Valorisation of food processing wastes using <scp>PEF</scp> and its economic advances – recent update
Monica Velusamy, Anbarasan Rajan, R. Mahendran
Abstract
Summary Food processing is an emerging industrial sector that applies new technologies to process foods efficiently. During processing, food industries produce a substantial amount of by‐products as waste. Disposal of these wastes remains a problem and causes environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However, novel food processing technology like pulsed electric field‐assisted extraction (PEFAE) has the potential to utilise these wastes as a source of bioactive compounds and extract valuable compounds in a shorter period with minimal use of solvents and energy. This review covers the basics of pulsed electric field (PEF) and its effect on bioactive compound extraction yield and quality. Furthermore, the article compares the PEF treatment energy and extraction efficiency with other non‐conventional extraction methods to better make the reader understand in terms of selecting the suitable processing method. However, the extraction yield and process efficiency depend highly on the processing parameters. Hence, the article also explains the various kinetic models involved in PEF‐assisted food waste valorisation to control the process parameters during treatment.