Interdisciplinary Approach to Transforming Agroindustrial By-products into Value-Added Products

The food industry today is characterized by rising costs, decreasing availability of raw materials, and concerns about environmental pollution and impact. Consequently, there is a considerable emphasis on the recovery, recycling, and upgrading of wastes. This research will identify nutrients, such as fiber and phytochemicals, in chile waste for the development of new functional foods and evaluate consumer preference for those foods. It has the potential to benefit the New Mexico chile industry by reducing costs associated with chile waste and increasing revenue through the development of value-added chile products.