Natural pigments from food wastes: New approaches for the extraction and encapsulation

A challenge for the future is the valorization of food waste to obtain a plethora of food additives, chemicals, biodegradable polymers, materials, and energy, with the overarching goal of mitigating the environmental impact of these residues. Many of these wastes are an important source of natural pigments with biofunctional properties. Furthermore, the growing awareness of the potential side effects of synthetic colorants and the demand for healthier foods featuring clean labels have driven to new techniques for extracting these coloring compounds from natural sources. Non-conventional green extraction techniques are gaining momentum due to their higher extraction yields, low environmental impact, and better protection of pigments against degradation compared to conventional extraction methods. On the other hand, encapsulation of biocompounds is presented as the alternative to improve pigment stability. In this concise review, cutting-edge methodologies and innovations used in the extraction and stabilization of natural pigments by encapsulation will be discussed.