Upgrading of food processing residues is currently a topic of global interest as scientists and industries have focused on using natural sources of antioxidants as an alternative to synthetic ones. The aim of the present work was to assess the potential of potato peel extracts of cultivars Gala and Jazzy in 96% ethanol, 80% ethanol and water by using antioxidant assays as well as model systems that contained food lipids. Extracts in 96% ethanol contained the highest amount of total phenolics (40.5 and 28.4 mg/g of dry weight) and showed the highest antiradical, reducing and iron-chelating potential, followed by extracts in 80% ethanol. The order of the extracts’ activity in β-carotene bleaching assay was strongly concentration-dependent. Potato peel extracts showed high efficiency in retarding oxidation of rapeseed oil, where they performed better than butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). They also delayed conjugated diene and volatile formation in sunflower oil. Compounds of potato peel extracts act via several mechanisms, assuring long-term protection of food lipids. They are a promising source of antioxidants that should be chosen carefully for a given medium in order to be stabilized and to obtain optimal results. The manner of potato peel valorization proposed here is in line with the global challenge to reduce food production waste residues and also gives an opportunity to extend the shelf life of food.

An understanding of the consumer perception of health risks related to food expiration is a prerequisite for future food labeling system improvement in order to reduce environmental burdens. The aim of the study was identification, analysis, and assessment of consumer behavior in the context of food waste in households. The study was conducted using the direct interview method (face to face interviews) among a group of 1145 Polish consumers of food. The results show that consumers do not understand the differences between the concept of “use by” and “best before” labeling. Although rice, tea, and coffee were correctly perceived as safe during storage, there is a dissonance between consumer attitudes and behavior. The highest health risk was perceived as being due to consumption of expired “use by” dated milk (out of UHT milk, rice milk dessert, “best before” ready-to-eat meals and “use by” ready-to-heat meals, canned fruits, and fresh-cut salad). However, 51% of respondents still considered consuming it. Irrational consumer behavior poses a health threat as well as contributing to avoidable food waste. Social awareness campaigns are necessary to inform consumers about the monetary value of wasted food as well as about the environmental, social, and ethical impact of their behavior.

Purpose: The manner in which consumers understand and interpret date labels influences their attitudes toward food quality at the purchase and consumption stage. The purpose of this study is to (1) evaluate the influence of “best before” dates on expected food liking and (2) assess how sensory perception and expectations toward “best before” dates influence actual food liking.Design/methodology/approach: A consumer sensory study was conducted among 110 participants in Poland. The participants' attitudes were examined toward food products (rice, sponge cookies, canned fruit salad and leaf tea) labelled with different “best before” dates and toward those same but unlabelled food products. The consumers' expected liking based solely on “best before” dates were also evaluated.Findings: The analysis showed that date labels may have an opposite contribution to consumer apprehension of foods. It is proved that “best before” dates maintain a consumer’s positive attitude toward fresh products and reduce consumer uncertainty regarding food edibility, which would be experienced in the absence of date labels. Conversely, results of this study confirmed date labels' role in consumers denigrating expired food and showed consumers' unreasonable convictions that the food's sensory attributes were altered. Thus, otherwise safe and edible food was wasted – it was shelf-life information, not sensory quality, that determined the tested food's perceived value.Originality/value: The originality of this study is that it involves product assessment to explore the interaction between consumers and a food product's sensory attributes in the context of making decisions that are influenced by the “best-before” date.