Sensory quality and regulatory aspects of upcycled foods: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract

The food industry has to become more sustainable to face the challenge of food waste. The principles of circular economy are starting to be applied in real life and despite technological and regulatory challenges, some start-ups have started commercialising upcycled food products. Upcycled foods can be considered a new food category and to increase their potential it is essential to enhance their sensory quality and consumer appeal, while considering the regulatory framework that shapes their development. This review summarises the existing sensory studies on upcycled foods, highlighting gaps for future research. Moreover, it provides findings from a regulatory analysis of upcycled foods, highlighting the challenges and the opportunities to support upcycled food development. Since 2021, 34 studies have been published that include sensory evaluation of upcycled foods with at least 10% of upcycled ingredients. The incorporation of upcycled ingredients was reported to have considerable effects on the sensory characteristics of the final products. However, while undesirable alterations like dark hues and bitter tastes were reported, upcycled foods were often well-liked by consumers. The sensory evaluation approaches used in many studies were poor, using questionable techniques. Moreover, there was no in-depth work combining various ingredients and processing techniques and thus, upcycled ingredients and food matrices combinations should be more carefully designed and evaluated. A multidisciplinary approach and consumer involvement through co-creation are suggested for successful upcycled food product development. Further work is also required on how to enable upcycled foods using regulatory interventions.

Keywords: Circular economy; Food by-products; Regulation; Sensory; Sustainability; Upcycled food; Valorisation.