EditorialFruit and Vegetable Derived Waste as a Sustainable AlternativeSource of Nutraceutical Compounds

Alessandro Attanzio ,1 Luisa Tesoriere ,1MaheshaM. Poojary ,2 andAntonio Cilla 3

1Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo,Via Archira� 28, 90123 Palermo, Italy2Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark3Nutrition and Food Science Area, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Vicent Andres Estelles, s/n, Burjassot,46100 Valencia, Spain

Correspondence should be addressed to Luisa Tesoriere; luisa.tesoriere@unipa.it

Received 24 June 2018; Accepted 26 June 2018; Published 28 August 2018

Copyright © 2018 Alessandro Attanzio et al. �is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work isproperly cited.

Dietary phytochemicals are widely investigated in the  eld ofchemistry, biology, nutrition, and medicine for their po-tential health-promoting e�ects. Indeed, many in vitro andin vivo studies provide evidence that a number of thesecompounds are involved in the prevention and/or control ofchronic disorders such as cancer and cardiovascular dis-eases. �e exponential growth of plant waste productionfrom the agrofood industry is a critical global issue, con-sidering its storage, disposal, environmental impact, andpotential health risks. However, the exploitation of plantwastes/by-products for the recovery of added-value com-pounds o�ers new avenue for industrial growth and wastemanagement. Indeed, the research and development of newfunctional foods and health products from low-cost rawmaterials is of great importance in nutraceutical, cosmetic,pharmaceutical, and agribusiness sectors. Besides, opti-mizing the processing methods of waste products in order toreduce biomass utilization and environmental risks, as wellas to improve recovery of added-value compounds, repre-sents an urgent and necessary technological innovation forthe bene t of mankind. In an industrial point of view,moreover, the utilization of food waste for recoveringnutraceuticals is economical not only in production line butalso in their disposal.

�e purpose of this special issue is to feature the scienti cknowledge on the nutraceuticals associated with plant wasteproducts derived from fruits and vegetables and their in vivoand in vitro bioactivities. �e information disseminated

through this issue is hoped to serve as an interdisciplinarylink between biochemistry of nutrition, functional foods,and food technologies. Knowledge of not only quantity andquality of nutrients and nonnutrients present in suchfunctional foods but also their bioactivity may providebroader and valuable information on the food quality  eld ofresearch.

�is special issue about “Fruit and vegetable derivedwaste as a sustainable alternative source of nutraceuticalcompounds” covers research articles from di�erent per-spectives. Overall, most of the papers have been related to (i)extraction and characterization of bioactive compoundsfrom plant by-products as sources of health-related bene- cial compounds; (ii) process optimization; (iii) develop-ment of new products and functional foods; and (iv) in vitroand in vivo bioactivities of nutraceutical components presentor extracted from plant food wastes.

Among the submitted manuscripts,  ve papers havebeen selected to be part of this special issue. �e paperauthored by V. Lele et al. deals with the development ofchewing candy (CC)—nutraceutical formulations fromjuices and by-products of juices of the fruits sea buckthorn(Hippophae rhamnoides L.) and quince (Cydonia oblonga L.)with antimicrobial properties against a panel of pathogenicbacteria strains. Two texture-forming agents (agar andgelatin) were tested for CC formulation.�e results obtainedin this study indicated that all samples (juices and juice by-products) displayed antimicrobial activity against all the

HindawiJournal of Food QualityVolume 2018, Article ID 8136190, 2 pageshttps://doi.org/10.1155/2018/8136190

pathogens tested, and the largest inhibition zones againstBacillus and Proteus mirabilis were observed for sea buck-thorn juice and quince juice, respectively. Moreover, theaddition of all samples (sea buckthorn and quince juices andjuice by-products) increased the antioxidant activity andtotal phenolic content of CC. $erefore, taken together allresults, not just juice but also juice by-products, have greatpotential as desirable antimicrobial ingredients for the foodindustry with the best acceptability values found for CCprepared with agar and sea buckthorn juice by-products andwith gelatin and quince juice.

