Recent Advances in Recovery of Lycopene from Tomato Waste: A Potent Antioxidant with Endless Benefits

Growing attention to environmental protection leads food industries to adopt a model of “circular economy” applying safe and sustainable technologies to recover, recycle and valorize by-products. Therefore, by-products become raw material for other industries. Tomato processing industry produces significant amounts of by-products, consisting of skins and seeds. Tomato skin is very rich in lycopene, and from its seeds, high nutritional oil can be extracted. Alternative use of the two fractions not only could cut disposal costs but also allow one to extract bioactive compounds and an oil with a high nutritional value. This review focused on the recent advance in extraction of lycopene, whose beneficial effects on health are widely recognized.     

Bell Peppers (Capsicum annum L.) Losses and Wastes: Source for Food and Pharmaceutical Applications

Currently, the high added-value compounds contained in plant by-products and wastes offer a wide spectrum of opportunities for their reuse and valorization, contributing to the circular economy. The bell pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is an exotic vegetable with high nutritional value that, after processing, leaves wastes (peel, seeds, and leaves) that represent desirable raw material for obtaining phytochemical compounds. This review summarizes and discusses the relevant information on the phytochemical profile of bell peppers and their related biological properties as an alternative to revalorize losses and wastes from bell peppers for their application in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Bell pepper fruits, seeds, and leaves contain bioactive compounds (phenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, tocopherol, and pectic polysaccharides) that exhibit antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, immunosuppressive and immunostimulant properties, and antidiabetic, antitumoral and neuroprotective activities, and have a potential use as functional food additives. In this context, the revalorization of food waste is positioned as a technological and innovative research area with beneficial effects for the population, the economy, and the environment. Further studies are required to guarantee the safety use of these compounds and to understand their mechanisms of action.     

Castanea sativa by-products: a review on added value and sustainable application

Castanea sativa Mill. is a species of the family Fagaceae abundant in south Europe and Asia. The fruits (chestnut) are an added value resource in producing countries. Chestnut economic value is increasing not only for nutritional qualities but also for the beneficial health effects related with its consumption. During chestnut processing, a large amount of waste material is generated namely inner shell, outer shell and leaves. Studies on chestnut by-products revealed a good profile of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and cardioprotective properties. These agro-industrial wastes, after valorisation, can be used by other industries, such as pharmaceutical, food or cosmetics, generating more profits, reducing pollution costs and improving social, economic and environmental sustainability.

The purpose of this review is to provide knowledge about the type of chestnut by-products produced, the studies concerning its chemical composition and biological activity, and also to discuss other possible applications of these materials.     

The Second Life of Citrus Fruit Waste: A Valuable Source of Bioactive Compounds

Citrus fruits (CF) are among the most widely cultivated fruit crops throughout the world and their production is constantly increasing along with consumers’ demand. Therefore, huge amounts of waste are annually generated through CF processing, causing high costs for their disposal, as well as environmental and human health damage, if inappropriately performed. According to the most recent indications of an economic, environmental and pharmaceutical nature, CF processing residues must be transformed from a waste to be disposed to a valuable resource to be reused. Based on a circular economy model, CF residues (i.e., seeds, exhausted peel, pressed pulp, secondary juice and leaves) have increasingly been re-evaluated to also obtain, but not limited to, valuable compounds to be employed in the food, packaging, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. However, the use of CF by-products is still limited because of their underestimated nutritional and economic value, hence more awareness and knowledge are needed to overcome traditional approaches for their disposal. This review summarizes recent evidence on the pharmacological potential of CF waste to support the switch towards a more environmentally sustainable society.     

Multielemental Analysis of Agroindustrial By-Products Employed in Animal Feeding by INAA

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) with gamma-ray spectrometry was applied to determine As, Ca, Cd, Cl, Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Sb, Se and Zn in the Brazilian agroindustrial by-products. These materials are widely used in ruminant feeding. The results obtained were compared with requirement and maximum tolerable concentrations. The general conclusions from the data obtained were: (1) many by-products presented concentrations of some essential elements lower than the requirement concentrations, while in some concentrations of Cr, Fe, Mg and Se exceeded by a little the maximum tolerable concentrations, (2) the elements As, Cd, Hg and Sb, generally considered toxic, showed concentrations lower than maximum tolerable values.     

