Valorization of Agro-food Wastes and Byproducts into Bioactive Peptides

Agro-food wastes are generated from various plant, dairy, and fisheries commodities and their by-products. A large portion of food waste can remain in the dumping sites without proper recycling and valorization approaches. Improper disposal of those domestic and industrial wastes can pose a harmful threat and detrimental effects on the surrounding environment. Although those wastes and waste streams are rich in valuable compounds, especially bioactive peptides (BAP) and nutraceuticals that are utilized as value-added alternatives for various health-promoting activities, proper valorization was neglected due to research and knowledge scarcity. In recent reports, the recycling-based utilization of these wastes or valorization to recover BAP is of great interest to multiple scientific communities. However, there still exists a much-hidden research avenue to explore for sustainable recycling and valorization of those neglected agro-food waste into valuable BAP through waste to wealth strategy. In this chapter, we systematically discussed and compared the current advancement of agro-food waste valorization based on their types, agro-sources, and bioactivity and critically analyzed different methods of recovery, particularly microbes and fermentation-associated conversion. Finally, the technical challenges for efficient utilization of these sustainable practices are also focused on. This updated appraisal will extract integrated and contemporary approaches for sustainable agro-food waste valorization toward the circular economy.