The Potential of Selected Agri-Food Loss and Waste to Contribute to a Circular Economy: Applications in the Food, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Industries

Abstract

The food sector includes several large industries such as canned food, pasta, flour, frozen products, and beverages. Those industries transform agricultural raw materials into added-value products. The fruit and vegetable industry is the largest and fastest-growing segment of the world agricultural production market, which commercialize various products such as juices, jams, and dehydrated products, followed by the cereal industry products such as chocolate, beer, and vegetable oils are produced. Similarly, the root and tuber industry produces flours and starches essential for the daily diet due to their high carbohydrate content. However, the processing of these foods generates a large amount of waste several times improperly disposed of in landfills. Due to the increase in the world’s population, the indiscriminate use of natural resources generates waste and food supply limitations due to the scarcity of resources, increasing hunger worldwide. The circular economy offers various tools for raising awareness for the recovery of waste, one of the best alternatives to mitigate the excessive consumption of raw materials and reduce waste. The loss and waste of food as a raw material offers bioactive compounds, enzymes, and nutrients that add value to the food cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. This paper systematically reviewed literature with different food loss and waste by-products as animal feed, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products that strongly contribute to the paradigm shift to a circular economy. Additionally, this review compiles studies related to the integral recovery of by-products from the processing of fruits, vegetables, tubers, cereals, and legumes from the food industry, with the potential in SARS-CoV-2 disease and bacterial diseases treatment.

Deep Eutectic Solvents for the Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources and Agricultural By-Products

“…As it has been indicated in the introduction section, agricultural by-products have surged as an important source of bioactive compounds which bring about the possibility of valorization of these products to be applied in the food industry, for cosmetic, nutraceutical or pharmacological applications [28]. In this context, research has been done in order to develop suitable procedures to effectively extract the desired bioactive compounds from these sources.…”

Carotenoids in Milk and the Potential for Dairy Based Functional Foods

“…The by-products generated during the processing of fruit and vegetables are often discarded as waste despite being a rich source of bioactive compounds, including carotenoids [123]. The processing of fruit and vegetables in the United States and China results in approximately 15.0 and 32.0 million tons, respectively, of waste annually [124].…”

Natural Bioactive Compounds from Food Waste: Toxicity and Safety Concerns

“…Recent studies showed that agro-food wastes must be considered renewable source of added-value bioactive compounds (BCs) [ 4 , 5 ]. The current linear economy model is based on the one acquired concepts from the industrial revolution, which implied a constant supply of products with a short life span, forcing an ever so increasing production to face the consumers’ needs [ 6 ]. This linear approach promotes the underexploitation of natural resources giving rise to a significant environmental and economic crisis.…”

“…Hence, the proper management of this FLW will impact the change for a circular economy model and, a new concept perceived as an efficient option on the long run to transform and increment value to the FLW. BCs recovered from the food supply chain waste using sustainable extracting methodologies, will be used as raw material, or as new products, with health benefits creating industries with added value [ 6 ].…”