WASTE2TASTE: Abordagens sustentáveis para transformar resíduos agroalimentares em experiências saborosas

The WASTE2TASTE research aims to address key societal and industrial challenges in the food sector, guided by the 'Think Globally, Act Locally' principle. This calls for all stakeholders (e.g., farmers, food manufacturers, researchers, and consumers) to contribute to global sustainability and health through impactful local actions. The faced challenges are multifaceted and need urgent mitigation strategies. The proposal focuses on managing and upcycling agri-food waste in Northern Portugal, pursuing a dual objective: establishing a sustainable, economically local agricultural model and creating innovative, flavourful, and health-beneficial food ingredients. This approach aligns with the goals of 2030 Agenda aiming to foster integrated and sustainable development. The overarching goal is to contribute to a globally sustainable, functional, and health-oriented food production system, with the following objectives: • Valorisation of local agri-food waste for revolutionizing food system and industry Typical agri-food waste valorisation includes animal feed, bioenergy and biochemicals production, and extraction of bioactive compounds and nutraceuticals. In this proposal, it is aimed to establish a new valorisation and meaningful relationship between the Portuguese primary sector (management of agri-food waste) and the secondary sector by transforming this waste into innovative added-flavour ingredients, with a higher interest for the Food Industry. In fact, the flavour global market is expected to grow to $40.26 billion in 2027. The changes in consumer profiles (increasing preference toward convenience foods and number of flexitarians) are expected to boost demands for flavours in the next years. • Bacterial fermentation as a tool to produce innovative flavour & healthy ingredients Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) play a pivotal role in the food industry, primarily due to their fermentation capabilities. Among their typical applications are the production of fermented dairy products, some meat cured products, baked products fermentation, among others. WASTE2TASTE aims to leverage complex biochemical changes of LAB fermentation for the natural development of UM taste, which are typically challenging to achieve in plant-based foods. This process can break down proteins into peptides/amino acids, like glutamate, which are key contributors to the UM taste. Due to the presence of both prebiotic (e.g., PP and dietary fibre) from agri-food waste and probiotic LAB, the final ingredients may present health benefits: EAT TASTY to be HEALTHY. • Bacterial fermentation as an innovative tool for unpleasant taste properties modulation AST and BIT are common challenges in plant-based foods, due to compounds like PP or alkaloids. Reduction of these unwanted taste properties is achieved by conventional masking additives or by physical removal of the compounds. However, both options can compromise the potential health benefits of the final food product. WASTE2TASTE aims to leverage LAB fermentation to modify or break down these compounds, reducing their impact on taste. This approach is more subtle and integrated compared to the conventional ones. These ambitious objectives clearly state that WASTE2TASTE presents a paradigm shift to address one of the main challenges of the plant-based food industry. It advocates for the DEVELOPMENT OF PIONEERING, SUSTAINABLE & MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES FOR FLAVOUR IMPROVEMENT, going beyond the current state-of-the-art.