Development of value-added products from food wastes

Abstract

Waste can contain many reusable substances of high value. Biological wastes contain several reusable substances of high value such as soluble sugars and fiber. Direct disposal of such wastes to soil or landfill causes serious environmental problems. Thus, the development of potential value-added processes for these wastes is highly attractive. In addition, environment-friendly method of waste management is very important for sustainability. In the food processing industries, up to 30 % of incoming raw materials becomes waste rather than a value-added product. Dealing with this waste is an urgent matter for many of these industries as landfill sites close, as operators restrict the amount of waste that can be brought into landfill sites, and as regulations have eliminated some of the previously used disposal practices. Depending on there being an adequate technology this residual matter can be converted into commercial products either as raw material for secondary processes, as operating supplies or as ingredients of new products. Numerous valuable substances in food production are suitable for separation and recycling at the end of their life cycle, even though present separation and recycling processes are not absolutely cost efficient. This chapter considers properties of byproducts and other wastes of various food industries and developed process techniques to obtain value-added products from these byproducts and the wastes. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York.