Articles
From waste to worth: by-products revalorization in the fresh-cut industry
Article number
1442_40
Pages
301 – 310
Language
English
Abstract
The fresh-cut horticultural industry generates significant waste, with up to 50% of the raw material being lost, resulting in the discard of valuable biomass, and imposing economic burdens on companies.
This waste, comprising fruit and vegetable parts such as leaves, stalks, peels, and pomace, contains abundant phytochemicals, mainly polyphenols, pectins, and fatty acids, which possess immense antioxidant and nutritional value.
With a growing interest in promoting health through food, there is a keen industry focus on harnessing these bioactive compounds for the development of clean label foods within a circular economy framework.
This review explores into both conventional and emerging technologies for the valorization of fruit and vegetable waste, offering practical insights for the fresh-cut industry.
It covers various extraction techniques, from conventional thermal methods to innovative approaches like microwave-assisted methods.
Recognizing the thermal sensitivity of bioactive compounds and its consequent content reduction, research has turned toward green non-thermal technologies such as ultrasound- or enzyme-assisted extraction, supercritical fluids, high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed-electric fields, fermentation, and maceration.
Utilizing eco-friendly solvents like water or organic solvents is also advocated.
Optimization strategies employing response surface methodology and mathematical models, either in single or multi-factorial approaches, are deemed essential.
The potential application of these bio-compounds for food fortification/supplementation, in forms such as powders, liquid extracts, or encapsulated formats, emerges as a promising and sustainable strategy to enhance the functional quality of clean label foods without compromising their composition.
Future research should prioritize evaluating the energy efficiency/consumption, cost-effectiveness, and environmental implications to ensure the sustainable extraction of these vital bio-compounds.
Additionally, the development of predictive models can assist in optimizing phytochemical extraction processes, facilitating informed decision-making across the supply chain.
This waste, comprising fruit and vegetable parts such as leaves, stalks, peels, and pomace, contains abundant phytochemicals, mainly polyphenols, pectins, and fatty acids, which possess immense antioxidant and nutritional value.
With a growing interest in promoting health through food, there is a keen industry focus on harnessing these bioactive compounds for the development of clean label foods within a circular economy framework.
This review explores into both conventional and emerging technologies for the valorization of fruit and vegetable waste, offering practical insights for the fresh-cut industry.
It covers various extraction techniques, from conventional thermal methods to innovative approaches like microwave-assisted methods.
Recognizing the thermal sensitivity of bioactive compounds and its consequent content reduction, research has turned toward green non-thermal technologies such as ultrasound- or enzyme-assisted extraction, supercritical fluids, high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed-electric fields, fermentation, and maceration.
Utilizing eco-friendly solvents like water or organic solvents is also advocated.
Optimization strategies employing response surface methodology and mathematical models, either in single or multi-factorial approaches, are deemed essential.
The potential application of these bio-compounds for food fortification/supplementation, in forms such as powders, liquid extracts, or encapsulated formats, emerges as a promising and sustainable strategy to enhance the functional quality of clean label foods without compromising their composition.
Future research should prioritize evaluating the energy efficiency/consumption, cost-effectiveness, and environmental implications to ensure the sustainable extraction of these vital bio-compounds.
Additionally, the development of predictive models can assist in optimizing phytochemical extraction processes, facilitating informed decision-making across the supply chain.
Authors
F. Artés-Hernández, L. Martínez-Zamora, R. Zapata, M. Cano-Lamadrid
Keywords
sustainability, bioactive compounds, extraction techniques, green technologies, nutraceuticals, antioxidants, phenolics, clean label
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