Introduction in Functional Components for Membrane Separations

Abstract The scientifically proven health benefits of functional compounds have led to an increase in demand for functional products (food, food supplements, cosmetic products, etc.). As result, finding new sources of bioactive compounds as well as suitable and economically advantageous techniques for their extraction and purification has become a priority direction of the research conducted in the field. The processing of raw materials into food products inevitably generates byproducts or waste that until recently were disposed of, causing environmental issues. Nevertheless, these food byproducts or agroindustrial wastes are now considered renewable sources of valuable compounds (antioxidants, proteins, dietary fibers, fatty acids, colorants, etc.) worth exploiting. The present chapter highlights on one hand the great potential of food waste as a source of bioactive compounds that can be recovered and used as functional ingredients in manifold applications. On the other hand, it also points out the techniques used for the recovery of the bioactive compound, with emphasis on membrane separation.