Eco-innovation in action: valorizing vegetable waste into high-value ingredients for sustainable applications

Circular economy concepts are inspiring the global community by creating new business opportunities that transform waste into wealth and energy. Processing industries generate significant quantities of vegetable waste (VW) in the form of peels, seeds, and pomace. Improper disposal of this waste pose...

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Main Authors: Swetha Balakrishnan, Indu Rani Chandrasekaran, Ramalingam Jegadeesan, Kalaiyarasi Ramachandran, Ashok Kumar Govindasamy, Gurusamy Kandasamy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1507120/full
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author Swetha Balakrishnan
Indu Rani Chandrasekaran
Ramalingam Jegadeesan
Kalaiyarasi Ramachandran
Ashok Kumar Govindasamy
Gurusamy Kandasamy
author_facet Swetha Balakrishnan
Indu Rani Chandrasekaran
Ramalingam Jegadeesan
Kalaiyarasi Ramachandran
Ashok Kumar Govindasamy
Gurusamy Kandasamy
author_sort Swetha Balakrishnan
collection DOAJ
description Circular economy concepts are inspiring the global community by creating new business opportunities that transform waste into wealth and energy. Processing industries generate significant quantities of vegetable waste (VW) in the form of peels, seeds, and pomace. Improper disposal of this waste poses significant challenges to the environment, ecology, economy, and food security. However, these by-products are rich in valuable biomolecules. In recent years, research has increasingly focused on converting these low-value agricultural residues into high-value functional ingredients. These biomolecules can be extracted and utilized in various applications, including food, feed, nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, and energy. While most previous work has focused on food waste from a holistic perspective, studies on VW valorization are relatively limited, primarily concentrating on biomass conversion and the extraction of bioactive compounds. However, several niche areas remain unexplored due to a lack of research in the global arena. This review explores the most promising methods for valorizing VW across both food and non-food sectors while also addressing the challenges in implementing these approaches. Such sustainable valorization contributes to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN).
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publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
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series Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
spelling doaj-art-f7cbfe55e8d844d0baefeee8eb2f5b3f2025-08-20T03:17:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2025-04-01910.3389/fsufs.2025.15071201507120Eco-innovation in action: valorizing vegetable waste into high-value ingredients for sustainable applicationsSwetha Balakrishnan0Indu Rani Chandrasekaran1Ramalingam Jegadeesan2Kalaiyarasi Ramachandran3Ashok Kumar Govindasamy4Gurusamy Kandasamy5Department of Vegetable Science, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, IndiaDepartment of Vegetable Science, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, IndiaDepartment of Biotechnology, Center for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, IndiaDepartment of Oil Seeds, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, IndiaDepartment of Vegetable Science, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, IndiaDepartment of Food Process Engineering, Agriculture Engineering College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, IndiaCircular economy concepts are inspiring the global community by creating new business opportunities that transform waste into wealth and energy. Processing industries generate significant quantities of vegetable waste (VW) in the form of peels, seeds, and pomace. Improper disposal of this waste poses significant challenges to the environment, ecology, economy, and food security. However, these by-products are rich in valuable biomolecules. In recent years, research has increasingly focused on converting these low-value agricultural residues into high-value functional ingredients. These biomolecules can be extracted and utilized in various applications, including food, feed, nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, and energy. While most previous work has focused on food waste from a holistic perspective, studies on VW valorization are relatively limited, primarily concentrating on biomass conversion and the extraction of bioactive compounds. However, several niche areas remain unexplored due to a lack of research in the global arena. This review explores the most promising methods for valorizing VW across both food and non-food sectors while also addressing the challenges in implementing these approaches. Such sustainable valorization contributes to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN).https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1507120/fullvegetable wastevolarisationfood securitybioindicatorsgut microbiomebiosorbants
spellingShingle Swetha Balakrishnan
Indu Rani Chandrasekaran
Ramalingam Jegadeesan
Kalaiyarasi Ramachandran
Ashok Kumar Govindasamy
Gurusamy Kandasamy
Eco-innovation in action: valorizing vegetable waste into high-value ingredients for sustainable applications
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
vegetable waste
volarisation
food security
bioindicators
gut microbiome
biosorbants
title Eco-innovation in action: valorizing vegetable waste into high-value ingredients for sustainable applications
title_full Eco-innovation in action: valorizing vegetable waste into high-value ingredients for sustainable applications
title_fullStr Eco-innovation in action: valorizing vegetable waste into high-value ingredients for sustainable applications
title_full_unstemmed Eco-innovation in action: valorizing vegetable waste into high-value ingredients for sustainable applications
title_short Eco-innovation in action: valorizing vegetable waste into high-value ingredients for sustainable applications
title_sort eco innovation in action valorizing vegetable waste into high value ingredients for sustainable applications
topic vegetable waste
volarisation
food security
bioindicators
gut microbiome
biosorbants
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1507120/full
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AT kalaiyarasiramachandran ecoinnovationinactionvalorizingvegetablewasteintohighvalueingredientsforsustainableapplications
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