Sustainable Food Systems in Fruits and Vegetables Food Supply Chains.

Lucía Cassani,Andrea Gomez-Zavaglia

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.829061

Abstract

Fruits and vegetables wastes (e.g., peel fractions, pulps, pomace, and seeds) represent ~16% of total food waste and contribute ~6% to global greenhouse gas emissions. The diversity of the fruit-horticultural production in several developing countries and the excess of certain fruits or vegetables in the months of greatest production offer unique opportunities for adding value to these wastes (co-products). Within the scope of the Circular Economy, valorization of such wastes for the production of innovative bio-ingredients can open great market opportunities if efficiently exploited. In this context, this review deals with the current situation of wastes arising from fruits and vegetables (availability, characterization) as sources of valuable ingredients (fiber, polyphenols, pigments) suitable to be incorporated into food, pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical products. In addition, an integral and systematic approach including the sustainable technologies generally used at both lab and industrial scale for efficient extraction of bioactive compounds from fruits and vegetables wastes are addressed. Overall, this review provides a general updated overview regarding the situation of fruits and vegetables chain supplies in the post-pandemic era, offering an integrative perspective that goes beyond the recovery of fiber and phytochemicals from the previous mentioned wastes and focuses on whole processes and in their social and economic impacts.

Highlights

Food supply chains are highly integrated and strongly dependent on global conditions [1]
Peels, pulps, pomaces and seed fractions of fruit and vegetables can be suitable raw materials for the recovery of different bioactive compounds, including fiber, polyphenols and pigments, among the most important ones. Such opportunities are addressed in Functional ingredients in agro-wastes of fruits and vegetables, Sustainable extraction methods, and Social impact of incorporating bioactive compounds from regional fruits and vegetables by-products into innovative processes
Creating integrative value chains with the appropriate business models to produce functional ingredients sustainably obtained from residual food losses appears as a smart strategy to supply affordable, healthy and natural bioactive ingredients, suitable for the formulation of functional foods, dietary supplements and cosmetics, contributing to overcome the economic problems associated to the pandemic

Summary

Introduction

Food supply chains are highly integrated and strongly dependent on global conditions [1]. Such opportunities are addressed in Functional ingredients in agro-wastes of fruits and vegetables, Sustainable extraction methods, and Social impact of incorporating bioactive compounds from regional fruits and vegetables by-products into innovative processes.

Results

Conclusion