ABSTRACT
Huge amounts of waste are generated during food production and processing in agriculture and industry, impacting environmental homeostasis. These wastes, however, contain high-value nutrients that can be utilized to produce foods with bioactive properties. Among agro-industrial waste, sugarcane bagasse, rice and wheat bran, corn cob, and wheat straw are major carbohydrate-rich sources that can be valorized for the sustainable utilization of generated waste. Carbohydrate-rich by-products contain fibre, which, when utilized, acts as a prebiotic source for the gut microbiome to produce short-chain fatty acids. Along with all these benefits, it is necessary to outline and understand how such wastes can be utilized for valorization. Thus, this chapter aims to evaluate carbohydrate-rich agro-industrial waste and its value addition. Furthermore, it explains the necessary procedure and methodologies for extracting bioactive compounds from those sources for biofuel and renewable energy generation.
