Special Issue "Food Wastes and By-Products: Bioactive Compounds, Their Extraction, and Possible Utilization"

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 January 2024 | Viewed by 914

Special Issue Editors

Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1390 Eckles Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Interests: food engineering; value-added processing; food safety assurance; food quality improvement; non-thermal technologies
MOE Biomass Energy Research Center and College of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, 235 East Nanjing Road, Nanchang 330047, China
Interests: food biotechnology; enzyme engineering; value-added utilization of food processing byproducts; eco-friendly food
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the extraction and utilization of food by-products and food waste. The abundance of these materials, coupled with the need for sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, has fueled research in this area. The extraction of valuable compounds from food by-products and food waste has the potential to not only reduce waste and environmental impact, but also to provide valuable resources for various industries.

This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the current status and future perspectives of these materials in terms of their extraction, analysis, and utilization in the food industry. Potential topics for submission include, but are not limited to:

  • Extraction methods for valuable compounds from food by-products and food waste.
  • Characterization and analysis of bioactive constituents in these materials.
  • Utilization of extracted compounds for the development of functional foods, nutraceuticals, or dietary supplements.
  • Safety evaluation and toxicological studies on food by-products.
  • Biotechnological approaches for converting residues into value-added products.
  • Sustainable management and innovative utilization of food by-products and food waste.

Prof. Dr. Roger Ruan
Dr. Hongli Zheng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food waste
  • extraction
  • utilization
  • bioactive compounds
  • characterization
  • safety assessment
  • sustainability
  • functional foods

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 303 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Bioactive Content of Liquid Waste and Byproducts Produced by Two-Phase Olive Mills in Laconia (Greece): Is There a Prospect for Added-Value Applications?
Foods 2023, 12(24), 4421; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12244421 (registering DOI) - 09 Dec 2023
Viewed by 124
Abstract
The use of a two-phase decanter (TwPD) for olive-oil extraction produces wastes and byproducts (a small volume of water from oil washing, olive leaves from the defoliator, and a high moisture pomace which can be destoned) that contain valuable bioactive compounds, such as [...] Read more.
The use of a two-phase decanter (TwPD) for olive-oil extraction produces wastes and byproducts (a small volume of water from oil washing, olive leaves from the defoliator, and a high moisture pomace which can be destoned) that contain valuable bioactive compounds, such as phenolics and/or triterpenic acids. So far, there is no (water) or limited information (leaves and the destoned pomace fraction) on their content of bioactives, especially triterpenic acids. To contribute to the characterization of such streams from cultivars of international interest, in the present study, samples obtained from five mills from the region of Laconia (from one or two harvests) in Greece, where Koroneiki cv dominates, were screened for phenols and/or triterpenic acids. The leaves and pomace were dried at two temperatures (70 °C and/or 140 °C), and the pomace was also destoned before analysis. The liquid wastes contained low amounts of total (TPC) phenols (<140 mg gallic acid/L), hydroxytyrosol (<44 mg/L), and tyrosol (<33 mg/L). The olive leaves varied widely in TPC (12.8–57.4 mg gallic acid/g dry leaf) and oleuropein (0.4–56.8 mg/g dry leaf) but contained an appreciable amount of triterpenic acids, mainly oleanolic acid (~12.5–31 mg/g dry leaf, respectively). A higher drying temperature (140 vs. 70 °C) affected rather positively the TPC/oleuropein content, whereas triterpenic acids were unaffected. The destoned pomace TPC was 15.5–22.0 mg gallic acid/g dw, hydroxytyrosol 3.9–5.6 mg/g dw, and maslinic 5.5–19.3 mg/g dw. Drying at 140 °C preserved better its bioactive phenols, whereas triterpenic acids were not influenced. The present findings indicate that TwPD streams may have a prospect as a source of bioactives for added-value applications. Material handling, including drying conditions, may be critical but only for phenols. Full article
17 pages, 9278 KiB  
Article
Acute Oral Toxicity Evaluation of Almond Hull Powders in BALB/c Mice
Foods 2023, 12(22), 4111; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12224111 - 13 Nov 2023
Viewed by 422
Abstract
Almond hull, a substantial byproduct constituting more than half of almond fresh weight, has garnered recent attention due to its abundance in fiber and bioactive content. Despite this huge interest, data on its toxicity remain scarce. In line with the Organization for Economic [...] Read more.
Almond hull, a substantial byproduct constituting more than half of almond fresh weight, has garnered recent attention due to its abundance in fiber and bioactive content. Despite this huge interest, data on its toxicity remain scarce. In line with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 423 guidelines, this study conducted an acute oral toxicity test using almond hull powders processed from three major almond varieties of Butte, Monterey, and Nonpareil on BALB/c female mice, administering dosages of 300 mg/kg body weight (bw), 2000 mg/kg bw, and 5000 mg/kg bw, with observations over a 14-day period. The results indicated that almond hull powders were non-toxic, aligning with the Globally Harmonized System’s classification. Administering up to 5000 mg/kg bw of all three varieties of almond hull powders (female BALB/c mice) and 10,000 mg/kg bw of Monterey almond hull powders (both female and male mice) induced no adverse effects in terms of mortality, body weight changes, food intake, organ to weight ratio, and clinical biochemistry. Additionally, histopathological examination revealed no organ abnormalities. This study demonstrates the non-toxic nature of almond hull as an edible food ingredient under experimental conditions, encouraging the further exploration of its potential for safe consumption and its health benefits. Full article
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