Application of ionizing radiation technology in agro-industrial waste

Abstract

The world produces large quantities of raw materials from agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, and livestock. However, there are estimated losses of up to 50% of raw materials throughout the harvesting, slaughtering, transportation, processing, storage, and consumption stages. Due to its composition, agro-industrial waste may be slower to degradable, resulting in accumulation and negative environmental impact. Despite this, these residues retain considerable concentrations of important bioactive compounds that could be reincorporated into new formulations. Because of this, it is essential to identify applications to convert these wastes into high-value-added products. In this context, ionizing radiation has stood out as a promising technique among the current resources available for reusing waste and reducing microbial load, as it is a clean technology, does not generate additional waste, and does not raise the temperature during processing, the main limitation of conventional methods. With ionizing radiation, a new proposal for waste management emerges to reincorporate it into new products, reducing waste and reducing environmental impact. Thus, this review summarizes the most recent research on the application of nuclear energy as a viable solution and technological innovation for reusing agro-industrial waste, addressing its positive and negative effects on nutritional preservation and availability of bioactive compounds. In addition, it provides a brief analysis of the acceptability of this technology and the dissemination of information about the benefits of this process in food and waste.