According to new research, rather than food processing leftovers ending up in landfills or compost, they could find a second life as a natural source of vitamin C, potentially replacing the synthetic form commonly used in supplements.
What happened?
According to a report from Swansea Bay News, researchers from Swansea University and the nutrition startup BIOVIT are exploring the idea that nutrients stripped away during food processing could be recovered rather than discarded.
The outlet reports that Innovate UK is backing the effort, which centers on agricultural leftovers and food-processing byproducts. BIOVIT says preliminary findings suggest fruit and vegetable material can lose up to 60% of its vitamins and minerals during processing.
This lost material could be useful again if researchers can nail down a method for capturing and repurposing it.
In turn, researchers at Swansea University's Natural Products BioHUB are aiming to transform discarded food-processing material into a more sustainable, naturally sourced replacement for synthetic vitamin C.
Dr Farooq Shah, director of BioHUB, told Swansea Bay News that transforming the waste into useful supplements can help support circular manufacturing and strengthen local food supply chains.
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Why does it matter?
Food waste is costly, resource-intensive, and environmentally damaging — and not every form of it can simply be donated or consumed.
In many cases, food processing leftovers must be handled carefully to ensure they are safe for human consumption. If nutrients can be safely extracted from those materials, it would provide another way to keep valuable resources in circulation rather than throwing them away.
A successful process could also affect the products people use every day. Vitamin C is widely used in supplements and fortified foods, and much of it is made synthetically. A recovered, natural version could give manufacturers another option while making better use of materials that would otherwise be discarded.
Ky Wright, founder and CEO of BIOVIT, as reported by Swansea Bay News, was more direct about the company's motivation: "Most supplements and fortified foods still rely on artificial vitamins, often produced through synthetic processes. We believe there is a better way."
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