Inedible foods?
Hope you have the basics about the differences between edible and inedible foods.
Usually, we discard a lot of inedible food waste generated during various stages such as harvest and post-harvest processing. The common destination is common food waste bins. It is impossible to separate, sort, and reuse those items for further use. So, we may think in a different but promising way for global food and nutrition purposes. Here are some examples:
- Parts of the lemons, oranges, etc. discarded may be collected. Then those may be extracted or pressed to collect juices along with other phytochemicals. In addition, those may be collected, processed, and stored (raw or dried or dried powder). All these liquid or solid items are collected for other purposes such as fish, cattle, and poultry feeding, supplementation for plants, cell culture, etc.
- A lot of blood is discarded daily directly into the waste channel while slaughtering animals like cows, goats, and chickens, etc.-especially in Bangladesh and other countries where appropriate infrastructure is limited or not available. First, these are polluting the environment and creating a burden on the waste management system. Those may be collected and properly processed (considering safety for humans, animals, and the environment) for other purposes like before (point 1). In addition, we may just collect the liquid parts like serums for different purposes such as cell culture.
- We discard a lot of fruit seeds which may be collected and processed for using the reusable parts as whole or powder (whole seed powder or kernel powder) new uses such as poultry feeds and mention before (point 1).
- Fruit seed may be used for plantation which may have a massive impact on us directly and indirectly. Fruit seeds may be used as a commercial product. As a result, earnings and economic flow will be generated.
- Colored peels of fruits and vegetables may be used as a source of natural colors. These could save us from the use of synthetic and harmful non-food grade colors. It would also help us to save massive amounts of money for importing food-grade colors yearly. In addition, it would also protect us from different non-communicable diseases such as cancer.
- Skins and inner flesh of both vegetables and fruits, those usually discarded, may be collected, and processed to get secondary products such as cellulose, pectin, and processed foods for poultry and cattle (raw, dried, or dried powdered or cooked to extend shelf life), and other uses (point 1).
- Animal and Fish bones may be collected, and processed from different settings such as restaurants, kitchen markets, households, etc. to reuse for different purposes (point 1). It has enormous potential for supplying minerals-especially bone minerals.
- Fish and animal skins along with bones may be collected and processed for unconventional products such as cooked meals for humans and animal feeds like dogs, cats, etc., and other purposes (point 1). Skins and bones collected from animals and fish may be used as a source of collagen or gelatin for food processing.
- ….(Continue)
Unintentionally waste is channeled to nature and becomes a part of the food system or food cycle. Human, animals, fish, microorganisms, plants, environments, etc. mostly directly or indirectly get benefited. But we may make a big percentage of them profitable, beneficial, earning sources, etc.
We want the intentional use of inedible wastes. Moreover, we want to ensure the proper use of existing resources: intentional nutrient flow. So, let’s work together and make the best use of existing nutrients and phytochemicals in inedible wastes as well as their inner potential for new or existing uses. These would support food and nutrition security locally, nationally, and globally.
More…..
Collagen | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Chapter 2.8 Animal By-Products.pdf (food.gov.uk)
https://learnutritiononline.com/2023/03/30/proper-uses-of-wasted-foods-problem-leads-to-prospects/
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