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The Potential of Selected Agri-Food Loss and Waste to Contribute to a Circular Economy: Applications in the Food, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Industries

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The Potential of Selected Agri-Food Loss and Waste to Contribute to a Circular Economy: Applications in the Food, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Industries molecules Review The Potential of Selected Agri-Food Loss and Waste to Contribute to a Circular Economy: Applications in the Food, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Industries Lady Laura Del Rio Osorio 1 , Edwin Flórez-López 2 and Carlos David Grande-Tovar 3,* 1 Programa de Ingeniería Agroindustrial, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad del Atlántico, Puerto Colombia 081008, Colombia; [email protected] 2 Grupo de Investigación en Química y Biotecnología QUIBIO, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Calle 5 No 62-00, Cali 760035, Colombia; edwin.fl[email protected] 3 Grupo de Investigación en Fotoquímica y Fotobiología, Programa de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Atlántico, Puerto Colombia 081008, Colombia * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +57-5-3599484 Abstract: The food sector includes several large industries such as canned food, pasta, flour, frozen products, and beverages. Those industries transform agricultural raw materials into added-value products. The fruit and vegetable industry is the largest and fastest-growing segment of the world agricultural production market, which commercialize various products such as juices, jams, and dehydrated products, followed by the cereal industry products such as chocolate, beer, and vegetable oils are produced. Similarly, the root and tuber industry produces flours and starches essential for the daily diet due to their high carbohydrate content. However, the processing of these foods generates a large amount of waste several times improperly disposed of in landfills. Due to the increase in the Citation: Osorio, L.L.D.R.; world’s population, the indiscriminate use of natural resources generates waste and food supply Flórez-López, E.; Grande-Tovar, C.D. limitations due to the scarcity of resources, increasing hunger worldwide. The circular economy The Potential of Selected Agri-Food offers various tools for raising awareness for the recovery of waste, one of the best alternatives to Loss and Waste to Contribute to a Circular Economy: Applications in mitigate the excessive consumption of raw materials and reduce waste. The loss and waste of food the Food, Cosmetic and as a raw material offers bioactive compounds, enzymes, and nutrients that add value to the food Pharmaceutical Industries. Molecules cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. This paper systematically reviewed literature with different 2021, 26, 515. https://doi.org/ food loss and waste by-products as animal feed, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products that strongly 10.3390/molecules26020515 contribute to the paradigm shift to a circular economy. Additionally, this review compiles studies related to the integral recovery of by-products from the processing of fruits, vegetables, tubers, Academic Editor: cereals, and legumes from the food industry, with the potential in SARS-CoV-2 disease and bacterial Domenico Trombetta diseases treatment. Received: 13 December 2020 Accepted: 13 January 2021 Keywords: agri-food waste valorization; antioxidants; bioactive compounds; circular economy; Published: 19 January 2021 colorants; fruit seeds; fruit peel Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- 1. Introduction iations. The shortage of raw materials in food production worldwide has generated an en- vironmental, economic, and social imbalance, causing the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources, the rise in the cost of food products, and the daily increase in the number of people who suffer from extreme hunger [1]. According to the World Food Program Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. (WFP), approximately 250 million people suffer from extreme hunger worldwide, falling This article is an open access article behind the goal of reaching zero hunger by 2030 [2]. The current model of the economy distributed under the terms and (linear model) is based on the model inherited from the industrial revolution under the conditions of the Creative Commons concept of the constant supply of products with a short useful life, forcing to produce more Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// to satisfy the consumer’s constant needs. The linear economy (extract, manufacture, and creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ disposal) increases the indiscriminate exploitation of limited natural resources that would 4.0/). give way to a significant environmental and economic crisis [3,4]. Molecules 2021, 26, 515. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26020515 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules Molecules 2021, 26, 515 2 of 42 The by-products of the agri-food industry (peels, seeds, shells, pomace, and leaves) are useful due to their content of bioactive compounds (phenols, peptides, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and fatty acids), fibers, and enzymes of great interest for the production of functional foods and drugs against acute and chronic diseases, and antioxidants that can be applied to the cosmetic industry [5]. These by-products are those food losses and waste (FLW) that, according to FAO, refer to their decline in the successive food production supply chain for human consumption [6]. The generation of FLW worldwide is much higher in developed countries. Accord- ing to Van der Werf and Gilliland [7], are produced 198.9 kg/year per capita of FLW in developed countries. In the United States, the FLW covers 40% of the whole food pro- duction chain [8]. North Africa and West and Central Asia account for 32% of the global FLW volume [9]. The European continent represents a third (20%) of the FLW generated worldwide [10], while in Latin America, FLW is estimated as 15% of total food production, which represents 6% of FLW worldwide [11]. Therefore, the generation and accumulation of FLW imply a significant impact on biodiversity, human health, and climate change [12]. For example, a 60% increase in greenhouse gas emissions [13] and malnutrition in the population are examples of negative impacts of FLW generation [14]. For the proper management of these by-products, it is necessary a decisive change for the agri-food system. The circular economy promises to be an efficient option in the medium and long term to prevent, reuse, or recover natural resources and derived by- products [15]. The goal is to re-introduce the by-products to the production line as raw material for obtaining new products with high health benefits and added value in the industry through sustainable technology to extract nutritional components [16]. On the other hand, the health crisis currently being experienced worldwide by the COVID-19 disease has impacted the food system within production processes [17]. Conse- quently, research has been carried out to generate alternatives for eliminating the virus and improving the food system to supply the world population [18,19]. For this reason, one of the objectives of this review is to compile various studies related to the integral recovery of by-products from the processing of fruits, vegetables, tubers, cereals, and legumes in the food industry, showing the potential of phenolic compounds present in their by-products in the SARS-CoV-2 virus and bacterial diseases treatments. Noteworthy is also the review of various works that obtained bioactive components, fibers, enzymes, and flours for their functional foods and the cosmetic industry’s application. This review is also intended to contribute to the paradigm-shifting towards a circular economy by highlighting various studies around the world that demonstrate the value and application of these wastes in other industries, reducing the indiscriminate disposal of waste. 2. Circular Economy According to the demographic report, the world population stands at 7625 million people, with an annual growth rate of approximately 74 million people [20]. The United Nations (UN) has estimated that by 2050 the population will reach 9.2 billion people [20]. The current economic model (linear economy) has allowed rapid industrial and cultural development. However, its extracting, consuming, and disposal structure negatively impacts the availability of natural resources that supply the world population. Population growth also generates more natural resources and food consumption. Despite this, current resources are limited to supply the necessary food for the growing population and the generation of large amounts of waste [21]. These wastes are transported to sanitary landfills every year, reducing the available land for agriculture, causing damage to health and the environment [15]. In response to the problem, the use (or reuse) of waste would facilitate food supply to the growing population, reducing the indiscriminate use of human consumption resources [22]. The circular economy drastically transforms the culture and the system of extraction, production, and consumption towards a system of restoration and regeneration of natural resources’ value, limiting the excessive use of raw materials and energy and avoiding the unnecessary generation of waste [23]. In the circular economy, a Molecules 2021, 26, 515 3 of 42 system is established where the products are designed in such a way that the generation of waste is minimal or wholly eliminated, implementing a culture in which the product is designed to give it a second useful life, with added value and also, the reduction of energy and raw material consumption [24]. The transition towards a circular economy involves various social, economic, and environmental spheres, which generate opportunities for regeneration, renewal,
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