Author(s): Dinesh Kumar¹, Dr. Abhinav Srivastava²

Abstract: Food-processing industries generate substantial quantities of organic solid waste in the form of fruit peels, pomace, seeds, pulp residues, vegetable trimmings, cereal bran, spent grains, oilseed residues and other biodegradable materials. Conventionally, these residues are frequently considered waste streams requiring disposal; however, their biochemical composition indicates that they can constitute valuable secondary resources. Food-processing residues may contain phenolic compounds, flavonoids, carotenoids, organic acids, proteins and peptides, lipids, dietary fibres, vitamins, minerals and other secondary metabolites with considerable biological and technological functionality.

The present study is designed to investigate the metabolite composition and functional potential of organic solid wastes generated from selected food-processing units. Representative waste samples are collected, stabilised and subjected to physicochemical characterisation followed by extraction and qualitative and quantitative screening of important metabolite classes. Appropriate chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques may subsequently be employed to characterise selected metabolites. The functional potential of the recovered fractions is evaluated through antioxidant, antimicrobial and related bioactivity assays. Their possible utilisation as functional food ingredients, nutraceutical resources, natural antioxidants, antimicrobial agents, fermentation substrates, biofertilisers and feedstocks for other value-added products is subsequently assessed.

The proposed approach shifts the perception of food-processing residues from a disposal problem towards a renewable biochemical resource. Recovery of functional metabolites could simultaneously reduce the environmental burden associated with organic solid waste and provide economically valuable compounds for food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, agricultural and biotechnological applications. The study therefore contributes to the principles of waste valorisation, resource recovery and the circular bioeconomy.

Keywords: Food-processing waste; organic solid waste; metabolites; bioactive compounds; polyphenols; antioxidants; antimicrobial activity; waste valorisation; functional ingredients; circular bioeconomy.

DOI:10.61165/sk.publisher.v12i6.7

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A Study on the Functional Potential of Metabolites Present in Organic Solid Waste Coming from Food Processing Units

Pages:64-76