Seminarios IHSM La Mayora - Amparo López Rubio (Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos, IATA-CSIC)

In the context of circular economy and in order to replace single-use plastics, among other possible applications, waste generated in both agriculture and industry constitute highly interesting sources of compounds that can be used as additives or components of biomaterials. The compositional and structural analysis of these wastes is essential to extract the greatest possible value from them. In recent years, the IATA BIOFUN team from the packaging group has explored different waste and waste recovery strategies, trying to optimize processes, reduce costs, and understand the role that their different components have in the final properties of the products. Specifically, special emphasis has been placed on materials obtained from carbohydrates extracted from different sources such as algae residues, mushrooms and various terrestrial and marine plants and crops. These carbohydrates can be used as additives in more complex material formulations, but they can also constitute new biopolymeric structures with applications both in food (for example, as edible coatings), and in other industrial sectors by structuring them (aerogels for various applications, including isolation or sorption/release). In this presentation, various examples of the use of residues to obtain new biodegradable materials and ingredients will be shown in the context of various research projects.