Food analytical chemistry research for the effective utilization of unused food resources

Recently, the environmental impact of large amounts of waste and by-products generated from agricultural products has become a serious issue. Food waste, in particular, presents not only environmental challenges but also economic concerns. As part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a target has been set to halve per capita global food waste by 2030. In this context, ongoing research aimed at the effective utilization of unused plant resources, including food waste, non-edible parts of agricultural products, and by-products, has been carried out. For over 20 years, the author has conducted various studies, primarily from an analytical chemistry perspective, focusing on unused food resources often discarded or underutilized. The research has specifically targeted unused plants, analyzing their components (including polyphenols) and evaluating their functional properties to provide scientific evidence for their biological activities. This article highlights some of these research findings. In particular, the studies have focused on unused agricultural products such as wasabi leaves, fruit peel of akebi, anthocyanin-rich food materials like berries, and bee products such as propolis and bee pollen.