A review: Modified agricultural by-products for the development and fortification of food products and nutraceuticals

Cocoa bean shell waste valorisation; extraction from lab to pilot-scale cavitational reactors

The use of zero-waste processes to integrate food-waste valorisation into the circular economy equation is currently one of the hottest topics in sustainability research. This goal is still far from being fully achieved despite the release of a number of patents and papers that deal with the topic. The present work aims to valorise cocoa shells, one of the main by-product of the roasting process, in order to enhance the effective extraction of high added value compounds by means of green protocols. The high potential added value of the residual waste has been demonstrated via a direct analytical comparison of extracts and bean composition. A range of raw matrix extraction procedures have been investigated in order to define the best solvent and technology; ultrasound (US) and hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) were compared with conventional methods. The high-energy microenvironments generated by cavitation substantially promote fast biomass deconstruction with low energy consumption. The optimized protocol couples a HC reactor with a ternary water/ethanol/hexane mixture, simultaneously providing a hydrophilic product, which is rich in methylxanthines and polyphenols, and a lipid layer. Sequential milling and sieving pretreatment provided an enriched shell fraction via the partial removal of husk fibres (54.45 vs. 81.36 w/w % total fibres). The disposal of the latter reduces mass balance, but is rerouted into animal feedstock components and crop mulching. The protocols herein reported produce valuable extracts, which are rich in antioxidant flavanols (catechins and epicatechins), theobromine (32.7 ± 0.12 mg/g shells), caffeine (1.76 ± 0.08 mg/g shells) and cocoa butter, in a simple and easy manner. This new valorisation process afforded 20.5 w/w % and 15.8 w/w % hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions, respectively, when scaled up to function in a pilot flow reactor. The fatty acids, obtained in remarkable yield (forming the 96.4 w/w % of the total light part) well match the commercial cocoa butter profile. The antioxidant extract shows an impressive total phenolic content of 197.4 mg/g extract (gallic acid eq.), with a radical scavenging activity of 62.0 ± 3.1 μg/mL (expressed in DPPH EC₅₀). This work should facilitate industrial design for the convenient recovery of cocoa by-products as part of a zero-waste strategy.

RESEARCH QUALITY OF THE WHEAT–RYE BREAD WITH ADDITION OF THE POLYFUNCTIONAL FOOD SUPPLEMENT «MAGNETOFOOD»

The influence of the polyfunctional food additive "Magnetofood" on the yield, batching, shrinkage, as well as physicochemical, microbiological, organoleptic parameters of wheat–rye bread" Kharkiv Rodnichok " enriched with this additive was investigated. The introduction of the food additive "Magnetofood" helps to increase the biological value (the content of the microelement of Fe is increased by 3 mg / 100 g), the energy value (increases by 3 kcal / 100 g) and the storage period (grows by 12 hours) in the experimental bread samples " Kharkiv Rodnichok " compared with the control (wheat–rye bread "Darnitsky"). That is, the food supplement "Magnetofood" due to Fe2 + can be recommended as an antioxidant and a source of easily digestible iron and an anti–anemia agent. It has been experimentally established that the introduction of the polyfunctional food additive "Magnetofood" improves the yield and quality of wheat–rye bread. In addition, the quality of bread is influenced by the way of introduction of "Magnetofood": when introducing "Magnetofud" in the form of an oil suspension (CHI), the indices are 1–2% better than when adding the additive as a dry powder. It also follows from the data obtained that the physicochemical parameters of the experimental bread samples " Kharkiv Rodnichok " are improved in comparison with the control (Bread "Darnitsky") as follows: yield, bake, shrinkage, porosity of crumb are increased by 2–3%, 5–10 %, 5–10%, 3–6% respectively; and the crumb humidity and acidity decrease by 1% and 1.0– 1.5 °, respectively. Microbiological studies have shown that seeding Вас. subtilis after 10 days will increase: in control 2 times, and in the samples of bread "Kharkov fontanel" 1, 2 – in 1,3 times. That is, "Magnetofood" has an antimicrobial effect, which leads to better quality, preservation of freshness and lengthening the shelf life of bakery products. Thus, the introduction of the polyfunctional food additive "Magnetofood" in wheat–rye bread improves yield, quality and shelf life.