Conventional macroscopic pre-treatment

The recuperation of valuable compounds from food wastes involves initially a stage of macroscopic pre-treatment for the appropriate modification of the material to a form that is adequate for the following stages. Thermal or vacuum concentration, freeze drying, reduction of particle size, centrifugation, mechanical pressing and microfiltration are operations that may be used for conventional macroscopic pre-treatment. In the present chapter, these operations are summarized and particular examples are discussed with a final purpose of facilitating the addition of value to food wastes and to contribute to the sustainability of agro-industrial processes.