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Agricultural and Food Waste: Analysis, Characterization, and Extraction of Bioactive Compounds and Their Possible Utilization

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2019) | Viewed by 36228

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Montserrat Dueñas Paton

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Grupo de Investigación en Polifenoles, Departamento de Química Analítica, Nutrición y Bromatología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Salamanca, E37007 Salamanca, Spain
Interests: characterization of phenolic compounds in plant foods; liquid chromatography (HPLC) mass spectrometry analysis; technological processes in order to improve the quality of legumes; structural analysis and physico-chemical properties in red wines; bioavailability and biological activity of dietary flavonoids; influence of phenolic compounds on sensorials characteristics (astringency)
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Dr. Ignacio García Estévez

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Grupo de Investigación en Polifenoles (GIP), Departamento de Química Analítica, Nutrición y Bromatología, Facultad de Farmacia, University of Salamanca, E37007 Salamanca, Spain
Interests: wine chemistry; food chemistry; phenolic compounds; sensory properties
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The food processing industries produce millions of tons of losses and waste during processing, which are becoming a grave economic, environmental, and nutritional problem. Fruit, vegetable, and food industrial solid waste include leaves, peels, pomace, skins, rinds pulp, stems, seeds, twigs, and spoiled fruits and vegetables, among other waste released in food production, which can be formed during cleaning, processing, cooking, and/or packaging. These wastes are characterized by being an important source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds, dietary fibres, polysaccharides, vitamins, carotenoids, pigments, and oils, among others. These bioactive compounds are closely associated with beneficial effects in human health. These by-products can be exploited in different industries: in food industries for the development of functional ingredients and/or new foods or natural additives; in pharmaceutical industries for medicinal, healthcare, or cosmetic products; in agricultural industries as fertilizers or animal feed; and in chemical industries, among others. The reutilization of these by-products will ensure the sustainable development of food industries and reduce their environmental impact, which will contribute to the fight against environmental problems, leading to climatic change potential mitigation. Therefore, the determination of bioactive compounds composition in agricultural and food waste and the production of extracts containing these compounds is the first step towards its reutilization.

Prof. Montserrat Duenas-Patón
Dr. Ignacio García-Estévez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Bioactive compounds
Food waste
By-products
Characterization and extraction
Phytochemicals
Climatic change
Phenolic compounds

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 185 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Agricultural and Food Waste: Analysis, Characterization and Extraction of Bioactive Compounds and Their Possible Utilization

by Montserrat Dueñas and Ignacio García-Estévez

Foods 2020, 9(6), 817; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9060817 - 21 Jun 2020

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5024

Abstract

The characterization and reutilization of agricultural and food waste is an important strategy to ensure the sustainable development of the agricultural and food industries. As a result, the environmental impact of these industries can be reduced, thus contributing to the fight against environmental problems, mainly to those related to a potential mitigation of climatic change. This Special Issue includes five papers that reported important findings from research activities related to the reutilization of by-products from food processing industries, which help to increase the knowledge in this field. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural and Food Waste: Analysis, Characterization, and Extraction of Bioactive Compounds and Their Possible Utilization)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

13 pages, 1388 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aromatic Potential and Bioactivity of Cork Stoppers and Cork By-Products

by Ana Maria Mislata, Miquel Puxeu and Raul Ferrer-Gallego

Foods 2020, 9(2), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9020133 - 28 Jan 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4046

Abstract

The characterization of natural waste sources is the first step on the reutilization process, circular economy, and global sustainability. In this work, the aromatic composition and bioactive compounds related to beneficial health effects from cork stoppers and cork by-products were assessed in order to add value to these wastes. Twenty-three aromatic compounds with industrial interest were quantified by gas chromatography coupled mass spectrometry GC–MS in both samples. Vanillins and volatile phenols were the most abundant aromatic families. Other aromatic compounds, such as aldehydes, lactones, terpenols, and alcohols, were also determined. Furthermore, the phenolic composition and the antioxidant activity were also evaluated. Overall, extracts showed high aromatic and antioxidant potential to be further used in different industrial fields. The recovery of these valuable compounds from cork stoppers and cork by-products helps to reuse them in agricultural, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, or food industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural and Food Waste: Analysis, Characterization, and Extraction of Bioactive Compounds and Their Possible Utilization)

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16 pages, 2882 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reutilization of Food Waste: One-Step Extration, Purification and Characterization of Ovalbumin from Salted Egg White by Aqueous Two-Phase Flotation

by Bin Jiang, Jiaxin Na, Lele Wang, Dongmei Li, Chunhong Liu and Zhibiao Feng

Foods 2019, 8(8), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8080286 - 25 Jul 2019

