Types Of Food Waste Research Articles

Changes in aerobic fermentation and microbial community structure in food waste derived from different dietary regimes

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between food components and food waste aerobic fermentation efficiency. Different food wastes were designed to be reflective of different dietary regimes, including formulated (R1), high oil/fat and salt (R2), high oil/fat and sugar (R3), and vegetarian (R4) diets, after which the physicochemical properties, enzyme activity, and structural characteristics of food waste microbial communities were examined to explore the potential mechanisms of food waste degradation under different dietary regimes. The main results of this study demonstrated that the physicochemical properties and hydrolase activity of different food waste were significantly different. The species richness in R2 and R3 food waste was higher than that of R1 and R4, whereas the community diversity of R1 and R4 food waste was higher than that of R2 and R3. At the genus level, the dominant bacteria in the four food waste types were Bacillus, Thermoactinomyces, Paenibacillus, and Cohnella.

Energy Recovery from Cocoa Shell, Oil Palm Seed Fibers and Sugar Cane Bagasse as Fuel in a Combustion Chamber

This work, concerns determination of energy potentials of three types of food waste in the Ivory Coast. The method used consists in carrying out a physical and chemical analysis of three types of waste, namely cocoa shell, sugar cane bagasse and oil palm seed fibers. The study of five (5) parameters show the energy potential of the three wastes. This is made possible by the knowledge of dry volatile matter (%MVS greater than 97%), total organic carbon (% COT about 57%) and dry matter (%MS between 17% and 79%), ash content (%K between 2.65% and 11.4%) and humidity (%TH between 20% and 83%). It appears from this study that these wastes have energy potentials with the lower calorific value (PCI greater than 18 MJ / kg). These data are very interesting and indicate that these wastes are recoverable by combustion or methanation. However, the humidity level is very high for two of them, notably cocoa shell and sugar cane bagasse (83% and 70% respectively). The difference between PCS and PCI shows that it will be necessary to pre-dry these wastes before combustion.

Eat up! Prevention of plate waste in tourism and hospitality: a perspective paper

PurposePlate waste is uneaten food left behind on the plate after a meal. Plate waste – like all food waste – burdens the environment. Plate waste – in contrast to other types of food waste – is absolutely unnecessary and almost entirely preventable. This study aims to synthesize past research on plate waste and outline a future research agenda.Design/methodology/approachPast research into plate waste is discussed, and the need for specific directions of future research is pointed out. A systematics of measures for the prevention of plate waste is offered which uses the following as criteria: the suitability of measures to the hospitality context; and whether the measure has been scientifically proven to be effective.FindingsPlate waste research has a very short history. To date, efforts have been focusing on quantifying the extent of the problem. More theoretical work is needed to identify drivers of place waste and develop and experimentally test theory-based practical interventions to reduce the amount of plate waste generated.Originality/valueThe key contribution of this perspective paper is to synthesize prior work on plate waste and offer a future research agenda.

Reducing the plate waste of families at hotel buffets – A quasi-experimental field study

Abstract Twenty percent of all global greenhouse emissions are food-related. Tourism and hospitality contribute significantly, with food accounting for nearly half of the waste these sectors produce. One type of food waste – plate waste – could easily be avoided. Plate waste is the food people leave behind uneaten on their plates. It does not increase the enjoyment of the meal, yet costs the hotel money, and harms the environment. We develop and test – in a quasi-experimental field study – a game-based intervention that reduces plate waste by 34 percent, and is available for immediate adoption by hotels globally. Our study contributes to theory by demonstrating the power of increasing pleasure in pleasure-seeking contexts when aiming to change environmentally significant tourist behaviour. Our findings also challenge established behavioural theories, which postulate that people's beliefs are the key drivers of pro-environmental behaviour.

Evaluating the effectiveness of HOCl application on odor reduction and earthworm population growth during vermicomposting of food waste employing Eisenia fetida

Vermicomposting has been recommended as an eco-friendly method to transform organic waste into nutrient resources with minimum energy input. However, odor and pest issues associated with this method limit the use of vermicomposting, especially in indoor conditions. This study evaluated the effectiveness of applying hypochlorous acid (HOCl) to deodorize the vermicomposting process and improve the breeding environment for earthworms (Eisenia fetida). The deodorization performance of HOCl was compared by measuring the amount of ammonia (NH3) and amine (R-NH2) released from the decaying process of two types of food waste: HOCl-treated (HTW) waste and non-treated waste (NTW). The total and individual weights of earthworms in the waste treated with HOCl was measured to evaluate the impact on earthworm reproduction after applying HOCl. The results showed that HOCl application could reduce NH3 by 40% and R-NH2 by 80%, and increase the earthworm population size and total weight by up to 29% and 92%, respectively, compared to the control group. These results suggest that HOCl application is potentially an efficient method to control the odor and to boost earthworm reproduction and thus facilitate vermicomposting for improved food waste treatment and environmental quality.