Optimization of clean-up procedure for patulin determination in apple juice and apple purees by liquid chromatography

Patulin (PAT) is a mycotoxin produced in fruits, mainly in apples, by several fungal species that can be carried into industrial apple juice by-products during factory processing. An analytical method for determination of PAT in apple juice and another one for determination of this compound in apple purees and apple compotes by liquid chromatography are proposed in the present paper. These methods have better precision and sensitivity than previously reported methods and focus mainly on extraction and clean-up. To accomplish analytical methods with higher accuracy, lower limits of detection and simpler procedures for application in quality control of the goods, different extraction and clean-up procedures for PAT were comparatively studied. PAT recoveries in apple juice spiked with 1.0 mg PAT/kg varied between 52.3% and 81.0%. The highest PAT recovery in apple puree spiked with 0.1 mg PAT/kg was 82.9%. Addition of NaH₂PO₄ during the extraction phase here reported for the first time has the advantage of keeping the pH slightly acidic, thus avoiding PAT degradation.     

Rapid Detection and Quantification of Patulin and Citrinin Contamination in Fruits

Patulin (PAT) and citrinin (CTN) are the most common mycotoxins produced by Penicillium and Aspergillus species and are often associated with fruits and fruit by-products. Hence, simple and reliable methods for monitoring these toxins in foodstuffs are required for regular quality assessment. In this study, we aimed to establish a cost-effective method for detection and quantification of PAT and CTN in pome fruits, such as apples and pears, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with spectroscopic detectors without the need for any clean-up steps. The method showed good performance in the analysis of these mycotoxins in apple and pear fruit samples with recovery ranges of 55–97% for PAT and 84–101% for CTN, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) of PAT and CTN in fruits were 0.006 µg/g and 0.001 µg/g, while their limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.018 µg/g and 0.003 µg/g, respectively. The present findings indicate that the newly developed HPLC method provides rapid and accurate detection of PAT and CTN in fruits.     

Hydroxytyrosol and Oleuropein-Enriched Extracts Obtained from Olive Oil Wastes and By-Products as Active Antioxidant Ingredients for Poly (Vinyl Alcohol)-Based Films

Oxidative stability of food is one of the most important parameters affecting integrity and consequently nutritional properties of dietary constituents. Antioxidants are widely used to avoid deterioration during transformation, packaging, and storage of food. In this paper, novel poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based films were prepared by solvent casting method adding an hydroxytyrosol-enriched extract (HTyrE) or an oleuropein-enriched extract (OleE) in different percentages (5, 10 and 20% w/w) and a combination of both at 5% w/w. Both extracts were obtained from olive oil wastes and by-products using a sustainable process based on membrane technologies. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of each sample carried out by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nuclear resonance magnetic spectroscopy (NMR) proved that the main components were hydroxytyrosol (HTyr) and oleuropein (Ole), respectively, two well-known antioxidant bioactive compounds found in Olea europaea L. All novel formulations were characterized investigating their morphological, optical and antioxidant properties. The promising performances suggest a potential use in active food packaging to preserve oxidative-sensitive food products. Moreover, this research represents a valuable example of reuse and valorization of agro-industrial wastes and by-products according to the circular economy model.     

Fast determination of prominent carotenoids in tomato fruits by CEC using methacrylate ester-based monolithic columns

In this study, the major carotenoids (beta-carotene and lycopene) present in tomato fruits were analyzed by CEC with a methacrylate ester-based monolithic column. The effects of the porogenic solvent ratio, and the hydrophobicity of bulk monomer employed were examined on carotenoids separations. A fast separation of these analytes was achieved in less than 5.0 min in a mobile phase containing 35% THF, 30% ACN, 30% methanol, and 5% of a 5 mM Tris aqueous buffer, pH 8, with lauryl methacrylate-based monoliths. The CEC method was evaluated in terms of detection limit and reproducibility (retention time, area, and column preparation) with values below 1.6 microg/mL and 7.2%, respectively. The proposed procedure was successfully applied to the determination of both carotenoids in fruits of several tomato-related species and its usefulness to analyze large series of samples for nutritional quality screening trials in tomato breeding programs is demonstrated. To our knowledge, this is the first work that exploits the powerful and user-friendly monolithic technology for quality breeding and germplasm evaluation program purposes.     

