Agricultural crops are highly valuable and nutritive substances highly utilized in the food and beverage industry.  

The natural antioxidants, bioactive compounds, functional lipids and oil-soluble ingredients, natural sweeteners, gum and stabilizers, natural colorants, C02, bioethanol, and biofuels are some of the most important ingredients and compounds which can be produced through further biomass waste processing through an enzymatic process, fermentation &/or other hybrid biotechnological processes.  

However, the main parts of the crops are wasted without any proper plan to recover and/or convert them to other possible ingredients and products.  

This is mainly due to inefficient processing plans and inadequate infrastructure that provide a robust plan for the Food & Beverage (F&B) manufacturers to recover the valuable ingredient from the biomass waste. 

 

Benefits of Processing Agricultural Biomass Waste  

In the last decade, world hunger facts and statistics indicate how many people are suffering from the lack of food, especially high-quality and nutritious foods. This must be the main reason that all companies start thinking about down and upstream cost-effective processes that allow them to look for partnerships with academia and startup companies to review all possible options to convert their biomass waste to highly valuable by-products.  

Such a strategy becomes very interesting as it not only financially helps the manufacturers reduce their cost and benefit from a wide range of products and ingredients but also help to minimize the organic waste materials from their daily production. 

Many physical, chemical, enzymatic, and microbial processes are recommended as alternatives to recover valuable ingredients and by-products from agricultural biomass waste. However, there are significant differences among those processes from the cost, efficiency, regulatory, environmentally friendly or not, and complexity stand points.  

Meanwhile, there are plenty of questions and concerns, such as the feasibility of commercializing and clean label issue that do not simply allow the food manufacturers to decide what would be the most appropriate process and which companies are the most capable of delivering the right technology and/or process aligned with the company business goal. Proper technology landscaping and precise market research can significantly impact the current food & beverage market and business.   

 

 

 

This article was contributed by our expert Hamed Mirhosseini
 

 

Frequently Asked Questions Answered by Hamed Mirhosseini

1. How can the by-products generated from hybrid biotechnological processes using agricultural biomass waste be utilized in various industries?

They are usually natural ingredients with many functional benefits for the human body that can be used mainly for food applications for fortification, giving some specific texture, or improving stability or sensory attributes. However, some value-added products, especially those purified ones like functional lipids or antioxidants as by-products of oil processing, can be utilized for cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications depending on their production condition and functions.   

 

2. What are the potential environmental benefits of incorporating agricultural biomass waste processing into the operations of F&B manufacturers?

F&B is considered one of the main environmental pollutants (like methane & CO2) either directly or indirectly. In fact, dealing with such biomass waste is one of their routine challenges, especially for new companies.

They are sometimes penalized due to the uncontrolled release of such waste material into the environment.

In contrast, the recycling companies or those companies with the ability to make valuable ingredients or compounds from the waste can significantly help F&B manufacturers minimize their waste and convert it to something highly valuable and more environmentally friendly.

 

3. What are the technological advancements and innovations that could enhance the feasibility of commercializing agricultural biomass waste processing?

There are several technologies and processing steps, such as:

• Biorefinery technologies
• Enzyme and microbial technologies
• Integrated process optimization
• Separation and purification techniques 
• Automation and digitalization 

 

4. How do agricultural biomass waste by-products' nutritional properties and bioavailability contribute to enhancing food security?

It enhances food security by addressing a few aspects, such as:

• Nutritional value
• Value addition and diversification
• Waste reduction and sustainability 
• Bioavailability and digestibility

 

5. What are the challenges and barriers in integrating agricultural biomass waste by-products into the existing food supply chains and addressing the broken food system?

• Feasibility and capabilities to commercialize the process
• Standardization of those by-products, especially from active compounds standpoints
• Regulatory concern about safety aspects, especially for food and pharmaceutical application
• Initial capital investment is required