Comparison of physicochemical properties of biochars and hydrochars produced from food wastes

Abstract Tremendous amounts of food wastes are produced in China, and the conventional treatment by landfilling and incineration approaches poses serious environmental and social threats. Carbonization of food waste into value-added bio-solid is a feasible and potential alternative method for its sustainably recycle. Very limited information is available on the variation in biochar and hydrochar produced from food waste. In this study, five typical food waste types (eggshell, fish residue, breadcrumb, cooked rice and mixed food waste) and seven temperatures (200, 300, 400, and 500 °C for pyrolysis and 200, 250, and 300 °C for hydrothermal carbonization) were used, and physicochemical characteristics of the biochars and hydrochars were characterized. The main mass loss occurred centering at the temperatures of 270–320 °C, and 400 °C was a critical temperature for a complete decomposition. Physically, hydrochars showed spherically shaped morphological features in comparison with the pore and crack structures of biochars. Specific surface areas were generally low (

Exploring the Landscape of Innovative “from Food to Feed” Strategies: A Review

The identification of new strategies to prevent or at least reduce the volume of food waste needs to consider a wide range of solutions and priorities that EU policy is recently implementing. Based on the principles of the circular economy, one of the most promising solutions is to prevent food losses turning into waste by working synergistically on different action points. Amongst them, the strategy of repurposing food waste through conversion in a safe and sustainable feed product is acquiring huge interest amongst scientists and policy makers. In this context, the aim of the work is to depict the landscape of the existent solutions for the valorisation of food waste for animal feeding, through a systematic review of the literature, to answer the following three research questions: 1) To what extent is the interest of the academic research increasing, in line with the priorities of the international political agenda? 2) Which kinds of approaches have been used to explore this issue? 3) What type of solutions is the scientific literature able to propose to support policy makers in setting the strategies for the re‐use of food waste as animal feed? A set of keywords has been applied for the search in the “Topic” option of the Web of Science Core Collection resulting in 114 references. The application of filters for the identification of the relevant papers led to a final dataset composed of 31 scientific studies. Papers have been coded according to the nature of the study, namely theoretical or experimental, the source and the type of food waste considered, the type of technology used to process food waste (if any) and the destination of the final product. The literature suggests that the most positive aspect related to these practices is the low environmental impact, while the most critical issue regards compliance with the EU legal framework that is strictly dependent on the composition of the wasted food. The analysis revealed a growing interest in this field of research, with a great focus on the estimation of the environmental impact but few studies targeted on the assessment of the economic dimension.

Identification and Analysis of Attributes for Industrial Food Waste Management Modelling

Due to the large quantities of food waste generated by manufacturers and the associated environmental impact of these waste streams, improving food waste management is vital for achieving a more sustainable food system. Management of food waste can be complex and the most appropriate methods may not always be selected. There are a range of aspects to consider in order to select the most sustainable option to manage food waste, such as the specific type of food waste generated, waste management options available, characteristics of food companies that generate food waste, features of the waste management processors that will manage it, and the sustainability implications of dealing with the food waste. To support food waste management decision making, this paper presents a modelling procedure to assist in identifying what type and range of information is needed to model food waste management systems, allowing the user to follow a systematic methodology to make more informed decisions. This procedure is based on the identification and analysis of qualitative and quantitative attributes necessary to model food waste management and an assessment of their relationships. Specifically, it describes a process to ensure that all relevant attributes are considered during the decision-making process. A case study with a large UK food and drink manufacturer is used to demonstrate the applicability and usefulness of this procedure. In conclusion, the systematic procedure presented in this paper provides a methodology to identify opportunities to improve the sustainability of industrial food waste management. The data obtained can be used to further undertake a life-cycle assessment study and/or to apply existing socio-economic methodologies to thoroughly assess impacts and benefits of food waste management.

Every plate counts: Evaluation of a food waste reduction campaign in a university dining hall

The foodservice industry generates food waste by disposing of unserved food in the kitchen as well as uneaten food from consumers’ plates. In all-you-care-to-eat dining settings, such as university dining halls or buffet-style restaurants, food waste can be problematic because there is little monetary incentive to take less food. In addition, university dining facilities primarily serve young consumers who tend to be more wasteful than the average adult, further increasing the likelihood of waste. Appeals to money-saving have generally been identified as the best motivator to reduce consumer food waste; however, alternative motivators are needed when the quantity of food and its associated cost are not directly linked in all-you-care-to-eat settings. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of a food waste reduction campaign in a university dining hall. Consumer plate waste was collected, sorted, and weighed in a treatment and comparison dining hall for a semester to assess the impact of the campaign on the quantity and type of food waste. Results reveal that the campaign had a modest, though insignificant, impact on waste behavior, but there were changes in students’ beliefs related to food waste, which may be an important first step to achieving behavioral change.

