Industrial Food Waste Valorization: A General Overview

Abstract

The decline of fossil fuels, caused by several factors as overpopulation, the threat of global warming, and the scarcity of fossil resources require the development of sustainable and innovative strategies for the chemical industry. Nowadays, the world population is experiencing constrains imposed by our resource system. This fact has led to the development of more efficiency process or the valorization of wastes. In this sense, the food supply chain wastes have emerged as a potential resource to be employed as raw material to obtain high added-value products given the abundant volumes globally generated, the high variety of its chemical composition, and the opportunity to be recycled or reutilized to obtain fuels and chemicals. The aim of this research is to provide an overview of the innovative treatments of food supply chain waste, providing a range of worldwide case studies from around the globe. These studies are focused on examples illustrating the use of citrus peel, the cashew shell nut liquid, and the waste cooking oil to obtain valuable products. In addition, this manuscript also aims to emphasize the strategies to the reutilization and valorization of these food wastes as alternative to the conventional treatments as incineration for energy recovery, feed, or composting. Finally, the influence of food regulations on food supply chain waste valorization will also be addressed as well as our society’s behavior toward food supply chain waste.