Valorization of Agricultural Wastes for the Production of Protein-Based Biopolymers

Abstract

In this study we provide an overview of the latest developments on the extraction, production, modifi cation and applications of fruit residues and by-products in the formation of protein-based biopolymers, in particular for the formulation of edible fi lms. Our aim was mainly to demonstrate the highly transdisciplinary character of these topics by giving an overview of the main developments and research topics in the chemistry and engineering aspects of protein-based biopolymers. These innovative raw materials have been evaluated for the production of biomaterials to be used in some key sectors, such as food packaging.

Valorization of byproducts from tropical fruits: Extraction methodologies, applications, environmental, and economic assessment: A review (Part 1: General overview of the byproducts, traditional biorefinery practices, and possible applications)

“…Although the terms “Waste” and “Byproduct” are commonly used to describe the same problem, there are differences between them. Burgos, Valdés, and Jiménez (), defined food supply chain waste as “ the organic material produced for human consumption which is discarded, lost or degraded primarily at the manufacturing and retail stages ,” while Murugan, Chandrasekaran, Karthikeyan, and Al‐Sohaibani () defined a byproduct as “ materials that are created by the manufacturing process […] which are removed and disposed to give the desired product quality or consistency .” In a broader perspective, the European Union () defined bio‐waste as “ biodegradable garden and park waste, food and kitchen waste from households, restaurants, caterers, and retail premises, and comparable waste from food processing plants. It does not include forestry or agricultural residues, manure, sewage sludge, or other biodegradable waste such as natural textiles, paper, or processed wood.…”

Sustainability of bioplastics: Opportunities and challenges

“…Biodegradability of these prepared polymers follows three key steps: biodeterioration, biofragmentation and assimilation [24]. Most reported biopolymers are poly lactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoates, thermoplastic starch and plant-based materials [8].…”

“…Degradation of plastic is very difficult, during this process, there is emission of large amount of CO 2 and many other toxic compounds [7]. It is estimated that about 2.8 kg of CO 2 is evolved on burning 1 kg of plastic [8].…”

Comparative Analysis of the Physical and Chemical Properties of Different Biomass Ashes Produced from Various Combustion Conditions

“…Based on the above characteristics of various biomass ashes as well as previous peer-reviewed investigations (Xiao et al 2011;Abraham et al 2013;Burgos et al 2016), it appeared that the biomass ash was the combination of metallic oxides and silica, similar to the raw materials used for producing silicate ceramic products in the traditional ceramic industry. The ashes generated from rice straws and peanut shells could be utilized to produce high quality glasses because these two biomass ashes had appreciable silica content in addition to various oxides that were useful in glass production.…”

“…In addition, there have been research efforts on various potential utilizations of biomass ashes, including as a soil amendment (Pan and Eberhardt 2011), a raw material for ceramic production (Abraham et al 2013), a potential source of SiO2 (Terzioğlu et al 2013), as well as a bio-based materials for biopolymers (Burgos et al 2016), and so on.…”