By-products of agri-food supply chains and their reuse

There are numerous studies focusing on the qualification and utilization of so-called by-products from various agrifood supply chains to reduce environmental impact conducted at the Federico II. In fact,the Food Chemistry research group coordinated by Professor Alberto Ritieni of the Department of Pharmacy, in close collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, has conducted numerous scientific works from a circular economy perspective and in symbiosis with the local and national entrepreneurial network to valorize and reuse agri-food waste.

The cross-fertilization of skills and different knowledge bases is not only necessary, but has proven to be synergistic for the achievement of the goals summarized in the Green Revolution and Ecological Transition and envisioned in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) and in particular, for the aspects defined in the concept of circular economy and sustainable agriculture.

These constant and fruitful interdepartmental scientific interactions have led to the publication in international scientific journals of numerous results ranging from the coffee supply chain with the metabolomic characterization of the so-called "husk" derived from coffee roasting (J. of Food Research 7, 4, 43-54, 2018 doi:10.5539/jfr.v7n4p43) to the reuse of coffee laying to produce innovative health cookies (Foods 10, 1837, 2021 doi.org/10.3390/ foods10081837).

In parallel, by-products from the olive supply chain have been characterized as a source of functional foods leading to the design and pilot production of innovative olive pates with health value (Antioxidants 9, 581, 2020 doi.10.3390/antiox9070581) or to obtain potentially more healthful by-products (Antioxidants, 9, 466, 2020 doi.org/10.3390/antiox9060466).

Bioaccessibility and bioavailability studies as well as evaluation of the healthful antioxidant and biochemical activities of pea pods, moreover already used as poor ingredients in traditional gastronomy, have made this by-product a source of functional molecules of great interest to the nutraceutical sector (Antioxidants 11, 105, 2022 doi.org/10.3390/antiox11010105).

The vegetable kingdom offers further insights by considering the fennel supply chain and the possibility of reusing waste from the processing of lumps that account for more than 50 percent of processed volumes and formulating new nutraceuticals and functional drinks (Molecules, 26, 1968, 2021 doi.org/10.3390/molecules26071968).

Red cabbage, with its wealth of nutraceutical molecules, has been found to be useful in designing new supplements for athletes (Antioxidants 9, 955, 2020 doi.org/10.3390/antiox9100955).

Finally, waste from the tobacco supply chain has proven to be a treasure chest of polyphenols and flavonoids that can be reused as health ingredients in the human health supply chain (Sustainability, 13 2087, 2021 doi.org/10.3390/su13042087).