Journal of Food Bioactives, ISSN 2637-8752 print, 2637-8779 online
Journal website www.isnff-jfb.com

Review

Volume 33, March 2026, pages 1-9

Upcycling for a sustainable food future: turning waste into high-value products for nutrition and health

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1. Percentage of food loss from farm to fork. Source: Data compiled from FAO (2011) and Food Waste Index Report (2024).
Figure 2.
Figure 2. Highlights from sustainable agriceuticals In the upper panel, proteins and fiber were reclaimed from spent barley grains (SBG) to produce staple foods, such as high-protein, high-fiber noodles (Neo et al., 2025). Additionally, mung bean proteins were upcycled and converted into vegan fish balls (Vijayan et al., 2025). The lower panel demonstrates how various phytochemicals can be extracted using green technology for nutraceutical applications. Resin glycosides were extracted from aerial parts of sweet potato plants (Toy et al., 2022), xanthones and polyphenolics were extracted from mangosteen peels (Zhan et al., 2025), and luteolins found in peanut shells (Kim et al., 2023) were converted by food grade oxidative coupling reactions to its dimers and trimers (Yang et. al., 2022).
Figure 3.
Figure 3. Upcycling oilseed meal coproducts for diversifying the oilseed industry.
Figure 4.
Figure 4. Fermentation of seaweed (farmed nori) coproducts and their value-added food ingredients.

Tables

Table 1. Phenolic and polyphenolic compounds in grape juice, skin, and seeds (mg/kg)
 
CompoundJuiceSkinSeed
Abbreviation: tr, trace. Source: The type (s) of grape used in wine and juice production is unspecified.
Hydroxycinnamates40–460––
Flavonoids–20–95–
Anthocyanins–200–500–
Flavan-3-olstr14–6650–1,000
Proanthocyanidins (oligomeric)tr35–200120–1,400
Proanthocyanidins (polymeric)–20–7501,250–1,700
Resveratrol0.2–9.115–1005–10

 

Table 2. Representative categories of alternative lobster and snow crab baits reported in the literature
 
Bait categoryRaw material sourceKey advantagesMain limitations
Natural substitutesUnderutilized fish, seal fat, and poultry wasteLocally available and low costVariable performance and perishability
Coproduct-basedFish silage, hydrolysates, and trimmingsCircular economy and reduced wasteRequires processing and formulation
Synthetic/hybridDefined attractants + matricesConsistent and stable supplyHigher R&D and production costs and efficacy concerns