UPCYCLED (Research project)

Narrative

Investigating different processing techniques to create new ingredients from vegetable wasteFood waste is one of the major challenges in forming sustainable food systems. The Environmental Protection Agency Ireland estimated 753,000 tonnes of food waste in 2021, mainly during food manufacturing and in households. Vegetable waste is high in dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins and polyphenols. This research project will investigate the suitability of different processing tools (drying and milling) to generate ingredients from vegetable waste, which can be incorporated into staple foods, such as bread and pasta. The objectives of the project are to investigate different processing techniques for the development of powdered ingredients from vegetable waste and to understand their physicochemical and techno-functional characteristics to find suitable food applications. Moreover, the nutritional value of the upcycled waste will be evaluated to ensure fortification of staple foods with highly nutritious ingredients to increase fibre content and micronutrients. Preserving nutrients demands mild processing, which is known to have a lower environmental impact. Hence, the novel ingredients will serve to ultimately produce healthy, affordable, safe and environmentally friendly foods, contributing to the UN SDGs and the Food Vision 2030.

This project is funded by UNIGREEN in support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine as part of the Climate Action Plan.

Impact status	Open
Category of impact	Academic Impact, Environmental Impact, Health Impact, Social Impact, Technological Impact