Functional Oligosaccharides Derived from Fruit-and-Vegetable By-Products and Wastes

Industrial-scale food manufacturing generates high quantity of fruit-and-vegetable solid by-product and waste streams (FVSW) which have become a challenge to the environment post-production. Due to this, proposals for a better use of resources to reduce the environmental burden and to promote a circular economy have been introduced. Reintroducing discarded materials back into the production through the recovery of valuable components or through the conversion into value-added ingredients is one approach attracting strong interest in research. FVSW is rich in lignocellulosic materials which can be reused to produce bioactive ingredients. This review highlights the potential use of FVSW as low-cost raw materials and describes the valorisation of FVSW for the production of functional oligosaccharides. The focus is on the production technologies of the main functional oligosaccharides, namely pectic-oligosaccharides, inulin and fructooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides, and isomaltooligosaccharides.