Authors - Homayoun Rabiei Pour, Jyri Vilko Abstract - Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are wild products harvested from the forest, except timber, there’s a significant potential for application in the food supply chains. This systematic literature review evaluates the process potential of various NTFPs based on the feasibility and technological aspects of these un-derutilized natural resources for food processing. By using Web of Science, pub-lications were retrieved with a specific search strategy of keywords mainly con-sisting of food, non-timber forest products, processing, and cost. After screening based on defined inclusion criteria, relevant articles were selected for analysis. The results contained different applications of NTFPs such as wild fruits, shea butter, bamboo shoots, and plant-derived polysaccharides in food manufacturing, preservation, and nutritional enhancement. Different processing methods such as drying, extraction, fermentation, and enzyme treatment were documented with corresponding evaluations of safety, functional properties, and economic viabil-ity. While interest in sustainable and local foods is increasing, there are also large gaps related to scale-up feasibility, market integration, and cost analysis. The re-view concludes with recommendations for future research, particularly empha-sizing innovation in food-grade processing and value-added product develop-ment from NTFPs.