Abundant residues are generated by industrial pro-cessing of blackberry in juices and concentrates. $e studyby Zafra-Rojas et al. analyses chemicals, minerals, organicacids, antioxidants, and dietary fiber of Mexican blackberry(Rubus fruticosus cv Tupy) residues and compares it witha prune-based commercial product. $e results show thatthese residues possess bioactive components and functionalproperties higher than the commercial sample. Indeed, theyare a very rich source of malic acid, phenols, and antho-cyanins that contribute to a remarkable antioxidant capacityas measured by the ABTS assay. In addition, the residues canreduce iron and contain high amount of dietary fiber withelevated water retention and swelling capacity. Due to thesecharacteristics, this waste matter could be considered asa potential source of useful and healthy components.

$e Bigarade is a bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L. cvBigarade) whose unpleasant taste mainly restricts its utili-zation to industrial extraction of essential oils. $e studycarried out by Lagha-Benamrouche et al. was aimed atdebittering the peel of these fruits to obtain a jam prepa-ration with appreciable sensorial quality. At the same time,a number of analyses have been carried out to checkphysicochemical characteristics, bioactive components, andreducing power of the jam in comparison with the originalbitter fruit. $e results show that the debittering process,including treatment with salt (NaCl), heat, and water de-creases acidity, sugars, proteins, bioactive compounds, andreducing power, whereas increases the ash rate. Neverthe-less, this jam still remains an interesting source of bioactivecompounds with antioxidant potential, to be considered fordietary purposes. $is may add new interest to the ex-ploitation of this fruit cultivated in Algeria.

Olive tree culture and oil production are of economicsignificance in Jordan. $e paper authored by Al-Widyanet al. faces the interesting problem of treatment and ex-ploitation of olive oil industry by-products and wastes, inparticular the solid waste, a lingocellulosic organic materialcalled olive cake. Considering that the processing at the olivemills, usually performed during the cold season, needs largeamounts of hot water and then expensive diesel fuel, theauthors propose building a system combining a ground wellcomponent (receiving water from tankers that bring thewater from nearby springs) and a heat recovery componentexploiting the aerobic biological fermentation of the olivewaste. A number of analyses are performed to assure that theolive cake can be used for extended periods as a source offermentation. $e authors provide evidence that their sys-tem can significantly produce raises in the water temperature

before entering the fueled-operated boiler, to satisfy much ofthe mill needs. Souza et al. have reported that custard apple(Annona squamosa L.) bagasse flour, a by-product fromcustard apple processing, could serve as a promising in-gredient in cookies enabling good sensory acceptability. $eauthors have also shown that the flour and the cookiesformulations are rich in essential minerals (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn,Ca, and Mg) and polyphenols (200 to 658mg GAE/100 g).Overall, the research highlights that the custard apple ba-gasse pulp flour can be incorporated in food formulations toimprove nutritional and functional properties.

Alessandro AttanzioLuisa Tesoriere

Mahesha M. PoojaryAntonio Cilla

Acknowledgments

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge allthe authors for their amazing contribution and to con-gratulate them for the excellent work and effort. We aregrateful to the reviewers for their constructive comments,which helped to improve the quality of the research articles.

2 Journal of Food Quality

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com

International Journal of

Volume 2018

Zoology

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Anatomy Research International

PeptidesInternational Journal of

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Journal of Parasitology Research

GenomicsInternational Journal of

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Hindawi Publishing Corporation http://www.hindawi.com Volume 2013Hindawiwww.hindawi.com

The Scientific World Journal

Volume 2018

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

BioinformaticsAdvances in

Marine BiologyJournal of

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Neuroscience Journal

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

BioMed Research International

Cell BiologyInternational Journal of

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Biochemistry Research International

ArchaeaHindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Genetics Research International

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Advances in

Virolog y Stem Cells International

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Enzyme Research

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

International Journal of

MicrobiologyHindawiwww.hindawi.com

Nucleic AcidsJournal of

Volume 2018

Submit your manuscripts atwww.hindawi.com