Variability of food waste chemical composition: Impact of thermal pre-treatment on lignocellulosic matrix and anaerobic biodegradability

A comprehensive sustainable Food Waste (FW) management is globally needed in order to reduce the environmental pollution and the financial costs due to FW disposal; anaerobic digestion is considered as one of the best environmental-friendly alternatives to this aim. A deep investigation of the chemical composition of different Food waste types (cooked kitchen waste (CKW), fruit and vegetable scraps (FVS) and organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW)) is here reported, in order to evaluate their relevant substance-specific properties and their impact on anaerobic biodegradability by means of a sophisticated automatic batch test system. Suitability for a mild thermal pre-treatment (T = 134 °C and p = 3.2 bar) to enhance the biological degradation of hardly accessible compounds was investigated. The pre-treatment affected significantly the carbohydrates solubilisation, and was able in reducing part of the lignocellulosic matrix. Moreover, in mesophilic conditions, the high solubilized sugars content favoured the initial recovery of hydrogen (not consumed by hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis), allowing to newly assess the extent of prompt fermentability. Pre-treatment enhanced hydrogen yields of FVS and OFMSW, with gains up to +50%, while the successive methane production, occurring in the same reactor, resulted affected by the lack of the soluble part of carbohydrates, “subtracted” for H2 production. Only in thermophilic conditions, when no hydrogen in the biogas was detected, pre-treatment of OFMSW significantly increased methane yield (from 0.343 to 0.389 L CH4 g−1 VSfed). A thermal pre-treatment seems the recommended solution in order to reduce part of the recalcitrant lignocellulosic matrix of food waste, to improve energy recovery and to eliminate the extra cost needed for pasteurization.

Development of a model for food waste composting.

Worldwide, large amounts of food are wasted every year. Reducing of food waste at European level is taken very seriously and it has been adopted even a target of reducing the amount of food waste in half until 2030. In many countries of the European Union, food wastes are composted, while in countries like Romania, the composting is too little used or not at all, but efforts are being made to apply this process. Food waste composting should take place both at the composting plants and housing level. An important step before starting the composting process is to establish an appropriate recipe. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to develop a composting recipe starting from investigation of food waste like peel and pomace of fruits (apple, banana, orange, and kiwi) and vegetables (potato, cabbage, and carrots) which are very common in waste generated at the housing level. The most important physical-chemical parameters were investigated in this study. Results show that pH of fruit waste is acid (4.0-5.0), while for vegetable waste, the pH is slightly higher (between 6.0 and 6.5). For all types of food waste, a very high moisture content (80-90%) was registered, while the nitrogen content is below 1%. Considering that C/N ratio is one of the most essential parameters, for the process to be carried out in good conditions, we have used regression analysis in order to determine the amounts of fruits and vegetable waste necessary to obtain different C/N ratios.

Characterization of food waste from different sources in Hong Kong

ABSTRACTFood waste from different sources or at different generation stages may have different compositional characteristics and is therefore suitable for recycling into different products. To have a better understanding of their chemical composition, five food waste types were collected, namely, household kitchen waste (HH), preconsumption and postconsumption food waste from a hotel (Hpr and Hpo), wet market food waste (WM) and kitchen waste from a Chinese restaurant (CR), and their compositions were assessed monthly for 1 year. They served as suitable feedstock for various conversion technologies according to their chemical profiles. HH and CR had higher crude protein content (26%) and considerable amounts of minerals, making them nutritionally suitable for feeding animals. Preconsumption food wastes Hpr and WM had more favorable C:N ratios (16.5–17.4) and crude fat contents (4.6–6.5%) as feedstock for composting. Postconsumption food wastes were potential feedstock for the production of biogas and biodiesel because of the higher dry matter (>26%) and fat content (>13%). The coefficients of variation (CV) in all nutrients analyzed except Ca for postconsumption food wastes ranged from 5% to 37%, which showed lower temporal variability than preconsumption food wastes (CVs 10–131%). This implies that the composition of postconsumption food waste was relatively less fluctuating and can be considered a more reliable feedstock for food waste conversion.Implications: Characterization of food waste composition from different sources and determination of their temporal variation were performed to understand their characteristics and facilitate sound food waste management. Separating food wastes according to their sources and types helps reduce their composition variability, and thus increases the consistence in food-waste-derived products and recycling success. Study on temporal variation indicates that postconsumption food wastes varied less with time and could serve as reliable feedstocks for food waste conversion.

