Few case studies as ideas for zero-waste from food production and processing

Abstract

Globally, the amount of agricultural waste is huge but not properly utilized yet. Precisely, about one billion tons of food produced for human consumption is wasted each year. This wastage global economy costs are estimated at US$ 1 trillion on annual level. The definition of food waste varies globally depending on where food waste occurs in the food supply and consumption chain, how it is generated, and what it covers. This review is a compilation of few different approaches in the context of zero waste from food production and processing. Soybean hull exploitation due to mass production of tofu, soymilk, edamame, tofu sausages and burgers, soy breads, soy pasta and soymilk yoghurts and cheeses, animal feed leads to a formation of high waste load. There are several available ways for soybean hull valorization: as a biofertilizer, as a substrate for microbial growth, as an adsorbent, for extraction of antioxidants and in our case for extraction of enzymes. The global consumption of coffee is approximately 10 million tons, resulting in a substantial production of spent coffee grounds (SCG) worldwide. However, this by-product has recently gained attention as a valuable source of usable compounds, particularly in our case for essential oils. During the cheese production process, the whey obtained as a by-product can be used as a raw material for development of new dairy products and in the same time to prevent the potential pollution of natural watercourses. The valorisation of the waste whey obtained in the cheese production by using it in the development of new products also contributes in the environment protection. In N. Macedonia, about 1000 tons of blood waste from industrial slaughterhouses flow into natural watercourses every year and it can find application in various industries. These are just a few examples that show that the possibilities for the implementation of the zero-waste concept are unlimited.