Valorization of Food Waste as Animal Feed: A Step towards Sustainable Food Waste Management and Circular Bioeconomy

Abstract

The growing population and healthy food demands have led to a rise in food waste generation, causing severe environmental and economic impacts. However, food waste (FW) can be converted into sustainable animal feed, reducing waste disposal and providing an alternative protein source for animals. The utilization of FW as animal feed presents a solution that not only tackles challenges pertaining to FW management and food security but also lessens the demand for the development of traditional feed, which is an endeavour that is both resource and environmentally intensive in nature. Moreover, this approach can also contribute to the circular economy by creating a closed-loop system that reduces the use of natural resources and minimizes environmental pollution. Therefore, this review discusses the characteristics and types of FW, as well as advanced treatment methods that can be used to recycle FW into high-quality animal feed and its limitations, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of using FW as animal feed. Finally, the review concludes that utilization of FW as animal feed can provide a sustainable solution for FW management, food security, preserving resources, reducing environmental impacts, and contributing to the circular bioeconomy.

Impact of forestry on environment and human health: an evidence-based investigation

“…The bioeconomy strategy is the basis of a bio-based economy that should strengthen the Arabian economy's competitiveness. At the same time, a social rethink should be brought about, and greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced ( 29 , 30 ).…”

The management and prevention of food losses and waste in low- and middle-income countries: A mini-review in the Africa region

“…Most FWs have been characterized as easily degradable, with high moisture content, low pH and high solubility, which gives it higher energy content per dry mass (Slopieck et al, 2022). FW has been characterized in numerous ways, including natural resources (Shurson, 2020), cooking food, human food chain level and physical state (Nath et al, 2023). Agriculture is the initial link in the food chain, followed by warehouses and businesses such as flour mills and food preservation factories (Bartali et al, 2022).…”

“…Agriculture is the initial link in the food chain, followed by warehouses and businesses such as flour mills and food preservation factories (Bartali et al, 2022). In this human food chain, FW can be divided into the following categories: (i) agro FWs derived from farmers, (ii) industrial FWs derived from wholesalers, (iii) market FWs derived from secondary distributors, (iv) hotel and restaurants FWs derived from secondary distributors in the form of cooked products and (v) domestic FWs derived from customers (Nath et al, 2023). Figure 3 depicts an overview of categorization of FW.…”

Promising future of citrus waste into fermented high-quality bio-feed in the poultry nutrition and safe environment

“…Due to its nutrient content, food waste might be regarded as a possible element in animal feed production ( Dao et al, 2023 ; Nath et al, 2023 ). Using natural products can be a cost-effective way to enhance the performance of poultry ( Puvača et al, 2020 ).…”