Application of lactic acid derived from food waste on pathogen inactivation in fecal sludge: a review on the alternative use of food waste.

Food waste generation and disposal have led to several environmental problems, especially in developing countries. This phenomenon is partly because most cities rapidly urbanize, which results in population increase, urban settlement and waste generation. Improper management of waste has continued to create environmental problems. These problems have indeed interfered with the inadequate measures in managing other organic waste such as food waste. Food waste can be fermented and used for pathogen inactivation in fecal sludge (FS). The continual decrease in global crop production due to soil erosion, nutrient runoff and loss of organic matter has generated interest in using FS for soil amendment. However, due to the high number of pathogens in FS that are harmful to humans, FS must be treated before being used in agriculture. Thus, given the high amounts of food waste generated globally and the lactic acid potential of fermented food waste, several researchers have recently proposed the use of fermented food waste to suppress pathogens in FS. This review presents the various approaches in pathogen inactivation in FS using different types of food waste. On the basis of the literature review, the major problems associated with the generation, collection and application of food waste in pathogen inactivation in FS are discussed. Moreover, the trends and challenges that concern the applicability of each method are critically reviewed.

Assessment of household food waste in Hungary

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine and quantify the most dominant types of food waste in Hungarian households and to analyse the effect of demographic background and income as influencing factors.Design/methodology/approachData related to solid and liquid food waste were recorded from 100 households for one week. The study primarily focussed on avoidable food waste, however, unavoidable and potentially avoidable food waste were also measured. Appropriate tools and manual were provided to the households to ensure data consistency.FindingsEstimated quantity of total food waste (including liquid waste) per capita is 68.04 kg/year. In all, 48.70 per cent of total food waste would have been avoidable (equals to 33.14 kg/capita/year). Most frequently wasted food categories were meals and bakery products. In case of some demographic categories, different wastage levels were observed. It was also confirmed that income has effect on food waste production that varies by foodstuff categories: bakery product waste was mainly dominant for middle income consumers and fresh fruits were typically wasted by more affluent households. Apart from that, higher income resulted in higher food waste production in general.Practical implicationsThis primary data set about avoidable food waste in Hungary contributes with relevant information to the refining of international estimates. Having specific data on food wastage and the most affected target groups, as well as information on the impact of the income can be applied in planning awareness raising campaigns.Originality/valueThe research is based on measurement of food waste categories in households resulting in detailed data sets. This study is one of the first investigations based on primary data collection from the eastern part of Central Europe and the very first related to Hungary. The study draws attention also to the influence that household income exerts on the issue of food waste.

Kinetic studies on organic degradation and its impacts on improving methane production during anaerobic digestion of food waste

Organics degradation is vital for food waste anaerobic digestion performance, however, the influence of organics degradation on biomethane production process has not been fully understood. This study aims to thoroughly investigate the organics degradation performance and identify the interaction between the reduction of organic components and methane yield based on the evaluation on 12 types of food waste. Five models (i.e. exponential, Fitzhugh, transference function, Cone and modified Gompertz models) were compared regarding the prediction of organic degradation and the results showed that the exponential model fit the experiments best, whereas kinetic parameters could not be commonly used for all situations. The exponential model was then used to study the impacts of organics reduction on the methane production and results revealed that the cumulative methane production (385–627 mL/g volatile solid) increased exponentially with the removal efficiency of volatile solids, lipids, and proteins for all feedstocks, whereas volatile solid reduction increased exponentially and linearly, respectively, with the removal efficiency of lipids and proteins. Additionally, protein degradation increased exponentially with the reduction efficiency of lipids. The experimental data and model simulation results suggested that higher methane production (530–548 mL/g volatile solid) and removal efficiency of volatile solids (65.0–67.8%), lipids (77.8–78.2%), and proteins (54.7–58.2%) could be achieved in a shorter digestion retention when carbohydrate content was higher than 47.6%, protein content lower than 24.1%, and lipid content lower than 28.3%.

