Sustainable food production

Agroindustrial and domestic waste obtained from fruit and vegetable processing represents a nutritious, economical, and environmentally friendly raw material. These wastes have attracted attention because they are considered a good source of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, carotenoids, and dietary fiber. Therefore, the combination of vegetable waste, legumes, and/or cereals could provide an alternative for both health and the environment. The objective of this research was to develop various products from the combination of vegetable waste, legumes, and/or cereals, verifying their acceptance and nutritional contribution. The work was carried out with pineapple shells, as well as lettuce waste from municipal markets and local juice and salad stores. These wastes were disinfected, dried, and ground to form homogeneous flours. The raw materials were selected and evaluated for their sensory acceptance and physicochemical composition. Chorizo-type sausage formulations were obtained with lettuce flour or pineapple shell/soy flour, and biscuits and pasta with lettuce flour or pineapple shell/wheat flour. Most products presented good sensory acceptance on a 9-point hedonic scale and showed an improvement in nutritional value compared to products without substitutions. Hence, plant waste could be transformed into valuable raw materials for nutrient recovery, becoming usable by-products. According to our results, the addition of these flours at concentrations of 10 to 20% could provide additional nutritional value, but further research is needed to improve their acceptability.