POSSIBILITIES OF WASTE REDUCTION IN GASTRONOMY AND FOOD INDUSTRY IN THE CONTEXT OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY

In recent years, the circular economy and sustainability have gained attention in the food industry aimed at recycling food industrial waste and residues. For example, several plant-based materials are nowadays used in packaging and biofuel production. Among them, by-products and waste from coffee processing constitute a largely available, low cost, good quality resource. Coffee production includes many steps, in which by-products are generated including coffee pulp, coffee husks, silver skin and spent coffee. This review aims to analyze the reasons why coffee waste can be considered as a valuable source in recycling strategies for the sustainable production of bio-based chemicals, materials and fuels. It addresses the most recent advances in monomer, polymer and plastic filler productions and applications based on the development of viable biorefinery technologies. The exploration of strategies to unlock the potential of this biomass for fuel productions is also revised. Coffee by-products valorization is a clear example of waste biorefinery. Future applications in areas such as biomedicine, food packaging and material technology should be taken into consideration. However, further efforts in techno-economic analysis and the assessment of the feasibility of valorization processes on an industrial scale are needed.

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Circular economy for fashion industry: Use of waste from the food industry for the production of biotextiles

Technological Forecasting and Social Change ◽

10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120858 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 169 ◽

pp. 120858

Author(s):

Ana Paula Provin ◽

Ana Regina de Aguiar Dutra ◽

Isabel Cristina Aguiar de Sousa e Silva Gouveia ◽

e Anelise Leal Vieira Cubas

Keyword(s):

Circular Economy ◽

Food Industry ◽

Fashion Industry

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Design Opportunities to Reduce Waste in Operating Rooms

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13042207 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 2207

Author(s):

Charlotte Harding ◽

Joren Van Loon ◽

Ingrid Moons ◽

Gunter De Win ◽

Els Du Bois

Keyword(s):

Operating Room ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Operating Rooms ◽

Medical Waste ◽

Waste Reduction ◽

Infrastructure Management ◽

Expert Interviews ◽

Hospital Waste ◽

Observation Results ◽

Taking Care

While taking care of the population’s health, hospitals generate mountains of waste, which in turn causes a hazard to the environment of the population. The operating room is responsible for a disproportionately big amount of hospital waste. This research aims to investigate waste creation in the operating room in order to identify design opportunities to support waste reduction according to the circular economy. Eight observations and five expert interviews were conducted in a large sized hospital. The hospital’s waste infrastructure, management, and sterilization department were mapped out. Findings are that washable towels and operation instruments are reused; paper, cardboard, and specific fabric are being recycled; and (non-)hazardous medical waste is being incinerated. Observation results and literature findings are largely comparable, stating that covering sheets of the operation bed, sterile clothing, sterile packaging, and department-specific products are as well the most used and discarded. The research also identified two waste hotspots: the logistical packaging (tertiary, secondary, and primary) of products and incorrect sorting between hazardous and non-hazardous medical waste. Design opportunities include optimization of recycling and increased use of reusables. Reuse is the preferred method, more specifically by exploring the possibilities of reuse of textiles, consumables, and packaging.

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New Trends in Natural Emulsifiers and Emulsion Technology for the Food Industry

10.5772/intechopen.99892 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Arantzazu Santamaria-Echart ◽

Isabel P. Fernandes ◽

Samara C. Silva ◽

Stephany C. Rezende ◽

Giovana Colucci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Circular Economy ◽

