The Potential of Selected Agri-Food Loss and Waste to Contribute to a Circular Economy: Applications in the Food, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Industries

Abstract

The food sector includes several large industries such as canned food, pasta, flour, frozen products, and beverages. Those industries transform agricultural raw materials into added-value products. The fruit and vegetable industry is the largest and fastest-growing segment of the world agricultural production market, which commercialize various products such as juices, jams, and dehydrated products, followed by the cereal industry products such as chocolate, beer, and vegetable oils are produced. Similarly, the root and tuber industry produces flours and starches essential for the daily diet due to their high carbohydrate content. However, the processing of these foods generates a large amount of waste several times improperly disposed of in landfills. Due to the increase in the world's population, the indiscriminate use of natural resources generates waste and food supply limitations due to the scarcity of resources, increasing hunger worldwide. The circular economy offers various tools for raising awareness for the recovery of waste, one of the best alternatives to mitigate the excessive consumption of raw materials and reduce waste. The loss and waste of food as a raw material offers bioactive compounds, enzymes, and nutrients that add value to the food cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. This paper systematically reviewed literature with different food loss and waste by-products as animal feed, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products that strongly contribute to the paradigm shift to a circular economy. Additionally, this review compiles studies related to the integral recovery of by-products from the processing of fruits, vegetables, tubers, cereals, and legumes from the food industry, with the potential in SARS-CoV-2 disease and bacterial diseases treatment.

Keywords: agri-food waste valorization; antioxidants; bioactive compounds; circular economy; colorants; fruit peel; fruit seeds.

Figure 1

General scheme of waste and losses of the food chain in the circular economy: (1) Raw material recovery. (2) Modification and transformation of losses. (3) Reincorporation of food waste and losses. (4) Reuse of packaging. (5) Reincorporated food waste [38,39].

Figure 2

Scheme of the productive chain of the agri-food industry. Source: Adapted from [76].

Figure 3

Primary fruit and vegetable producer (2018 production) [81].

Figure 4

Fruits and vegetables with the highest production worldwide [81].

Figure 5

General diagram of fruit and vegetable industrial processing [89,90].

Figure 6

The five leading producer countries of roots and tubers in 2018 [81].

Figure 7

General scheme of root and tuber processing [143,144].

Figure 8

Leading countries in the production of cereals and legumes in 2018 [81].

Figure 9

Industrial processing of cereals and legumes [181,182].

Figure 10

General diagram of cocoa processing [187].

Figure 11

Industrial beer processing scheme [190].