28.4 Techniques for Bioconversion of Food Waste Toward Circular Bioeconomy Approach

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waste become the important topic for research on resource utilization, environ-

mental sustainability, and food security. Different types of solid and liquid waste

generated throughout the food chain are categorized as avoidable which may be

edible and unavoidable which may be inedible. The generation of edible food waste

can be reduced or avoided by taking all precautionary measures from harvest,

production, distribution, and consumption stages along the supply chain through

better-quality management and process optimization. The main components of

unavoidable food wastes are protein, carbohydrates, fat, and inorganic components

which can be converted into energy and bioproducts by implementing suitable

chemical and biological processes. Some of the proposed strategies for valorization

of food waste are extraction of nutrients and bioingredients, production of chem-

icals and biofuels, conversion into animal feed, composting, anaerobic digestion,

incineration, and landfill. Sustainability of these waste management strategies

and its impact on environment depends on greenhouse gas emission and carbon

footprint [14]. Food wastes are identified as bioresource, and for sustainability,

the global drivers involved in bio-based economy which enhances the bioresource

utilization via biorefineries.

28.4

Techniques for Bioconversion of Food Waste

Toward Circular Bioeconomy Approach

In recent years, many research efforts have been made in the efficient processing

and utilization of food waste for the production of high-value bioproducts. On one

hand, food waste represents a substantial ecological burden and on the other hand,

these wastes are rich in carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. Thus, they hold a sig-

nificant potential for biotransformation into a variety of high-value compounds. A

feasible bioconversion of food waste into valuable products not only has economic

advantages but also diminishes the troubles arising due to food waste decomposition

in the landfills and surrounding environment. Circular bioeconomy-based sustain-

able development is now becoming a global agenda for strengthening the connection

between economy, society, and the environment. The current approaches for biocon-

version of food waste management are discussed below:

28.4.1

Anaerobic Digestion

Considering the adverse effect of conventional waste treatment methods (landfill-

ing, composting, and incineration), anaerobic digestion is a promising cost-effective

technology to produce renewable energy from food waste [15]. The food wastes

obtained from different sources are highly varied with the moisture content

(74–90%), volatile solids (VSs) to total solids ratio (80–97%), and carbon to nitrogen

ratio (14.7–36.4%). High moisture content food waste is found to be a suitable

substrate for anaerobic digestion due to good biodegradability potential and higher

percentage of methane yield compared with gasification and combustion [16]. In

developed countries, 95% of the food wastes generated in production and processing