Pretreatment processes for lignocellulosic biomass conversion to biofuels and bioproducts

Lignocellulosic materials, such as forestry, agricultural and agroindustrial residues, are among the most important sources of biomass for the production of fuels, chemicals and materials. However there are physical and chemical barriers in the lignin–carbohydrate supramolecular structure that render most plant cell wall components almost completely unavailable for conversion into commercial products. Thus successful conversion strategies must lead to the disruption of this structure and result in partial or total separation of the lignocellulosic components, increasing the accessibility of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignins. It must also minimize the formation of by-products. Each pretreatment technology has its own characteristics and is usually applied to a specific source of carbohydrates and lignins. A general overview of the most important pretreatment methods for the production of platform chemicals and fermentable sugars are given in this paper.     

The NMR added value to the green foodomics perspective: Advances by machine learning to the holistic view on food and nutrition

Food is a complex matter, literally. From production to functionalization, from nutritional quality engineering to predicting effects on health, the interest in finding an efficient physicochemical characterization of food has boomed in recent years. The sheer complexity of characterizing food and its interaction with the human organism has however made the use of data driven approaches in modeling a necessity. High-throughput techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, are well suited for omics data production and, coupled with machine learning, are paving a promising way of modeling food–human interaction. The foodomics approach sets the framework for omic data integration in food studies, in which NMR experiments play a key role. NMR data can be used to assess nutritional qualities of food, helping the design of functional and sustainable sources of nutrients; detect biomarkers of intake and study how they impact the metabolism of different individuals; study the kinetics of compounds in foods or their by-products to detect pathological conditions; and improve the efficiency of in silico models of the metabolic network.     

Carotenoids and their isomers: color pigments in fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are colorful pigment-containing food sources. Owing to their nutritional benefits and phytochemicals, they are considered as 'functional food ingredients'. Carotenoids are some of the most vital colored phytochemicals, occurring as all-trans and cis-isomers, and accounting for the brilliant colors of a variety of fruits and vegetables. Carotenoids extensively studied in this regard include β-carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Coloration of fruits and vegetables depends on their growth maturity, concentration of carotenoid isomers, and food processing methods. This article focuses more on several carotenoids and their isomers present in different fruits and vegetables along with their concentrations. Carotenoids and their geometric isomers also play an important role in protecting cells from oxidation and cellular damages.     

Husk Cherry: Nutritional attributes,bioactive compounds and technological applications

Husk cherry (Physalis pruinosa; L) is a tropical fruit commonly grown in the Mediterranean region, and widely consumed fresh in most countries of the world. To enhance our knowledge about this promising fruit, the technological, therapeutic, and nutritional quality attributes of the raw fruits were investigated. The fruit had an orange yellowish color and a mild sweetness, with a pulp yield of 93.40 % (w/w) and a juice yield of 64.45 % (v/w). It contains high ratios of total sugar (41.65%), protein (14.56%), crude fibers (11.59 %), ascorbic acid (40.17 mg/100 g), ß-carotene (64.78 μg/g), total phenols (178.53 mg gallic acid 100 g⁻¹), anthocyanin (7.01 μg cyaniding-3-glucoside equivalents 100 g⁻¹), flavonoids (6.69 mg quercetin g⁻¹), and chlorophylls (19.03 μg g⁻¹). These fruit showed high antioxidant activities, which were found using DPPH and ABTS assays, and could be considered as a good source of antioxidants. The fruit contained several minerals, including potassium, phosphorus, sodium, and magnesium. The major amino acids in the fruit pulp were glutamic acid, aspartic acid, arginine, phenylalanine, proline, valine and alanine. The main polyphenols detected in the fruits were gallic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, benzoic acid, catechol, ellagic acid, chlorogenic acid, and epicatechin. Several flavonoids can be obtained in high concentrations, such as naringenin, luteolin, and rutin. Six functional food products (juice, jelly, jam, candied fruits, chocolate--coated dried fruits, and fruit leather) were manufactured using husk cherry fruits. The quality attributes of prepared products were determined. The highest crude fiber, ascorbic acid, β carotene, and total sugar compositions were found in chocolate-coated dry fruit products. All the manufactured products were well palatable amongst 25 trained panelists. The findings of this study confirmed the nutritional and technological potential of husk cherry fruits, which might be used effectively within the development of some functional products for food industries.     