Harnessing the wine dregs: An approach towards a more sustainable synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles

In recent years, the management of food waste processing has emerged as a major concern. One such type of food waste, grape pomace, has been shown to be a great source of bioactive compounds which might be used for more environmentally - friendly processes for the synthesis of nanomaterials. In this study, grape pomace of Vitis vinifera has been used for the obtainment of an aqueous extract. Firstly, the reducing activity, total phenolic content and DPPH scavenging activity of the aqueous extract were determined. Then, the aqueous extract was used for the synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles. The formation of spherical and stable nanoparticles with mean diameters of 35.3±5.2nm for Au@GP and 42.9±6.4nm for Ag@GP was confirmed by UV–vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, the functional group of biomolecules present in grape pomace extract, Au@GP and Ag@GP, were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy prior to and after the synthesis, in order to obtain information about the biomolecules involved in the reducing and stabilization process. This study is the first to deal with the use of Vitis vinifera grape pomace in obtaining gold and silver nanoparticles through an eco-friendly, quick, one-pot synthetic route.

Pyrolysis Characteristics and Kinetics of Food Wastes

Pyrolysis is an environmental friendly alternative method compared with incineration, and the least time-consuming and smallest infrastructure footprint method compared with bio-chemical and thermo-chemical conversion. Baseline data for the pyrolysis of food waste was obtained in a kinetic study of the thermal decompositions by thermogravimetric analysis. To simulate the difference in the types of food waste, the study was done using model compounds, such as cereals, meat, vegetable, and mixed food waste; the pyrolysis commenced at 150 °C for most food waste and the process terminated at 450 °C to 500 °C. Between one and three peaks were observed on a differential thermogravimetry (DTG) graph, depending on the type of waste being pyrolyzed, reflecting the difference in the time required for pyrolysis of different components of food waste to take place. Depending on the composition of each food, one or four peaks were found, and the pyrolysis patterns of carbohydrate, protein, fat, and cellulose were found. Activation energies and frequency factors were calculated from the rates of conversion, using differential equation analyses. The activation energy increased from 10 kJ/mol to 50 kJ/mol as conversions increased from the 10% to 90%, regardless of the food waste type. The activation energy was measured as 50 kJ/mol, with a slight variation among the type of the food waste. Due to the activation energy being low, food waste consists of carbohydrates and other substances rather than cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.

Effects of moisture content of food waste on residue separation, larval growth and larval survival in black soldier fly bioconversion

In order to foster sustainable management of food waste, innovations in food waste valorization technologies are crucial. Black soldier fly (BSF) bioconversion is an emerging technology that can turn food waste into high-protein fish feed through the use of BSF larvae. The conventional method of BSF bioconversion is to feed BSF larvae with food waste directly without any moisture adjustment. However, it was reported that difficulty has been experienced in the separation of the residue (larval excreta and undigested material) from the insect biomass due to excessive moisture. In addition to the residue separation problem, the moisture content of the food waste may also affect the growth and survival aspects of BSF larvae. This study aims to determine the most suitable moisture content of food waste that can improve residue separation as well as evaluate the effects of the moisture content of food waste on larval growth and survival. In this study, pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste with different moisture content (70%, 75% and 80%) was fed to BSF larvae in a temperature-controlled rotary drum reactor. The results show that the residue can be effectively separated from the insect biomass by sieving using a 2.36mm sieve, for both types of food waste at 70% and 75% moisture content. However, sieving of the residue was not feasible for food waste at 80% moisture content. On the other hand, reduced moisture content of food waste was found to slow down larval growth. Hence, there is a trade-off between the sieving efficiency of the residue and the larval growth rate. Furthermore, the larval survival rate was not affected by the moisture content of food waste. A high larval survival rate of at least 95% was achieved using a temperature-controlled rotary drum reactor for all treatment groups. The study provides valuable insights for the waste management industry on understanding the effects of moisture content when employing BSF bioconversion for food waste recycling.

EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Food

EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Food

A Methodology for Sustainable Management of Food Waste

As much as one-third of the food intentionally grown for human consumption is never consumed and is therefore wasted, with significant environmental, social and economic ramifications. An increasing number of publications in this area currently consider different aspects of this critical issue, and generally focus on proactive approaches to reduce food waste, or reactive solutions for more efficient waste management. In this context, this paper takes a holistic approach with the aim of achieving a better understanding of the different types of food waste, and using this knowledge to support informed decisions for more sustainable management of food waste. With this aim, existing food waste categorizations are reviewed and their usefulness are analysed. A systematic methodology to identify types of food waste through a nine-stage categorization is used in conjunction with a version of the waste hierarchy applied to food products. For each type of food waste characterized, a set of waste management alternatives are suggested in order to minimize environmental impacts and maximize social and economic benefits. This decision-support process is demonstrated for two case studies from the UK food manufacturing sector. As a result, types of food waste which could be managed in a more sustainable manner are identified and recommendations are given. The applicability of the categorisation process for industrial food waste management is discussed.