to a pleasant and appreciated consumers’ taste and aroma. Furthermore, cookies sensorial analysis emphasized that the sample manufactured with BSG from light and dark malt mixture was more appreciated by consumers, attaining the highest hedonic scores. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste Valorization: Safety and Nutritional Aspect)
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Review

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14 pages, 318 KiB  
Review
Modification of Dietary Fibers to Valorize the By-Products of Cereal, Fruit and Vegetable Industry—A Review on Treatment Methods
by Shahab Iqbal, Özge Tirpanalan-Staben and Knut Franke
Plants 2022, 11(24), 3466; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11243466 - 10 Dec 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2631
Abstract
Many by-products originating from cereal, fruit and vegetable industries contain quite high amounts of dietary fiber (DF), which play an important role in maintaining the healthy state of the human body. Nevertheless, huge proportions of these by-products are still underutilized as feed ingredients, [...] Read more.
Many by-products originating from cereal, fruit and vegetable industries contain quite high amounts of dietary fiber (DF), which play an important role in maintaining the healthy state of the human body. Nevertheless, huge proportions of these by-products are still underutilized as feed ingredients, to generate energy within an anaerobic digestion plant or even landfilled. One of the biggest hindrances in the valorization of such by-products is their very low soluble dietary fiber (SDF) to insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) ratios, impairing their nutritional functionality, palatability and technological applicability. Therefore, it is of interest to develop methods that can enhance the SDF to IDF ratio and that can be applied to the by-product streams of the food industry, enabling better valorization perspectives for human nutrition purposes. In this regard, the review paper provides an overview of existing technologies to modify the SDF to IDF ratio in by-products of the food industry by means of physical, chemical and biological treatments. For each type of treatment, available data on application examples including achieved increases in SDF contents are given. Additionally, a comparative discussion regarding the advantages and disadvantages of these methods is provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste Valorization: Safety and Nutritional Aspect)
22 pages, 2450 KiB  
Review
Valorization of Citrus Co-Products: Recovery of Bioactive Compounds and Application in Meat and Meat Products
by Gema Nieto, Juana Fernández-López, José A. Pérez-Álvarez, Rocío Peñalver, Gaspar Ros-Berruezo and Manuel Viuda-Martos
Plants 2021, 10(6), 1069; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10061069 - 26 May 2021
Cited by 35 | Viewed by 9929
Abstract
Citrus fruits (orange, lemon, mandarin, and grapefruit) are one of the most extensively cultivated crops. Actually, fresh consumption far exceeds the demand and, subsequently, a great volume of the production is destined for the citrus-processing industries, which produce a huge quantity of co-products. [...] Read more.
Citrus fruits (orange, lemon, mandarin, and grapefruit) are one of the most extensively cultivated crops. Actually, fresh consumption far exceeds the demand and, subsequently, a great volume of the production is destined for the citrus-processing industries, which produce a huge quantity of co-products. These co-products, without proper treatment and disposal, might cause severe environmental problems. The co-products obtained from the citrus industry may be considered a very important source of high-added-value bioactive compounds that could be used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and dietetic industries, and mainly in the food industry. Due to consumer demands, the food industry is exploring a new and economical source of bioactive compounds to develop novel foods with healthy properties. Thus, the aim of this review is to describe the possible benefits of citrus co-products as a source of bioactive compounds and their applications in the development of healthier meat and meat products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste Valorization: Safety and Nutritional Aspect)
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