Dear Colleagues,

Lignocellulosic food waste production is a huge issue concerning people, scientists, industries and governmental sectors due to its associated negative environmental and economic impact. Lignocellulosic food waste is generated daily throughout the entire food supply chain, during production (damaged food), post-harvest (non-compliant food), distribution (bruised food), processing (bagasse, peels, seeds), at the retail stage (food remnants, offcuts) and at the final consumer stage (kitchen leftovers, rotten food). This waste still possesses a substantial nutritional richness, notably in carbohydrates, mostly in terms of insoluble and soluble fiber (cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and lignin), lipids and protein content, as well as a small concentration of minerals and bioactive compounds such as phenolics and carotenoids. Such richness, as well as the high availability of waste, can be exploited in order to obtain different multi-purpose products through the application of a bioprocess carried out by fungal strains. This process is called solid-state fermentation and involves the microorganism undergoing natural growth and using the lignocellulosic waste as a carbon source. Among the value-added derived products from biofermentation processes are single-cell proteins for animal feed; catalytic enzymes with high specificity and activity; simple sugars that can be directed for bioethanol production; oligosaccharides for the formulation of prebiotic ingredients, which could also lead to a releasement/accumulation of natural antioxidants; and antimicrobial agents of phenolic and carotenoid origin.

This Special Issue emphasizes the development of solid-state fermentation as an integrative process for the valorization of food waste generated throughout the food supply chain, pursuing the development of high-impact and valuable products. This issue focuses on fermentative processes for food waste valorization and will include multidisciplinary areas comprising biotechnology, food science and technology, food chemistry, and engineering. Research articles will cover an ample scope of lignocellulosic food waste from the processing of any type of crop, including cereals, vegetables and fruit, as well as plants and trees, which are applied as a support source for microbial development. All types of articles related to the fermentation process, such as original research, opinions and reviews, are welcome.

Dr. Ricardo Gómez-García
Prof. Dr. Cristóbal Noé Aguilar González
Dr. María L. Flores-López
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• food waste valorization
• circular bioeconomy
• biotechnological processes
• integrative bioprocess
• solid-state fermentation
• dark fermentation
• microbial growth
• lignocellulosic enzyme production
• bioactive compounds releasement