Food Industry ◽

Solid Particles ◽

Microbial Fermentation ◽

Bibliometric Data ◽

Pickering Emulsions ◽

Double Emulsions ◽

Oil In Water ◽

Food Applications ◽

New Generation

The food industry depends on using different additives, which increases the search for effective natural or natural-derived solutions, to the detriment of the synthetic counterparts, a priority in a biobased and circular economy scenario. In this context, different natural emulsifiers are being studied to create a new generation of emulsion-based products. Among them, phospholipids, saponins, proteins, polysaccharides, biosurfactants (e.g., compounds derived from microbial fermentation), and organic-based solid particles (Pickering stabilizers) are being used or start to gather interest from the food industry. This chapter includes the basic theoretical fundamentals of emulsions technology, stabilization mechanisms, and stability. The preparation of oil-in-water (O/W) and water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions, the potential of double emulsions, and the re-emerging Pickering emulsions are discussed. Moreover, the most relevant natural-derived emulsifier families (e.g., origin, stabilization mechanism, and applications) focusing food applications are presented. The document is grounded in a bibliographic review mainly centered on the last 10-years, and bibliometric data was rationalized and used to better establish the hot topics in the proposed thematic.

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Effectiveness and efficiency of food-waste prevention policies, circular economy, and food industry

Food Industry Wastes ◽

10.1016/b978-0-12-817121-9.00002-4 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 19-35

Author(s):

Henning Wilts ◽

Jennifer Schinkel ◽

Carina Koop

Keyword(s):

Food Waste ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Food Industry ◽

Waste Prevention ◽

Prevention Policies ◽

Effectiveness And Efficiency

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Circular economy and corporate social responsibility in the agricultural system: Cases study of the Italian agri-food industry

Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika) ◽

10.17221/343/2020-agricecon ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (No. 11) ◽

pp. 489-498

Author(s):

Simona Fortunati ◽

Donato Morea ◽

Enrico Maria Mosconi

Keyword(s):

Corporate Social Responsibility ◽

Social Responsibility ◽

Organizational Performance ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Food Industry ◽

Business Processes ◽

Agricultural System ◽

Agricultural Activity ◽

Enabling Factors ◽

Corporate Social

The persistent exploitation of natural resources and the consequent use of consumption are driving global food demand with the result that agricultural activity is becoming less and less environmentally friendly. The circular economy (CE) can become a valid alternative, inserting the economic-agricultural system into the harmonic process of material circulation. The corporate social responsibility (CSR) model is particularly interesting not only because of the ethical dimension of the company but also as a factor of strategic business improvement that combines the concepts of CSR and CE as possible solutions for developing sustainable business processes. The objective of the work is to highlight a detailed framework of how the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the Italian agri-food industry can provide an adequate level of communication, circular strategies and social responsibility practices. The research methodology is based on a qualitative multiple study conducted on a sample of nine companies in the Italian territory. The study highlights the attention of companies on the issues of the CE for the achievement of the set sustainable objectives and the attention to CSR and CE practices. The work has several implications. It provides a further understanding of CSR and CE policies as enabling factors for the development of sustainable organizational performance in agriculture. Moreover, it better investigates the relationship between CSR and the CE. Finally, it analyses the SMEs state of the art in the CE field and strengthens the concept of CE by analysing corporate practices consistent with sustainability reports.

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Oil Press-Cakes and Meals Valorization through Circular Economy Approaches: A Review

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10217432 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (21) ◽

pp. 7432

Author(s):

Petraru Ancuța ◽

Amariei Sonia

Keyword(s):

Dietary Fiber ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Food Industry ◽

Oil Industry ◽

Extraction Process ◽

Research Field ◽

Zero Waste ◽

Oil Cakes ◽

Pharmaceutical Industries

The food industry generates a large amount of waste every year, which opens up a research field aimed at minimizing and efficiently managing this issue to support the concept of zero waste. From the extraction process of oilseeds results oil cakes. These residues are a source of bioactive compounds (protein, dietary fiber, antioxidants) with beneficial properties for health, that can be used in foods, cosmetics, textile, and pharmaceutical industries. They can also serve as substrates for the production of enzymes, antibiotics, biosurfactants, and mushrooms. Other applications are in animal feedstuff and for composites, bio-fuel, and films production. This review discusses the importance of oilseed and possible valorization methods for the residues obtained in the oil industry.

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