Functional Foods Acceptability: A Consumers' Survey on Bread Enriched with Oenological By-Products

In recent years, consumers have shown considerable attention to functional foods that can provide various benefits. At the same time, the awareness of the problem of waste generation from the agri-food supply chains has increased; thus, scholars and practitioners are devoting great attention to sustainable food waste management. Within the wine processing, the production phase generates by-products such as marc, grape seeds, stems, and wine lees. In most cases, these by-products are treated as waste rather than as a resource, creating environmental, economic, and social impacts related to their disposal. By contrast, the reuse of oenological by-products in food production can have several health benefits, since they are rich in functional molecules such as fibres, polyphenols, and vitamin E, and can also trigger a circular economy model. The aim of this research is to investigate the acceptance of consumers towards bread enriched with oenological by-products through the application of k-means clustering, providing insights on the characterisation of groups of consumers based on their specific features and declared attitudes. The results showed three different consumers' clusters, highlighting that the acceptance of this enriched bread is not influenced by the consumers' socio-economic features, but it is related to consumers' sensitivity. Therefore, target strategies should be put in place to inform consumers about the benefits associated with the consumption of bread enriched with oenological by-products.

Grape Waste Materials-An Attractive Source for Developing Nanomaterials with Versatile Applications

In the last decade, researchers have focused on the recycling of agro-food wastes for the production of value-added products. This eco-friendly trend is also observed in nanotechnology, where recycled raw materials may be processed into valuable nanomaterials with practical applications. Regarding environmental safety, replacing hazardous chemical substances with natural products obtained from plant wastes is an excellent opportunity for the "green synthesis" of nanomaterials. This paper aims to critically discuss plant waste, with particular emphasis on grape waste, methods of recovery of active compounds, and nanomaterials obtained from by-products, along with their versatile applications, including healthcare uses. Moreover, the challenges that may appear in this field, as well as future perspectives, are also included.

Lipid Profile Quantification and Species Discrimination of Pine Seeds through NIR Spectroscopy: A Feasibility Study

Pine seeds are known for their richness in lipid compounds and other healthy substances. However, the reference procedures that are commonly applied for their analysis are quite laborious, time-consuming, and expensive. Therefore, it is important to develop rapid, accurate, multi-parametric, cost-effective and, essentially, environmentally friendly analytical techniques that are easily implemented at an industrial scale. The viability of using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to analyse the seed lipid content and profile of three different pine species (Pinus halepensis, Pinus brutia and Pinus pinaster) was investigated. Moreover, species discrimination using NIR was also attempted. Different chemometric models, namely partial least squares (PLS) regression, for lipid analysis, and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), for pine species discrimination, were applied. In relation to the discrimination of pine seed species, a total of 90.5% of correct classification rates were obtained. Regarding the quantification models, most of the compounds assessed yielded determination coefficients (R²_P) higher than 0.80. The best PLS models were obtained for total fat, vitamin E, saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, C20:2, C20:1n9, C20, C18:2n6c, C18:1n9c, C18 and C16:1. Globally, the obtained results demonstrated that NIR spectroscopy is a suitable analytical technique for lipid analysis and species discrimination of pine seeds.

Multi-Step Biomass Fractionation of Grape Seeds from Pomace, a Zero-Waste Approach

Grape seeds are the wineries' main by-products, and their disposal causes ecological and environmental problems. In this study seeds from the pomace waste of autochthonous grape varieties from Lebanon, Obeidi (white variety) and Asswad Karech (red variety) were used for a multi-step biomass fractionation. For the first step, a lipid extraction was performed, and the obtained yield was 12.33% (w/w) for Obeidi and 13.04% (w/w) for Asswad Karech. For the second step, polyphenols' recovery from the defatted seeds was carried out, resulting in 12.0% (w/w) for Obeidi and 6.6% (w/w) for Asswad Karech, with Obeidi's extract having the highest total phenolic content (333.1 ± 1.6 mg GAE/g dry matter) and antioxidant activity (662.17 ± 0.01 µg/mL of Trolox equivalent). In the third step, the defatted and dephenolized seeds were subsequently extracted under alkaline conditions and the proteins were isoelectric precipitated. The recovered protein extract was 3.90% (w/w) for Obeidi and 4.11% (w/w) for Asswad Karech seeds, with Asswad Karech's extract having the highest protein content (64 ± 0.2 mg protein/g dry matter). The remaining exhausted residue can be valorized in cosmetic scrubs formulations as a replacement for plastic microbeads. The designed zero-waste approach multi-step biomass fractionation has the potential to improve the valorization of the side products (grape seeds) of these two Lebanese autochthonous grape varieties.

