Fruits and vegetables waste constitutes to be largest fraction of food wastes. It has
significantly high solids, high COD and BOD, and it can be used for production of
high value chemicals. During processing of vegetables and fruits viz., apple, potato,
tomato, berries, olives, citrus, enormous amount of wastes has been generated. Their
production potential has been reviewed by (Mirabella et al. 2014). Several food
industry, pharmaceutical industry produces can be generated from fruit and vegetable wastes (Fig. 5.7). Biologically active phenols and pectins are extracted from
apple pomace, citrus peel residues, and berries. Gelling and thickening agents are
also obtained from fruit wastes.
Dairy industries generate enormous quantity of liquid wastes with different
nutrient content. The liquid of dairy waste mainly contains proteins, salts, fatty
substances, lactose, etc. Precipitation, filtration techniques were followed to purify
the whey from different cheese whey. Such treated whey is a rich source of lactose
which can be used for production of chemicals, especially industrial production of
kefiran, an exopolysaccharide rich in glucose and galactose. Whey permeate was
used as sanitizing agent to treat fruits and vegetables.
Global meat consumption has increased significantly due to increased demand for
protein rich food. One of the causes of concern with respect to recovery of chemicals
from meat and meat processing waste is health and hygiene issue. For instance,
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy is found to be one of the most dangerous
diseases that affect the value and consumer chain, calling for much attention during
handling of meat wastes. Meat wastes are also a rich source of proteins, hence
several extraction methods were tried to extract meat proteins from lungs and beef
pork. Such proteins can be a flavour enhancer, nutritional additive, etc. (Arancon
et al. 2013; Dahiya et al. 2018; Ibarruri and Hernandez 2019; Imbert 2017).
5.2.3 Industrial Wastes
During the processing of organic material into high value products, a significant
quantity of wastewater is generated. In most cases they are not treated properly either
land filled or directly disposed into water bodies causing environmental problems.
Valorization strategies are followed for such industrial wastewater. Starch
processing wastewater is one such waste composed of high quantities of starch
from peelings of potato. Starch containing wastes also have significant amounts of
total soluble nitrogen and total soluble phosphorous which can be recovered/
removed by biological wastewater treatment (Muniraj et al. 2013). With regard to
Olive mill waste (OMW), the wastewaters contain enormous amounts of organic
load. In this case, biogas production can be a better option. The digestate after
treatment with appropriate concentration of nutrients can be composted and used as
soil amendment to enhance the organic carbon content. Further, the reclaimed
wastewater can be a good source for irrigation of agriculture and horticultural
crops (Fritsch et al. 2017).
5 Valorization of Biowastes into Food, Fuels, and Chemicals: Towards Sustainable. . .
97
significantly high solids, high COD and BOD, and it can be used for production of
high value chemicals. During processing of vegetables and fruits viz., apple, potato,
tomato, berries, olives, citrus, enormous amount of wastes has been generated. Their
production potential has been reviewed by (Mirabella et al. 2014). Several food
industry, pharmaceutical industry produces can be generated from fruit and vegetable wastes (Fig. 5.7). Biologically active phenols and pectins are extracted from
apple pomace, citrus peel residues, and berries. Gelling and thickening agents are
also obtained from fruit wastes.
Dairy industries generate enormous quantity of liquid wastes with different
nutrient content. The liquid of dairy waste mainly contains proteins, salts, fatty
substances, lactose, etc. Precipitation, filtration techniques were followed to purify
the whey from different cheese whey. Such treated whey is a rich source of lactose
which can be used for production of chemicals, especially industrial production of
kefiran, an exopolysaccharide rich in glucose and galactose. Whey permeate was
used as sanitizing agent to treat fruits and vegetables.
Global meat consumption has increased significantly due to increased demand for
protein rich food. One of the causes of concern with respect to recovery of chemicals
from meat and meat processing waste is health and hygiene issue. For instance,
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy is found to be one of the most dangerous
diseases that affect the value and consumer chain, calling for much attention during
handling of meat wastes. Meat wastes are also a rich source of proteins, hence
several extraction methods were tried to extract meat proteins from lungs and beef
pork. Such proteins can be a flavour enhancer, nutritional additive, etc. (Arancon
et al. 2013; Dahiya et al. 2018; Ibarruri and Hernandez 2019; Imbert 2017).
5.2.3 Industrial Wastes
During the processing of organic material into high value products, a significant
quantity of wastewater is generated. In most cases they are not treated properly either
land filled or directly disposed into water bodies causing environmental problems.
Valorization strategies are followed for such industrial wastewater. Starch
processing wastewater is one such waste composed of high quantities of starch
from peelings of potato. Starch containing wastes also have significant amounts of
total soluble nitrogen and total soluble phosphorous which can be recovered/
removed by biological wastewater treatment (Muniraj et al. 2013). With regard to
Olive mill waste (OMW), the wastewaters contain enormous amounts of organic
load. In this case, biogas production can be a better option. The digestate after
treatment with appropriate concentration of nutrients can be composted and used as
soil amendment to enhance the organic carbon content. Further, the reclaimed
wastewater can be a good source for irrigation of agriculture and horticultural
crops (Fritsch et al. 2017).
5 Valorization of Biowastes into Food, Fuels, and Chemicals: Towards Sustainable. . .
97