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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Solar radiation as a prospective energy source for green and economic processes in the food industry: From waste biomass valorization to dehydration, cooking, and baking

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International audience; Solar energy has recently attracted the attention of both industry and academia, to be used as a source of clean energy for green production of various products such as food-related commodities. This review aims to explore the applicability of this green energy source for extraction of valuable components (e.g., bioactive compounds and essential oils) from plant materials and waste biomass, dehydration of plant materials, water recovery through desalination, decontamination, cooking, and baking of agri-food products. According to the literature, concentrated solar power systems (CSP) have been successfully employed for bioactive compounds (e.g. essential oils) extraction, drying process, water desalination and decontamination, baking, and cooking. While CSP systems provide several benefits, such as low greenhouse gases emission and reduced production cost, their application is associated with several limitations which are taken into account in this review. Further considerations for improving the performance and applicability of CSP in the food industry are also discussed in the present study.