Residues from the Food Industry: An Under-Exploited Global Source of Biomolecules of Interest

This chapter reviews the state of using co-products, by-products, and waste from agri-food industries as sources of valuable biomolecules. It delves into definitions of co-products, by-products, and waste, and the regulatory framework governing their classification. Then, the major agri-food industry sectors are presented together with data on the production of waste, co-products, and by-products in the food industry in France, emphasizing the environmental challenges faced by the agri-food sector to manage these streams. It presents and discusses some interesting ways to recover and recycle organic residues, highlighting the main challenges for each sector (meat, fish and seafood, process fuit and vegetables, dairy, cereals, fats and oil, wine, distillery and brewery industries). The chapter highlights the importance of adopting environmentally friendly practices in agri-food residues waste management to achieve a resource-efficient and sustainable bioeconomy, that can be source of economic growth opportunities.