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 5087

Abstract

For the purpose of reducing pollution and the reutilization of salted egg whites, which are byproducts of the manufacturing process of salted egg yolks and normally treated as waste, an aqueous two-phase flotation (ATPF) composed of polyethylene glycols (PEG 1000) and (NH₄)₂SO₄ was applied to develop a simple, inexpensive and efficient process for the separation of ovalbumin (OVA) from salted egg whites. The effects of the concentration of PEG, the concentration of (NH₄)₂SO₄, the flow rate and the flotation time on the flotation efficiency (Y) and purity (P) of OVA were investigated. A response surface method (RSM) experiment was carried out on the basis of a single-factor experiment. An efficient separation was achieved using ATPF containing 5 mL of 80% PEG 1000 (w/w), 28 mL of 28% (NH₄)₂SO₄ (w/w), 35 mL/min of the flow rate and 30 min of the flotation time, while 2 mL of the salted egg white solution (salted eggs white (v): water (v) = 1:4) was loaded. Under the optimal conditions, Y and P of OVA could reach 82.15 ± 0.24% and 92.98 ± 0.68%, respectively. The purified OVA was characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), liquid chromatography-nano electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (Nano LC-ESI-MS/MS), ultraviolet spectrum (UV), fluorescence spectrum (FL) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results indicated that the purity of OVA obtained by ATPF was satisfactory and there was no obvious difference in the structure of the OVA separated by ATPF and the standard. The results of the functional properties revealed no significant differences between OVA obtained by ATPF and the standard in oil binding capacity, viscosity, emulsibility and foam capacity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural and Food Waste: Analysis, Characterization, and Extraction of Bioactive Compounds and Their Possible Utilization)

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Graphical abstract

13 pages, 470 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Myrtus Communis Liquor Byproduct as a Source of Bioactive Compounds

by Fabio Correddu, Mariateresa Maldini, Roberta Addis, Giacomo Luigi Petretto, Michele Palomba, Gianni Battacone, Giuseppe Pulina, Anna Nudda and Giorgio Pintore

Foods 2019, 8(7), 237; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8070237 - 30 Jun 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3394

Abstract

The fatty acid (FA), polyphenol content and evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of exhausted Myrtus communis berries (EMB) resulting from the production of myrtle liqueur were assessed. All parts of the exhausted berries exhibited high concentrations of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and phenolic compounds. The lipid fraction contained a high amount of poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), mainly represented by linoleic acid (>70%). Of the phenolic acids evaluated by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, ellagic acid was the most predominant (>50%), followed by gallic and quinic acids. Quercetin and quercetin3-O-rhamnoside were the most abundant flavonoids. The seed extracts showed a higher antioxidant potential than the pericarp extracts; the same trend was observed for total phenolic compounds evaluated by spectrophotometric assay. The overall high content of bioactive compounds and the high antioxidant potential of this byproduct sustain its suitability for a number of industrial applications, such as a food ingredient in novel foods, an additive in cosmetic formulations or a component of animal feed formulations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural and Food Waste: Analysis, Characterization, and Extraction of Bioactive Compounds and Their Possible Utilization)

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10 pages, 1356 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Polyphenolic Compounds in Cantaloupe Melon By-Products

by Filomena Monica Vella, Domenico Cautela and Bruna Laratta

Foods 2019, 8(6), 196; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8060196 - 06 Jun 2019

Cited by 64 | Viewed by 7016

Abstract

The Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.), which includes several crops of great economic importance worldwide, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, and it is well recognized for culinary and medicinal purposes. The high fruit consumption produces a large quantity of waste materials, such as peels and seeds that are still rich in molecules like polyphenols, carotenoids, and other biologically active components that possess a positive influence on human health and wellness. A sustainable development in agro-food and agro-industry sectors could come through the reutilization and valorization of these wastes, which in turn, could result in reducing their environmental impact. The current study provides a biochemical characterization of cantaloupe by-products, peels and seeds, through evaluating total polyphenols, ortho-diphenols, flavonoids, and tannins content. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity was assessed in order to understand potential benefits as natural antioxidants. Overall, the peel extract revealed the highest radical’s scavenging and reducing activities, moreover, it showed higher polyphenolic content than seed extract as revealed by both cromatographic and spectrophotometric analyses. The results of the present study indicate that the melon residues are a good source of natural phytochemicals useful for many purposes, such as ingredients for nutraceutic, cosmetic, or pharmaceutical industries, development of functional ingredients and new foods, and production of fertilizers and animal feed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural and Food Waste: Analysis, Characterization, and Extraction of Bioactive Compounds and Their Possible Utilization)

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14 pages, 1781 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Natural Red Pigment Production by Monascus Purpureus in Submerged Fermentation Systems Using a Food Industry Waste: Brewer’s Spent Grain

by Selim Silbir and Yekta Goksungur

Foods 2019, 8(5), 161; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8050161 - 11 May 2019

Cited by 54 | Viewed by 10909

Abstract

This paper studies the production of natural red pigments by Monascus purpureus CMU001 in the submerged fermentation system using a brewery waste hydrolysate, brewer’s spent grain (BSG). The chemical, structural and elemental characterization of the BSG was performed with Van-Soest method, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The lignocellulosic structure of BSG was hydrolyzed with a dilute sulfuric acid solution (2% (w/v)) followed by detoxification with Ca(OH)₂. Maximum red pigment production (22.25 UA₅₀₀) was achieved with the following conditions: 350 rpm shake speed, 50 mL fermentation volume, initial pH of 6.5, inoculation ratio of 2% (v/v), and monosodium glutamate (MSG) as the most effective nitrogen source. Plackett–Burman design was used to assess the significance of the fermentation medium components, and MSG and ZnSO₄·7H₂O were found to be the significant medium variables. This study is the first study showing the compatibility of BSG hydrolysate to red pigment production by Monascus purpureus in a submerged fermentation system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural and Food Waste: Analysis, Characterization, and Extraction of Bioactive Compounds and Their Possible Utilization)

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