Food waste is often considered to be the end of life for produce and products, but new research has found that discarded food can become a useful resource. ScienceDaily reported on four studies showcasing eco-friendly uses for what was once garbage, from tools for agriculture to sources of medicinal compounds — and this is just the beginning.
In September alone, ACS journals published four different articles highlighting innovative and sustainable uses for wasted produce.
Sugar beet pulp — a byproduct of sugar extraction from the root vegetable — could cut down pesticide use by protecting against wheat powdery mildew, a fungal infection that reduces wheat yields.
Another study from ACS Omega highlights a process where coconut fibers composted with millipedes can support the growth of healthy seedlings. This can replace the use of peat moss, which is a critical material to absorb and store carbon that is often sourced from fragile wetlands.
Research in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry highlights that the often-discarded tops of radishes are full of nutrients, promoting healthy gut microbiomes in lab and animal studies. The authors are hopeful that these same digestive health benefits would be seen in humans.
In a fourth study showcased in ACS Engineering Au, researchers found that bioactive compounds in beet leaves can be extracted and preserved for industrial applications, including food, cosmetics, and medical products. The specific technique used led to an increase in antioxidants, protecting the compounds from degradation.
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The potential benefits of utilizing food waste are many. Wasted food has a cost — over $1 trillion and 8%-10% of global polluting gases annually. Curbing these effects alone could help lessen the impacts of the overheating of the planet and exhibit economic benefits worldwide.
Product-specific benefits like reducing pesticides, maintaining peat moss in wetlands, and providing eco-friendly compounds for industrial uses can reduce pollution in the agriculture industry and elsewhere, reducing the chemicals on our food, as well as in our air, soil, and water. Human health benefits of utilizing food waste also extend beyond the agricultural impacts. Utilizing discarded radish heads to improve gut health could be just the start of finding healthy uses for frequently wasted foods.
All of these positive impacts come from research on using only four frequently wasted products; these studies could lead to further innovation in sustainably using and reducing wasted food.
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