About this Research Topic
Globally, about 55 million metric tons of food waste is generated annually out of which fruits and vegetable processing industry alone comprises 16.5 to 20.5 million metric tons. Most fruits and vegetables produce at least a minimum of 25–30% of byproducts in the form of peel, seed, pomace, stems, etc. Presently, the huge amount of waste that is generated is posing a great problem of disposal. Despite its richness in bioactive compounds; it is being used as an animal feed or most of the time it remains undisposed, causing significant economic and ecological threats to the environment by emitting harmful greenhouse gases (GHG).
Agro-produce wastes and by-products, particularly fruits and vegetable wastes, are high in beneficial compounds. These bioactive compounds have grown in popularity in recent years due to their wide range of applications in industries such as food, herbal, and cosmetics. These bioactive compounds are finding widespread use as nutraceuticals and functional foods. Peels, pomace, leaves, and seeds are potential feedstock for bioactive compounds like pigments, polyphenols, pectin, flavonoids, essential oils, polysaccharides, and so on. The beneficial and therapeutic properties of these bioactive compounds have prompted researchers to use novel extraction techniques to extract these highly valuable compounds from agro-waste. Therefore, it is necessary to utilize this bioactive rich waste (trash to treasure approach) by extracting them using greener and less hazardous techniques such as ultrasound assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, pulsed electric field, hydrodynamic cavitation, etc. This green extracted bioactive waste then can be used in formulating functional and nutraceutical foods, besides their use as food additives and preservatives. They are currently used as colorant and flavoring agents in food as they are generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
That is why a compilation of all available advanced knowledge at a single point is critical for future issues and new advances. With this special issue, we would collect both new advances and old-age practices that may be appropriate in the present day.
We welcome the original research and review articles including but not limited to the following themes-
• Extraction of bioactive compounds from Plant wastes/By-product
• Bioactive utilization in food system
• Techniques for extraction- traditional/advanced/green
• Economic viability and environmental impact assessment
• Bioactive clinical trial/ therapeutic study
• Fermentation of waste and its utilization
• Nutraceuticals and functional food development
• Nano fiber and encapsulation
• Synbiotic and symbiotic way of waste utilization
Agro-produce wastes and by-products, particularly fruits and vegetable wastes, are high in beneficial compounds. These bioactive compounds have grown in popularity in recent years due to their wide range of applications in industries such as food, herbal, and cosmetics. These bioactive compounds are finding widespread use as nutraceuticals and functional foods. Peels, pomace, leaves, and seeds are potential feedstock for bioactive compounds like pigments, polyphenols, pectin, flavonoids, essential oils, polysaccharides, and so on. The beneficial and therapeutic properties of these bioactive compounds have prompted researchers to use novel extraction techniques to extract these highly valuable compounds from agro-waste. Therefore, it is necessary to utilize this bioactive rich waste (trash to treasure approach) by extracting them using greener and less hazardous techniques such as ultrasound assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, pulsed electric field, hydrodynamic cavitation, etc. This green extracted bioactive waste then can be used in formulating functional and nutraceutical foods, besides their use as food additives and preservatives. They are currently used as colorant and flavoring agents in food as they are generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
That is why a compilation of all available advanced knowledge at a single point is critical for future issues and new advances. With this special issue, we would collect both new advances and old-age practices that may be appropriate in the present day.
We welcome the original research and review articles including but not limited to the following themes-
• Extraction of bioactive compounds from Plant wastes/By-product
• Bioactive utilization in food system
• Techniques for extraction- traditional/advanced/green
• Economic viability and environmental impact assessment
• Bioactive clinical trial/ therapeutic study
• Fermentation of waste and its utilization
• Nutraceuticals and functional food development
• Nano fiber and encapsulation
• Synbiotic and symbiotic way of waste utilization
Keywords: Agricultural wastes, Bioactive compounds, green extraction, Nutrition, Green chemistry.
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
