Innovative Applications of Food Waste Proteins in Pet Food and Animal Feed

The growing global population and rising demand for nutritious food have significantly increased food waste generation, creating serious environmental and economic challenges. This food waste can be sustainably applied as a protein ingredient in animal feed and pet food, thus minimizing the challenges of waste disposal. This strategy not only addresses food waste management and food security issues but also decreases the dependency on traditional animal feed production, which is both resource-intensive and environmentally harmful. The application of food waste proteins as animal feed and pet food presents a sustainable and effective approach to managing waste, enhancing food security, preserving resources, reducing environmental impacts and contributing to the development of a circular bioeconomy. For instance, the global fish industry produces a substantial quantity of fish by-products and co-products, expected to reach 160.8 MT per year by 2030. Fish waste protein hydrolysates are emerging as valuable resources in the pet food industry due to their nutritional benefits and bioactive properties. Similarly, there are distinct food wastes such as animal wastes (chicken, beef, lamb, egg, duck, etc.), which can be potentially used in as fermented protein, peptides, functional proteins, etc. in formulating pet food products. On the other side, plant-based sources such as oil seed meals, brewer spent grains, corn byproducts, pulse byproducts, soybean wastes, barley byproducts, etc. can be employed as protein ingredients for animal feed and pet food products.