Waste not, want not: Comprehensive valorization of fruit and vegetable waste from single-product recovery to zero-waste strategies

What if the peels and pulp you toss could become the building blocks of a circular economy? A new review maps the path from single-compound recovery to zero-waste valorization of fruit and vegetable waste.

Fruit and vegetable waste is piling up, and it's not just an eyesore—it's an environmental threat. This review offers a structured framework to tackle the problem, ranking valorization strategies from simple to comprehensive. The single-product approach recovers valuable bioactives like polysaccharides and antioxidants, but it leaves the rest behind. The multiple-product strategy goes further by combining co-extraction and sequential processing to squeeze more value from the same biomass. The ultimate goal, though, is zero-waste valorization (ZWV), which aims to eliminate final waste entirely by merging green extraction, microbial bioconversion, and circular economy principles. The paper also dives into conventional and emerging extraction methods, highlighting how combining extraction with fermentation can yield exopolysaccharides and single-cell proteins from residual biomass. Case studies show these aren't just theoretical ideas. Yet, scaling up is tough: process complexity and economic feasibility remain hurdles. Still, the authors argue, integrating ZWV across the food supply chain could bring significant environmental benefits. This isn't just about waste—it's about rethinking resources.

Key Points

• Framework ranks valorization from single to zero-waste.
• Zero-waste combines green extraction, fermentation, circular economy.
• Challenges: process complexity and economic feasibility.