The by-products generated from the processing of fruits and vegetables (F&V) largely are underutilized and discarded as organic waste. These organic wastes that include seeds, pulp, skin, rinds, etc., are potential sources of bioactive compounds that have health imparting benefits. The recovery of bioactive compounds from agro-waste by recycling them to generate functional food products is of increasing interest. However, the sensitivity of these compounds to external factors restricts their utility and bioavailability. In this regard, the current review analyses various emerging technologies for the extraction of bioactives from organic wastes. The review mainly aims to discuss the basic principle of extraction for extraction techniques viz. supercritical fluid extraction, subcritical water extraction, ultrasonic-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and pulsed electric field extraction. It provides insights into the strengths of microencapsulation techniques adopted for protecting sensitive compounds. Additionally, it outlines the possible functional food products that could be developed by utilizing components of agricultural by-products. The valorization of wastes can be an effective driver for accomplishing food security goals.

Storage studies were carried out in wheat grains with different moisture contents, level of infestation, and storage days. Wheat grain samples were infested with Rhyzopertha dominica and stored for up to 90 days under ambient conditions. Every 45 days, samples of wheat were collected and evaluated for protein, fat, ash, 1000 kernel weight, and hardness. The physicochemical parameters, namely, protein, 1000 kernel weight, and hardness decreased while fat and ash content increased with the storage. Methodology for identification of infested samples was developed in Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) and near infrared (NIR) using infested wheat and control samples. The linear regression plots for different quality parameters gave an R₂ value of 82.04% and 97.15% via FT-NIR and 81.61% and 98.07% via NIR. The RMSEP values by NIR were in the range of 0.03 to 0.7, whereas the RMSECV values of FT-NIR were in the range of 0.03 to 1.2. Both the models performed well for the cross validation studies; hence, they can be used in future for the rapid assessment of storage quality of wheat grains.