Sustainable Management and Valorization of Agri-Food IndustrialWastes and By-Products as Animal Feed: For Ruminants, Non-Ruminants and as Poultry Feed

Substantial increase in the production of agri-food commodities over the past years has resulted in the generation of enormous volumes of wastes and by-products, thus contributing to increased environmental pollution. Being an under-exploited raw material which are rich in bioactive compounds (e.g., polyphenols, dietary fibre, oils, essential vitamins, minerals, etc), novel strategies and initiatives have been proposed and implemented for the effective management and valorization of these wastes and by-products. The proposed initiatives and strategies support the concepts of EU circular economy and green biorefinery, thus promoting sustainability. One of the strategies of management of waste and by-products includes the effectual development of nutritious low-cost sustainable animal feed. Currently, in the world market, there are a range of fruit and vegetable wastes and by-products that have been effectively introduced in animal diets. Within this context, this systematic review focuses on a diversified group of agri-food wastes (and the industrial by-products), their bioactive components, the opportunities for the development of animal feed or feed supplements (for Ruminants, Non-Ruminants and as Poultry feed) and conclusively the health benefits imparted. In addition, the safety issues and regulations aspects are also covered.

This review articles theme is based on our ongoing project: ERA-Chair in VALORTECH at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 810630. The first author gratefully acknowledges the PhD study funding received from this grant.