A Critical Review on Pulsed Electric Field: A Novel Technology for the Extraction of Phytoconstituents

Different parts of a plant (seeds, fruits, flower, leaves, stem, and roots) contain numerous biologically active compounds called “phytoconstituents” that consist of phenolics, minerals, amino acids, and vitamins. The conventional techniques applied to extract these phytoconstituents have several drawbacks including poor performance, low yields, more solvent use, long processing time, and thermally degrading by-products. In contrast, modern and advanced extraction nonthermal technologies such as pulsed electric field (PEF) assist in easier and efficient identification, characterization, and analysis of bioactive ingredients. Other advantages of PEF include cost-efficacy, less time, and solvent consumption with improved yields. This review covers the applications of PEF to obtain bioactive components, essential oils, proteins, pectin, and other important materials from various parts of the plant. Numerous studies compiled in the current evaluation concluded PEF as the best solution to extract phytoconstituents used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. PEF-assisted extraction leads to a higher yield, utilizes less solvents and energy, and it saves a lot of time compared to traditional extraction methods. PEF extraction design should be safe and efficient enough to prevent the degradation of phytoconstituents and oils.     

Corn Silage Supplemented with Pomegranate (Punica granatum) and Avocado (Persea americana) Pulp and Seed Wastes for Improvement of Meat Characteristics in Poultry Production

In the present study, pomegranate peels, avocado peels, and seed vacuum microwave extraction solid by-products were supplemented in corn silage in order to investigate the effects on meat quality and growth rate in broiler chicken. There were 50 broilers, divided in two groups, treated with experimental or usual feed for 43 days (group A: 25 broilers fed with avocado and pomegranate by-products and group B: 25 broilers fed with corn-silage used as control). The results showed that broiler chickens fed with a diet supplemented with a mixture of pomegranate avocado by-products (group A) showed significant differences in chicken leg meat quality, significantly improving the level of proteins and fatty acids content in breast and leg meat, respectively. More specific ω3 and ω6 fatty acids content were three times higher than in group B. Moreover, a protective effect on the decomposition of polyunsaturated fatty acids, induced by free radicals and presented in chicken meat, is based on the evaluation of lipid peroxidation by measuring thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Pomegranate peels, avocado peels, and seed by-products appeared to have a slight reduction on meat production, while it was found to improve the qualitative chicken meat characteristics. Regarding the production costs, it was calculated that the corn-silage supplementation, used in this study, lead to a 50% lower cost than the commercial corn-silage used for the breeding of broilers.     

An Overview on Food Applications of the Instant Controlled Pressure-Drop Technology,an Innovative High Pressure-Short Time Process

Food processing systematically aims at meeting the needs of consumers who are looking for total high quality and perfect food safety. As the various thermal and non-thermal food preservation technologies often affect the natural properties in terms of sensation, flavor, texture, etc., instant controlled pressure drop (DIC) has been conceived as a relevant, innovative process in this field. DIC uses high saturated steam pressure and short duration to provide a new way to expand biological matrices, improve drying, decontaminate, and extract biologically active compounds, among other attributes. Therefore, this review focuses on describing the applications of DIC technology on a wide range of products such as foods and by-products that have been processed both in the laboratory and on an industrial scale. The application of DIC has shown the possibility of a significant leap in quality improvement and cost reduction in the food industry. DIC reduces the drying time of fruits and vegetables, and improves the extraction of essential oils, vegetable oils, and antioxidant components. It also provides strong decontamination, eliminates vegetative microorganisms and spores, and reduces non-nutritional and allergenic components. Over the past 33 years, this technology has continued to expand its food applications and improve its characteristics on an industrial scale. But there are still many food unit operations that can be taken to the next level with DIC.     

