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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Emerging macroscopic pretreatment

subject

description

Macroscopic pretreatment of food waste aims at the preparation of the food matrix for subsequent processing and recovery steps. The preparatory steps involve the adjustment of the phase content and properties (water, solid, fats content), the moderation of enzyme activity as well as prevention and control of any microbial growth (Galanakis, 2012; Galanakis et al., 2010a). In recent times, several emerging technologies have been researched, developed, and/or adapted from other fields for drying, sterilization, enzyme inactivation, and enhancing mass transfer in food and biomaterials. This chapter focuses on these upcoming technologies with potential applications to food waste recovery and includes foam-mat drying, electro-osmotic drying, radio-frequency drying, cold plasma technology, and high-pressure processing. The content lays emphasis on discussing the successful applications and identification of future prospects, from both a technology and an economic point of view.