The parts of vegetables that are commonly thrown away contain valuable levels of vitamins and minerals, according to new research.
A Food Group study at Lincolnshire University has shown that the stalks of staple vegetables could be sources of value-added products.
Dr Alaa El Din Bekhit said less than a third of some vegetables are used for human consumption, and the rest is wasted.
He said that, on a weight basis, broccoli stalks contain four times the amount of antioxidants as a tomato.
Bekhit added that it would be possible to extract the nutrients from the stalks and leaves to make supplements, or to pickle them as a separate food product.
