Fermentation of Agri-Food Waste: A Promising Route for the Production of Aroma Compounds

Food waste and byproducts are generated along the entire food processing and storage chain. The large amount of waste deriving from the whole process represents not only a great economic loss but also an important ethical and environmental issue in terms of failure to recycle potentially reusable materials. New, clear strategies are needed to limit the amount of waste produced and, at the same time, promote its enhancement for further conversion and application to different industrial fields. This review gives an overview of the biological approaches used so far to exploit agri-food wastes and byproducts. The application of solid-state fermentation by different microorganisms (fungi, yeasts, bacteria) to produce several value-added products was analyzed, focusing on the exploitation of lactic acid bacteria as workhorses for the production of flavoring compounds.

Automated summary

Food waste and byproducts generated in the food processing and storage chain present economic and environmental issues. New strategies are needed to reduce waste production and enhance its conversion for application in different industrial fields. This review provides an overview of biological approaches, such as solid-state fermentation, for exploiting agri-food wastes and byproducts, with a focus on the production of value-added products using lactic acid bacteria.