The efficacy and progress in using radiation as a quarantine treatment of tropical fruits—a case study in Hawaii

Most tropical fruits for export must be treated with an approved quarantine treatment. Three and a half decades of research have demonstrated the efficacy of irradiation as a quarantine treatment in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, and product quality retention. The USFDA and the USDA-APHIS approved irradiation to disinfest fresh foods/fresh papayas in 1986 and 1989, respectively. In early 1995, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture was granted a special permit from USDA-APHIS allowing untreated Hawaiian fruits to be irradiated on the US mainland. The objectives were to gain experience in commercial irradiation as a quarantine treatment and to gather data on shipping and handling procedures, and on product quality. In April 1995, the first shipment of Hawaiian fruit was irradiated at a minimum quarantine dose of 0.25 kGy in an Isomedix plant near Chicago, and then distributed to supermarkets in Illinois and Ohio. Continuous shipments, irradiation, and marketing of various tropical fruits in the US have shown commercial efficacy, quality retention, and excellent consumer acceptance. A commercial e-beam/converted X-ray facility was installed by Titan Corp. on the Island of Hawaii and was operational by late July 2000. Hawaii has become the first place in the world to use irradiation as a quarantine treatment of fruits.     

Thin-layer chromatography applied in quality assessment of beverages derived from fruits

ABSTRACT

The analysis of food products is important for the assessment of food quality and authenticity, the control of a technological process, the determination of nutritional values, and the detection of compounds which could exert beneficial or toxic effects on human health. Techniques which are usually chosen for these purposes must provide accurate and reliable results, being relatively simple and inexpensive to perform. The aim of this paper is to give a brief overview of the thin-layer chromatography methods for the analysis of different compounds (polyphenols, dyes, carboxylic acids, biogenic amines, and vitamin C), used for quality assessment and authentication of non-fermented or fermented beverages derived from fruits, namely fruit juices and wines.     

Determination of organophosphorus pesticides in fruits by on-line size-exclusion chromatography-liquid chromatography-gas chromatography-flame photometric detection.

The determination of organophosphorus pesticides in fruits by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) on a polystyrene column coupled on-line to a gas chromatography (GC) system was unsatisfactory as a result of interfering peaks in GC. A liquid chromatography step on silica gel was therefore inserted between the SEC and GC steps to filter out polar by-products. Samples of fruit (apples, grapes and kiwi fruits) were extracted, then the extract filtered or centrifuged and injected into an automated on-line SEC-liquid chromatography-GC-flame photometric detection. Recoveries were about 95% and the detection limits about 1 ng/g.     

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-Quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry-based metabolite profiling,quality evaluation,and marker analysis of Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague by high-performance thin-layer chromatography

Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague (Apiaceae), commonly known as “Ajwain” is distributed throughout India. Ajwain fruits contain fiber, carbohydrates, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins. The fruits also yield a small amount of essential oil, with Thymol as the principal constituent. Ajwain has various pharmacological activities like anti-leishmanial, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antispasmodic, nematocidal, and anthelmintic. The fruits are of high therapeutic value; thus, it becomes quite essential to evaluate the quality of Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague to authenticate and ensure its therapeutic and nutritional properties. The ethyl acetate fraction of Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague fruits exhibited the highest total phenolic and flavonoid content values of 149.55 ± 1.19 mg rutin equivalent and 682.85 ± 3.68 mg gallic acid equivalent, respectively. Metabolite profiling of the ethyl acetate fraction using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry analysis resulted in identifying 19 phytomolecules. A validated high-performance thin-layer chromatography method was developed to quantify standard phytomolecules in the ethyl acetate fraction. The highest and lowest percentages of phytomarker were found to be caffeic acid (5.51% ± 0.16% w/w) and gallic acid (1.29% ± 0.09% w/w), respectively. This validated rapid, accurate, and precise method for standardization of Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague will be beneficial for its quality evaluation as well as the derived products.