Utilization of Fruit Seed-Based Bioactive Compounds for Formulating the Nutraceuticals and Functional Food: A Review

Fruit seeds include a large number of bioactive substances with potential applications in the culinary and pharmaceutical industries, satisfying current demands for natural ingredients, which are generally preferred since they have fewer adverse effects than artificial components. Researchers have long been interested in the functional features, as well as the proximate and mineral compositions, of diverse fruit seeds such as tomato, apple, guava, and dates, among others. Bioactive components such as proteins (bioactive peptides), carotenoids (lycopene), polysaccharides (pectin), phytochemicals (flavonoids), and vitamins (-tocopherol) are abundant in fruit by-products and have significant health benefits, making them a viable alternative for the formulation of a wide range of food products with significant functional and nutraceutical potential. This article discusses the role and activities of bioactive chemicals found in tomato, apple, dates, and guava seeds, which can be used in a variety of food forms to cure a variety of cardiovascular and neurological disorders, as well as act as an antioxidant, anticancer, and antibacterial agent. The extraction of diverse bioactive components from by-products could pave the path for the creation of value-added products from the fruit industry, making it more commercially viable while also reducing environmental pollution caused by by-products from the fruit industry.

Fatty acids, phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of the seeds from nine grape cultivars (Vitis vinifera L.)

Seeds are one of the main parts of the grapes, and they contain important constituents such as polyphenols, lipids, proteins and carbohydrates. In this study, oil contents, fatty acid composition, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, monomeric flavan-3-ols and antioxidant capacities of nine grape seeds from nine cultivars were investigated. The correlations between the analyzed parameters were also examined. The oil contents of seeds ranged from 4.96 to 13.35%. Linoleic acid was the predominant fatty acid in the seeds, and it was followed by oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linolenic acid, 11-eicosenoic acid and arachidic acid. Total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were 646.50-1120.78 mg GAE/g and 336.69-589.85 mg CE/g, respectively. ‘Italia’ seeds had the highest antioxidant capacity for DPPH and CUPRAC assays while ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ seeds had the lowest one. The (-)-epigallocatechin, (+)-catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin and (-)-epicatechin gallate contents in the seeds varied from 1.23 to 6.53 mg/g, 11.61 to 80.20 mg/g, 0.21 to 0.51 mg/g, 2.78 to 48.26 mg/g and 0.08 to 1.50 mg/g, respectively. The (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin were the major flavan-3-ol compounds in the grape seeds. Significant correlations were found between total phenolic content, total flavonoid, RSA (DPPH Radical scavenging activity), CUPRAC (Cupric reducing antioxidant capacity) and flavan-3-ols. Consequently, the current study findings support previous information that grape seeds are an important source of antioxidants as well as unsaturated fatty acids, which have positive effects on human health.

Gentianose: Purification and structural determination of an unknown oligosaccharide in grape seeds

Grape seeds are among the main constituents of grape pomace, ranging between 20% and 30% of the wet matrix; however, their oligosaccharide composition has not been studied. This paper describes the purification and the identification of low molecular weight oligosaccharides contained in an EtOH/water extract of grape seeds. A sequential two-step purification by size exclusion chromatography was carried out to fractionate compounds according to molecular weights. Chemical characterization of the combined fractions was performed by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analyses. The separation process gave two fractions abundant in sucrose and glucose. A third fraction containing trisaccharides was acetylated allowing the purification of the main trisaccharide. The structure elucidation of the acetylated product made it possible to identify gentianose, a predominant carbohydrate reserve found in the storage roots of perennial Gentiana lutea. Grape seeds are wine industry by-products and the obtained results suggest the importance of their recovery.

Rapid adulteration detection of cold pressed oils with their refined versions by UV-Vis spectroscopy

The aim of this study is the rapid detection of food pressed oils adulteration with their refined versions, using UV–Vis spectroscopy. The study investigates some common oil physico-chemical parameters such are: density, viscosity, refractive index, acid index, peroxide value, saponification index, to detect differences between cold pressed oils versus refined ones, for some food-grade oils found on Romanian market, as well as FT-IR spectroscopy and GC–MS analytical method, obtaining similar results to those presented in the literature data. The difference between some of the obtained results is not relevant for telling the cold-pressed oils from their refined version for adulteration investigation purpose. Colour analysis instead is a very good method to differentiate a cold pressed oil from a refined one. Taking this into account, the cold pressed oils and their refined versions were mixed in different proportions, and their colour properties were analyzed, obtaining linear dependences for a* and b* CIE L*a*b* parameters with cold pressed oil content in the mixture. Dependence equations were proposed.

