The food industry generates a large amount of waste every year, which opens up a research field aimed at minimizing and efficiently managing this issue to support the concept of zero waste. From the extraction process of oilseeds results oil cakes. These residues are a source of bioactive compounds (protein, dietary fiber, antioxidants) with beneficial properties for health, that can be used in foods, cosmetics, textile, and pharmaceutical industries. They can also serve as substrates for the production of enzymes, antibiotics, biosurfactants, and mushrooms. Other applications are in animal feedstuff and for composites, bio-fuel, and films production. This review discusses the importance of oilseed and possible valorization methods for the residues obtained in the oil industry.

Ample amounts of by-products are generated from the oil industry. Among them, sunflower oilcakes have the potential to be used for human consumption, thus achieving the concept of sustainability and circular economy. The study assessed the nutritional composition of sunflower seeds, cold-pressed oil and the remaining press-cakes with the aim of its valorization as a food ingredient. Sunflower oil contains principally oleic (19.81%) and linoleic (64.35%) acids, which cannot be synthetized by humans and need to be assimilated through a diet. Sunflower seeds are very nutritive (33.85% proteins and 65.42% lipids and 18 mineral elements). Due to the rich content of lipids, they are principally used as a source of vegetable oil. Compared to seeds, sunflower oilcakes are richer in fibers (31.88% and 12.64% for samples in form of pellets and cake, respectively) and proteins (20.15% and 21.60%), with a balanced amino acids profile. The remaining oil (15.77% and 14.16%) is abundant in unsaturated fatty acids (95.59% and 92.12%). The comparison between the three products showed the presence of valuable components that makes them suitable for healthy diets with an adequate intake of nutrients and other bioactive compounds with benefic effects.

The paper analyzes the possibility of replacing the polyethylene packaging from food products with biodegradable packaging obtained from biopolymers. The proposed packaging materials were obtained from polysaccharides (alginate, agar), glycerol as plasticizer. To improve the properties necessary for the coating materials, two groups of membranes were made, one with ascorbic acid (AA, 0.1–0.45 g) in 150 mL filmogenic solution and the other with calcium chloride (CaCl₂, 0.02–0.1 g) in 150 mL filmogenic solution. The membranes were analyzed for mechanical properties, light transmission, transparency and barrier properties (water vapor, oxygen, or fatty substances). The results demonstrated that the addition of AA (0.1 g), increases tensile strength, transparency, oxygen and water barrier properties. On the other hand, the addition of calcium chloride (0.08 g) increased the hardness, tensile strength and opacity of the membranes. Moreover, it ensured a uniform distribution of the mixture components. The uniformization of the mixture components in the presence of AA and CACl₂ was observed by SEM and roughness analysis. Hydrogen bonding interactions between the biopolymers and the additives used were highlighted by FTIR analysis. All membranes have shown very good UV absorption. The results suggest that agar/alginate/glycerol membranes with AA and CaCl₂ have the potential to be used in an active food packaging system.

Due to the growing global population and subsequent environment degradation, as well as changes in the climate, changing consumers’ dietary habits is necessary to create strategies for the most efficient use of natural resources to eliminate waste in the food supply chain. The packaging of food is essential to preserve the food’s properties, extend its shelf life and offer nutritional information. Food products are packaged in various materials of which the most used are plastics, but they have a negative impact on the environment. Various efforts have been made to address this situation, but unfortunately, this includes recycling rather than replacing them with sustainable solutions. There is a trend toward edible packaging materials with more additional functions (antioxidant, antimicrobial and nutritional properties). Edible packaging is also a sustainable solution to avoid food waste and environment pollution. Oilcakes are the principal by-products obtained from the oil extraction process. These by-products are currently underused as animal feed, landfilling or compost. Because they contain large amounts of valuable compounds and are low-cost ingredients, they can be used to produce materials suitable for food packaging. This review covers the recent developments in oilcake-based packaging materials. Special emphasis is placed on the study of materials and technologies that can be used to make edible film in order to research the most suitable ways of developing oilcake-based film that can be consumed simultaneously with the product. These types of materials do not exist on the market.

The by-products of the oil cold pressing of flaxseed are deemed to be safe, edible products. They have been shown to possess high nutritional value (compared with the seeds, they are richer in proteins and minerals) and adequate functional parameters (i.e., a high water-holding capacity and emulsion stability). In oilcakes, we found a portion of oil that was richer in unsaturated fatty acids (87.90%) than flax seeds (57.40%). Mg predominates in flax seeds, while Ce is predominant in flaxseed oilcake. Regarding essential amino acids, the seeds (76.71%) were found to be richer than the oilcake (70.46%). The use of methanol, low extraction temperatures, s high ultrasonic amplitude, and longer times resulted in the highest antioxidant capacity and phenolic content for flaxseed oilcake. Our analyses showed that oilcakes can be utilized as a functional ingredient or for the extraction of bioactive compounds, which can be incorporated into food products due to their nutritional, social, and economic benefits.

Rapeseeds (Brassica napus), cultivated widely as a source of oil, generate substantial by-products after oil extraction. Unfortunately, rapeseed meal is considered a waste product and as such is discharged into environment as compost or used as animal feed. However, this meal is rich in bioactive compounds (proteins, minerals, fibers and polyphenols), indicating its potential for the development of value-added products. The meal shows a higher content of minerals, total dietary fibers and proteins. Rapeseed meal contains a proportion of oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, predominately linoleic and α-linolenic acid. The amino acid proportion in the meal is higher than that in the seeds and contains essential amino acids, predominately valine. The analyses show the presence of valuable components in the cake, which makes it suitable for use in obtaining value-added products.