Plant Foods: Characterization, Extraction, Processing, and Waste Revalorization

Dear Colleagues,

Plant food research encompasses a depth knowledge with respect to their physical, chemical, macro-/micro-, and nanometric characterization using high-resolution analytical techniques, microscopy, and image analysis; the characterization and/or extraction of the nutritional and functional compounds from plant foods, processes to which both the raw material and its constituents are subjected, and the methods used for this extraction, from traditional methods to emerging technologies; and the revalorization of plant food waste through the development or proposal of by-products that offer added value to production chains.

- Plant food characterization

Characterization is the analytical process of identifying and quantifying the chemical, physical, nutritional, functional, and sensory properties of plant materials. The mechanical properties of plant foods are characterized using equipment such as the Universal Mechanical Testing Machine, the indentation tester, and structural high-resolution equipment such as microscopy techniques and image analysis. These processes are vital to understanding a plant's potential applications and to developing optimized processing methods.

- Extraction methods

Extraction involves separating and recovering valuable components, such as proteins, lipids, bioactive compounds, metabolites, and others, from the plant matrix. Both conventional techniques and emerging technologies are used.

- Process and technologies

The processes and technologies to which plants are subjected range from the study of physiological, chemical, and biochemical processes to the processes to which plants are subjected under conservation efforts, or technologies that transform the components of a raw plant into a final product or processed food.

- Waste or residue revalorization

Revalorization turns agricultural and food processing by-products into higher-value products, contributing to a circular economy and minimizing environmental impact.

This multi-stage approach (circular economy and life cycle analysis) is key to creating both new food products and higher-value ingredients from agricultural by-products.

Dr. Maria de Jesus Perea-Flores
Dr. Brenda Hildeliza Camacho Díaz
Dr. Sandra Victoria Ávila-Reyes
Guest Editors

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