Potential of grape byproducts as functional ingredients in baked goods and pasta

Wine making industry generates high quantities of valuable byproducts that can be used to enhance foods in order to diminish the environmental impact and to obtain more economic benefits. Grape byproducts are rich in phenolic compounds and dietary fiber, which make them suitable to improve the nutritional value of bakery, pastry, and pasta products. The viscoelastic behavior of dough and the textural and the sensory characteristics of baked goods and pasta containing grape byproducts depend on the addition level and particle size. Thus, an optimal dose of a finer grape byproducts flour must be found in order to minimize the negative effects such as low loaf volume and undesirable sensory and textural characteristics they may have on the final product quality. In the same time, an enrichment of the nutritional and functional value of the product by increasing the fiber and antioxidant compounds contents is desired. The aim of this review was to summarize the effects of the chemical components of grape byproducts on the nutritional, functional, rheological, textural, physical, and sensory characteristics of the baked goods and pasta. Further researches about the impact of foods enriched with grape byproducts on the human health, about molecular interactions between components, and about the effects of grape pomace compounds on the shelf life of baked goods and pasta are recommended.

Fruit seeds and their oils as promising sources of value-added lipids from agro-industrial byproducts: oil content, lipid composition, lipid analysis, biological activity and potential biotechnological applications

Thousands of tons of fruit seeds are discarded every year worldwide as agro-industrial byproducts. Fruit seeds have a high oil content, are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (FA) and in n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated essential FA. Sterols, phospholipids, glycolipids, carotenoids, tocopherols and polyphenols are other seed phytochemicals that make them interesting from a commercial viewpoint. Fruit seeds have high potential as raw material for several industries, but their lipid profile remains poorly studied. Current analytical approaches for the analysis of lipids that are based on high-performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry allow the separation and analysis of compounds with the accurate identification and structural characterization of molecular species in very small quantities. Even though lipidomic analysis of fruit seeds' lipids is still in its infancy, it will bring a new look over these value-added byproducts. This review covers the following topics: (a) the lipid content of various fruit seed oils; (b) their lipid composition (FA, triacylglycerol, sterol, phospholipid and glycolipid profiles), (c) current and future analytical methodologies for the analysis of lipids in fruit seeds; (d) biological activities of fruit seeds' extracts; and (e) potential biotechnological applications of fruit seed oils for their commercial valorization based on lipids.

Grape seed pomace as a valuable source of antioxidant fibers

BACKGROUND

Grape seed pomace is a valuable by-product from winery/oil extraction industries and a potential source of bioactive compounds. Hot water extraction is the most widely used technology for polysaccharide recovery from plant and seed sources. To obtain an antioxidant fiber-rich extract (AFE) from defatted grape seed pomace, seed:water ratio (1:10-1:20) and extraction temperature (70-90 °C) effects on extraction yield, total sugars, total phenolic compounds and condensed tannins were investigated.

RESULTS

The best extraction results were achieved at the highest seed:water ratio and temperature. At these conditions, the extraction yield and total sugar content of the freeze-dried AFE were 100.1 g kg^-1 and 725.3 g kg^-1 , respectively. The AFE presented high total phenolic content (16.2 g GAE kg^-1 ), condensed tannins (515.1 mg CAT kg^-1 ), soluble (219.1 g kg^-1 ) and insoluble fibers (132.4 g kg^-1 ), besides protein (171.1 g kg^-1 ) and ash (152.6 g kg^-1 ). The antioxidant capacity of the AFE was 382.7, 823.7 and 1439.4 μmol Trolox g^-1 for DPPH, ABTS and ORAC methods.

CONCLUSION

The AFE was shown to be not only an interesting source of fiber with antioxidant capacity, which could become a potential foodstuff, but also an ecofriendly and sustainable alternative to use grape seed pomace. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

In depth study of phenolic profile and PTP-1B inhibitory power of cold-pressed grape seed oils of different varieties

This paper investigates the phenolic composition of 17 monocultivar commercial cold-pressed grape seed oils. Chromatographic profiles showed the presence of more than 28 molecules, 11 of which were successfully identified by HPLC-DAD-MS-TOF and HPLC-FLD analysis. Pinoresinol, ethyl caffeate and ethyl gallate were detected for the first time in these oils. The total phenolic content ranged between 0.83 mg/kg for Viognier sample to 15.16 mg/kg for Merlot org sample. The detected ethyl esters can be suggested as markers to evaluate the intensity of fermentation in grape seeds before oil extraction, and to control the sensorial quality of the produced oils. In addition, the inhibitory power of these phenolic extracts against Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B enzyme (PTP-1B), overexpressed in type-two diabetes, was investigated for the first time. Data highlighted a good correlation between total phenolic content and inhibitory power, with pinoresinol, p-coumaric acid and quercetin making the greater contributions.