In today’s global context, challenges persist in preventing agri-food waste due to factors
like limited consumer awareness and improper food-handling practices throughout the entire farmto-
fork continuum. Introducing a forward-thinking solution, the upcycling of renewable feedstock
materials (i.e., agri-food waste and by-products) into value-added ingredients presents an opportunity
for a more sustainable and circular food value chain. While multi-product cascade biorefining
schemes show promise due to their greater techno-economic viability, several biotechnological
hurdles remain to be overcome at many levels. This mini-review provides a succinct overview of
the biotechnological and societal challenges requiring attention while highlighting valuable foodgrade
compounds derived from biotransformation processes. These bio-based ingredients include
organic acids, phenolic compounds, bioactive peptides, and sugars and offer diverse applications as
antioxidants, preservatives, flavorings, sweeteners, or prebiotics in foodstuffs and other consumer
goods. Therefore, these upcycled products emerge as a sustainable alternative to certain potentially
harmful artificial food additives that are still in use or have already been banned from the industry.
