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's demands with more food, but on the other hand, require non-renewable resources and energy and generate greenhouse gases and wasted water, which cause environmental pollution. However, there is a new trend regarding consumers’ concern about climate change and healthier lifestyles. Consumers are changing their diet and food options, demanding natural and healthier food products, associated with cleaner and more sustainable technologies, and for these reasons the food industry is also trying to follow this demand.
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. This Research Topic aims 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 and 4D printing, and hyperbaric storage);
• Food waste recovery (e.g. food losses and valorization of by-products from fruit, fish, milk, wine, and other industries, bioprocessing);
• 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. personalized nutrition, edible insects, plant-based ingredients, oleogels, mycoprotein-based foods, and lab-grown meat);
• Packaging materials and design (e.g. plastic-free, biodegradable materials, and eco-design).
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's demands with more food, but on the other hand, require non-renewable resources and energy and generate greenhouse gases and wasted water, which cause environmental pollution. However, there is a new trend regarding consumers’ concern about climate change and healthier lifestyles. Consumers are changing their diet and food options, demanding natural and healthier food products, associated with cleaner and more sustainable technologies, and for these reasons the food industry is also trying to follow this demand.
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. This Research Topic aims 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 and 4D printing, and hyperbaric storage);
• Food waste recovery (e.g. food losses and valorization of by-products from fruit, fish, milk, wine, and other industries, bioprocessing);
• 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. personalized nutrition, edible insects, plant-based ingredients, oleogels, mycoprotein-based foods, and lab-grown meat);
• Packaging materials and design (e.g. plastic-free, biodegradable materials, and eco-design).