Description
Evolving dietary preferences, increasing concerns over food security and a growing awareness of the negative impact traditional food production practices have on the environment, have caused a major shift in the food landscape. Health, Nutrition and Sustainability: Exploring Unconventional Food Sources, Volume 1, addresses the surge in interest in exploring unconventional and alternative food sources that can diversify diets and become new sources of sustainable foods. From the underutilized to the lesser known, these foods are prime to improve nutrition and reduce ecological and carbon footprints. Health, Nutrition and Sustainability: Exploring Unconventional Food Sources, Volume 1, introduces readers to untapped food sources such as novel grains and seeds, underutilized fruits and vegetables, rare spices and herbs, edible invasives and edible flowers, and seaweed and microalgae and highlight their bioactive components and nutritional values. Through topics such as waste valorization, precision agriculture, organic farming and climate-smart agriculture strategies, the book also demonstrates how adaptation of underutilized plant foods play a crucial role in meeting global food security while minimizing environmental impact. The authors also navigate the readers through the safety and toxicity of these foods. A complementary volume highlighting the dietary, sensory, and gastronomic applications of unconventional foods and how they can enhance future product development is also available.- Explores nutritional and sustainable aspects of unconventional food sources- Discusses ethical sourcing and environmental benefits of alternative food sources- Highlights innovative approaches to waste valorization by repurposing food byproducts as a source for future foods- Uncovers nutritional potential and bioactive components of edible flowers- Provides insights to the safety and toxicity of unconventional food sources
Table of Contents
Section 1: Navigating an Unconventional Landscape1. Ethical Sourcing and Food Systems: Environmental Benefits and Impact2. Edible Invasives: Harvesting Flavor from Invasive Species3. Heritage Crops and Forgotten Foods: Rediscovering Ancient Grains and Varieties4. Medicinal Foods: Nourishing the Body and Mind5. Forgotten Fermented Foods and Beverages: From Global Traditions to Modern Delicacies6. Cultured Meat: Lab-Grown Delicacies7. Wild Foraging: Exploring Nature's Edible Offerings8. Plant-Based Proteins: Beyond Meat and Beans9. Toxicity and safety analysis of alternative food sourcesSection 2: Grains, Seeds, Fruits and Vegetables10. Novel Grains and Seeds: Unlocking Nutritional Potential11. Unconventional legumes and oil seeds12. Underutilized Fruits and Vegetables13. Culinary Potential of Edible Flowers: A Botanical and Gastronomic ExplorationSection 3: Spices and Roots14. Wild medicinal plants: source of novel bioactives15. Exopolysaccharide: Sustainable future food source16. Plant roots as unconventional food source17. Rare and unconventional spices and herbsSection 4: Entomophagy, Microalgae and Seaweed18. Insects as Protein Powerhouses19. Entomophagy and Food Security: The Role of Insects in Future Food Systems20. Microalgae: The Nutritional Green Gold21. Seaweeds and Aquatic Delights22. Marine food source for sustainable futureSection 5: Waste Valorization23. Plant based waste as a source of future foods24. Fish based waste as a source of future foods25. Animal waste as a source of future foods26. Repurposing Byproducts: Finding Value in Food Processing Waste27. Innovative Approaches to Food Waste Reduction: Technological Solutions and InitiativesSection 6: Sustainable Agriculture and Future Prospects28. Sustainable Agriculture Fundamentals29. Precision Agriculture and Unconventional Food Sources30. Organic Farming and Unconventional Ingredients31. Environmental Impacts of Unconventional Food Production32. Role of Emerging Technologies in Agriculture33. Integrating Sustainable Practices in Climate-Smart Agriculture and Adaptation Strategies
