About this Research Topic
Sustainability of the food system is one of the key goals for a sustainable society. The world population is growing, as well as the carbon footprint of the technologies associated with the processing of food products. On one hand, these technologies try to guarantee the population demands with more food, but on the other hand, use a huge amount of resources such as: water and energy, contributing to a negative environmental impact. However, there is a new trend regarding the consumers’ concern to climate change and healthier lifestyles. Consumers are changing their diet and food options, demanding for natural and healthier food products, associated with cleaner and more sustainable technologies.
To address these challenges, novel strategies based on alternative and cleaner energy sources such as solar energy and other sources of protein or recovering and reusing wastes, must be studied and applied to develop food with high nutritional quality and safety. This must be done whilst using less resources, thus contributing to an ecologic economy. The aim of this Research Topic is to present advances in new technologies and food sources that guarantee food quality and safety whilst also having a positive environmental impact.
This Research Topic welcomes original research, case reports and reviews, covering, but not limited to, the following sub-themes:
- Alternatives to conventional food processing (e.g. enzyme assisted food processing/fermentation, non-thermal food processing: high pressure, ultrasound, UV-C light, combined treatments, 3D printing, and hyperbaric storage);
- Food waste recovery (e.g. food losses and valorization of by-products from fruit, fish, milk, wine, and other industries);
- Eco-friendly processing technologies (e.g. solar energy, wind energy, and other technologies that require less resources and are renewable and clean sources of energy);
- Innovative raw materials and ingredients (e.g. edible insects, plant-based ingredients, oleogels, and lab-grown meat);
- Packaging materials and design (e.g. biodegradable materials and eco-design).
We would also like to acknowledge that Dr. Sucheta Khubber (Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing, India) acted as a Topic Coordinator and has contributed to the preparation of the proposal of this Research Topic.
To address these challenges, novel strategies based on alternative and cleaner energy sources such as solar energy and other sources of protein or recovering and reusing wastes, must be studied and applied to develop food with high nutritional quality and safety. This must be done whilst using less resources, thus contributing to an ecologic economy. The aim of this Research Topic is to present advances in new technologies and food sources that guarantee food quality and safety whilst also having a positive environmental impact.
This Research Topic welcomes original research, case reports and reviews, covering, but not limited to, the following sub-themes:
- Alternatives to conventional food processing (e.g. enzyme assisted food processing/fermentation, non-thermal food processing: high pressure, ultrasound, UV-C light, combined treatments, 3D printing, and hyperbaric storage);
- Food waste recovery (e.g. food losses and valorization of by-products from fruit, fish, milk, wine, and other industries);
- Eco-friendly processing technologies (e.g. solar energy, wind energy, and other technologies that require less resources and are renewable and clean sources of energy);
- Innovative raw materials and ingredients (e.g. edible insects, plant-based ingredients, oleogels, and lab-grown meat);
- Packaging materials and design (e.g. biodegradable materials and eco-design).
We would also like to acknowledge that Dr. Sucheta Khubber (Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing, India) acted as a Topic Coordinator and has contributed to the preparation of the proposal of this Research Topic.
Keywords: Food, Sustainability, Waste Recovery, Green Technologies, Biodegradable
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
