Pumpkin Bio-Wastes as Source of Functional Ingredients

Abstract

Food processing wastes are those end products of various food processing industries that have not been recycled or used for other purposes. They are the non-product flows of raw materials whose economic values are less than the cost of collection and recovery for reuse; therefore discarded as wastes. These wastes could be considered valuable by-products if there were appropriate technical means and if the following products’ value exceeded the reprocessing cost. A tremendous amount of food wastes is generated worldwide, largely through the industry of fruit and vegetable, oils, fermentation, dairy products, and seafood. Wastes are generated at the different food processing stages: pre- and post-harvest, food manufacturing, packaging, retail/catering, and consumer/household. The loss can reach up to 25% or more worldwide (Parfitt et al., 2010). In the developed leading countries, such as Japan, the USA, and United Kingdom, more than 40% was discarded as food waste.