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Advancements in Non-Thermal Technology for the Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Agro-Industrial By-Products and Implications for Food Preservation and Shelf Life Extension

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2026) | Viewed by 3217

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
Interests: non-thermal technology; ultrasound; cold plasma; ozone; electrolized water; pulsed electric field; food irradiation; UV-treatments

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Ingeniería, Facultad de Ingeniería y Administración, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 32 #12–00, Valle del Cauca, Palmira, Colombia
Interests: bioactive extraction; agroindustrial process engineering; non-thermal technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Non-thermal technologies have developed strongly in the food sector in recent decades. This has drawn the attention of food professionals to the development of non-thermal technologies that are environmentally friendly and safe. The low awareness and improper use of by-products have led to serious environmental problems. In fact, by-products generated during food processing contain significant amounts of highly nutritious ingredients and are considered good sources of bioactive compounds. Therefore, efficient green, non-thermal technologies that consume less energy, operate at lower temperatures and are environmentally friendly are being developed and used to process food by-products. The aim of this special issue is therefore to provide an overview of promising bioactive compounds, summarize the revalorization with non-thermal treatments to improve the extraction of promising bioactive compounds from food by-products, and present their applications in the food sector.

Dr. Junior Bernardo Molina-Hernández
Dr. Hugo A. Martinez-Correa
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • bioactive compounds
  • non-thermal technology
  • by-products
  • green extraction
  • shelf life

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1040 KB  
Article
Sustainable Valorization of Avocado By-Products: Green Extraction of Phenolics with NaDES and Their Use in Fresh-Cut Fruit Preservation
by Giulio Giannini, Jose Duvan Castillo Duque, Junior Bernardo Molina-Hernandez, William Royeiro Villamuez Benavides, Margarita María Andrade-Mahecha, Juan Felipe Grisales Mejia, Hugo Alexander Martinez-Correa, Silvia Tappi, Marco Dalla Rosa and Pietro Rocculi
Foods 2026, 15(10), 1780; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15101780 - 18 May 2026
Viewed by 301
Abstract
The fresh-cut avocado processing generates significant amounts of by-products, mainly peel and seed, with the peel representing a valuable source of phenolic compounds. In this context, the growing demand for sustainable technologies encourages the use of green solvents for bioactive compound recovery. In [...] Read more.
The fresh-cut avocado processing generates significant amounts of by-products, mainly peel and seed, with the peel representing a valuable source of phenolic compounds. In this context, the growing demand for sustainable technologies encourages the use of green solvents for bioactive compound recovery. In this study, natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDES) were evaluated as environmentally friendly solvents for the extraction of phenolic compounds from Hass avocado peels through ultrasound-assisted extraction and for their potential application in fresh-cut avocado. Phenolics were extracted using acidic water, ethanol, and NaDES based on choline chloride as a fixed hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and hydrogen bond donors (HBDs; lactic acid, glycerol, and citric acid) with the ultrasound-assisted system. The stability of the extracts was monitored for eight weeks (four weeks in darkness followed by four weeks under light exposure). Among the tested formulations, the lactic-acid-based NaDES showed the highest extraction efficiency and the best stability of phenolic compounds during storage (≥20 mg GAE g−1 dw during the storage period). The lactic-acid-based extract was then applied to fresh-cut avocado to evaluate its potential for antioxidant enrichment and browning prevention during refrigerated storage. The treatment increased phenolic content and contributed to improved color stability (during seven days of storage). Overall, lactic-acid-based NaDES represent a promising green solvent system for recovering phenolics from avocado peel and for their functional application in fresh-cut avocado within a circular valorization approach. Full article
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18 pages, 11141 KB  
Article
Green Extraction of Lotus Leaf (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn) Polyphenols: Unraveling the Mechanism of Ultrasound-Assisted Deep Eutectic Solvents
by Jing Sun, Mengqi Qin, Luyang Chen, Xin Li, Xinyan Wu, Gang Ye, Jianjun Deng and Haixia Yang
Foods 2025, 14(23), 4045; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234045 - 25 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1362
Abstract
Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have attracted considerable attention in recent years because of their cost-effectiveness, safety, and sustainability. In this study, we developed 19 DESs for the extraction of antioxidant polyphenolic compounds from lotus leaves, utilizing ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). Among the DESs examined, [...] Read more.
Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have attracted considerable attention in recent years because of their cost-effectiveness, safety, and sustainability. In this study, we developed 19 DESs for the extraction of antioxidant polyphenolic compounds from lotus leaves, utilizing ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). Among the DESs examined, choline chloride (ChCl) and lactic acid (ChCl: lactic acid) exhibited the highest extraction efficiency. The optimal conditions were established as follows: molar ratio of 1:2.6, solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:20 g/mL, water content of 8%, and ultrasound time of 65 min, which proved to be more efficient than conventional extraction methods such as water and ethanol. Under the optimal conditions, the total phenolic content (TPC) was 187.23 ± 14.67 mg GAE/g DW, and the extracts exhibited high antioxidant activity (DPPH IC50: 0.92 ± 0.23 mg/mL; FRAP: 21.56 ± 3.05 mg Trolox/g DW). This superiority arises from the formation of robust hydrogen bonds between ChCl and lactic acid, in conjunction with improved mass transfer efficiency. This study provides a green alternative method for polyphenol extraction from lotus leaves. Full article
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