The characteristics and volume of these effluents vary with the products and production procedures. Typically, they contain macropollutants such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), fats, oils, and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous). In addition, some micropollutants including hormones, surfactants, antibiotics, and pesticides can be present. However, it is often difficult to predict the composition of food waste because of the seasonal nature of food processing and post-harvesting.
The main parameters of typical food waste are given in Table 18.2. On the basis of their composition, effluents from many agro-food industries produce negative effects when disposed into the environment and require appropriate management approaches. Consequently, extensive research has been devoted to coping with waste generated by agro-industries.