Recovery of Nutraceuticals from Agri-Food Industry Waste by Lactic Acid Fermentation

Abstract

The enormous amount of by-products produced in the food and agricultural sector and the current attention towards sustainability is attracting researchers to look into possibilities of its utilization in the recovery of nutraceuticals. Nutraceuticals are food or food products that confer health and medical benefits, and are instrumental in the prevention and treatment of diseases. The agri-food industry by-products are an excellent source of proteins, lipids, fibre and other bioactive compounds. Among the different methods used for the extraction of these bioactive compounds (nutraceuticals), fermentation by lactic acid bacteria is one of the economical and eco-friendly approaches. During fermentation, chemical changes induced in the organic substrate by the action of microorganisms aids in the formation of bioactive compounds, either by a process of hydrolysis of large polymers to simple molecules, or transformation of substrates. This book chapter discusses the role of lactic acid fermentation in transformation/hydrolysis of by-products for the efficient recovery of nutraceuticals. The bioprocess of recovery of nutraceuticals from waste by lactic acid fermentation with better efficiency adds value to the food waste, reduces environmental pollution and has a positive impact on the economy.