Reuse of recently expired food

Although it is believed that enough food is produced to feed the world, several people suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Food just expired or very close to its expiry date (e.g., dairy products, cereal-based foods), as well as scraps originating from industrial processes (e.g., manufacture of bread and pasta), represents biomasses that still have high concentrations of nutrients (e.g., proteins, starches, fibres). The re-use of this perhaps still edible food could help counteract hunger and malnutrition. 

Biomasses consisting of fresh cheeses and other dairy products, pasta, bread, packed fish products close to expiry, or just expired, will be defined for their reintegration into the production and commercial cycle for human consumption (CNR). To proceed, the type and quantity of disposed foods products will be verified by collecting all the chemical-physical and microbiological information, with particular attention to lactic acid bacteria, as well as those related to traceability. Keeping in mind the re-use process, unspoiled food products at the end of their commercial life and scraps from industrial processes will be treated with physical processes useful to mix, homogenize and stabilize these food biomasses. Then, fermentation trials will be carried out in the presence of different types of commercial starters on fresh unspoiled foods such as curd, milk, cream, or ricotta for dairy products, tomato sauce or leavened bread dough (CNR). Compounds extracted from several vegetable biomasses (UNINA) could be employed to improve quality and/or safety of these new foods. 

At least two types of processes aiming at stabilizing expired, but still edible, food and or food scraps biomass will be defined.