Exploring Bioactive Compounds in Agrifood Waste: Sustainable Valorisation of Food Residues

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 March 2025 | Viewed by 1363

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF Department), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Italy Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: bioactivity of phytochemicals and involved mechanisms; radical-scavenging; antioxidative, antiinflammatory, and antiproliferative activities; cancer cell biology; cell stress responses; cell cycle regulation; oncogenic signaling pathways
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Interests: bioactivity of phytochemicals and involved mechanisms: radical-scavenging; antioxidative, antiinflammatory, and antiproliferative activities

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In our modern era, embracing sustainable practices presents not only a critical challenge but also holds the promise of significant transformation. These practices not only positively impact the environment but also have the potential to drive substantial changes in the social and economic fabric of our society. Within this framework, one of our most ambitious challenges is to identify and optimize strategies for harnessing the value of food waste and by-products.

Food waste, projected to reach alarming levels—up to 50% of total food production in the near future—demands urgent attention regarding our social and environmental responsibilities. However, behind this challenge lies a unique and fascinating opportunity. Food waste and by-products are not mere discards; rather, they represent a valuable and largely untapped resource of bioactive compounds, ready to be utilized across various sectors spanning from nutrition and healthcare to cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Building on our past endeavours, we are thrilled to announce the launch of a new Special Issue dedicated to the valorisation of agrifood waste. This Special Issue aims to highlight the diverse and sustainable opportunities presented by the valorisation of agro-industrial waste.

We warmly invite you to share your experiences and discoveries, as together, we can contribute to promoting a more sustainable future.

Best regards,

Dr. Carla Gentile
Guest Editor

Dr. Graziella Serio
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • phytochemicals
  • antioxidants
  • functional foods
  • nutraceutical
  • functional ingredients
  • circular economy

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 3559 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis on Polyphenolic Composition of Different Olive Mill Wastewater and Related Extra Virgin Olive Oil Extracts and Evaluation of Nutraceutical Properties by Cell-Based Studies
by Doretta Cuffaro, Andrea Bertolini, Ana Margarida Silva, Francisca Rodrigues, Daniela Gabbia, Sara De Martin, Alessandro Saba, Simone Bertini, Maria Digiacomo and Marco Macchia
Foods 2024, 13(20), 3312; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13203312 - 18 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1052
Abstract
This study reports a comparative analysis of the polyphenolic composition and nutraceutical properties of different olive mill wastewater (OMWW) and corresponding extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) extracts. Specifically, four OMWWs and corresponding EVOOs from cultivars Frantoio (A) and Leccino (B) obtained from different [...] Read more.
This study reports a comparative analysis of the polyphenolic composition and nutraceutical properties of different olive mill wastewater (OMWW) and corresponding extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) extracts. Specifically, four OMWWs and corresponding EVOOs from cultivars Frantoio (A) and Leccino (B) obtained from different crushing seasons (early-stage (A1 and B1) and later-stage (A2 and B2)) were analyzed. Employing HPLC-DAD and LC-MS methods, the primary polyphenol content was identified and quantified. Overall, OMWW extracts showed a greater polyphenolic content compared to corresponding EVOO extracts, with OMWW B1 displaying the highest levels of polyphenols. The antiradical properties of extracts towards radical species (DPPH, ABTS, O2, and HOCl) were demonstrated in vitro, revealing a correlation with polyphenolic content. In fact, OMWW B1 and B2 demonstrated the strongest antiradical activity. Exploring nutraceutical properties of OMWWs, the intestinal permeation of the main polyphenols in a co-culture model (Caco-2 and HT29-MTX cell lines) was assessed, with tyrosol achieving a permeation of almost 60%. Furthermore, the involvement in the inflammation process has been evaluated in cell studies on THP1-derived macrophages by immunocytochemistry, demonstrating that OMWW B1 may exert an anti-inflammatory effect by modulating specific phenotype expression on macrophages. In conclusion, this study provides evidence supporting the reuse of OMWWs as a source of polyphenols with nutraceutical properties. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop