Valorisation of Fruit and Vegetable Waste

The ever-increasing global population indicates that food demand will rise for at least another forty years, which will exert immense pressure on our limited natural resources. Hence, wise use of available resources, maximum utilization of available food and minimization of food waste is crucial. Due to their perishable nature, the highest wastage of food occurs in the fruit and vegetable sector, which is approximated to about 30-44%. The fruits contain various unused parts like peel, seed and pomace which sometimes may account for approximately half of the fruit, e.g., pineapple, mango. These components are rich in sugars, pectin, fats, cellulose, hemicelluloses, minerals, and vitamins, which in some cases are richer than the fruit itself. This can be bio-converted into useful products such as acids, alcohols (bioethanol), enzymes, fuels, and value-added products. The seeds and pits can also be used for the extraction of edible grade oils. This chapter introduces and summarises the methods by which fruit and vegetables have been valorised into useful products.