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Foods
Special Issues
Valorisation Opportunities for Specialty Crops and Its Co-products
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Valorisation Opportunities for Specialty Crops and Its Co-products

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 13965

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lucía Seguí

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto Universitario de Ingeniería de Alimentos–FoodUPV (Food Engineering Research Institute) of the Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: food engineering; food processing; food waste valorization; functional foods development; drying; fermentation; in vitro digestion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cristina Barrera Puigdollers

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto Universitario de Ingeniería de Alimentos–FoodUPV (Food Engineering Research Institute) of the Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: food engineering; food processing; food waste valorization; functional foods development; drying; fermentation; in vitro digestion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Noelia Betoret

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto Universitario de Ingeniería de Alimentos para el Desarrollo, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: food engineering; food processing; food science and technology; food waste valorization; functional foods development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agri-food waste is generated at different stages, from harvesting, primary processing and industrial processing to distribution and consumption. Reductions in and the reuse of these residues have become major challenges of our society in our movement towards the development of more sustainable food systems. Giving value to these wastes or generating new co-products to obtain new products or ingredients that can be re-introduced in the food, pharma or cosmetic industries represents an opportunity but also a challenge. Specialty crops include cultivated fruits and tree nuts, vegetables, culinary herbs and spices, medicinal plants and horticulture and nursery crops, which are cultivated for food, medicinal or aesthetic purposes. These plants are rich in bioactive and other valuable compounds, which could find applications in different industries if properly recovered and processed. This issue intends to collect papers that explore valorisation opportunities for specialty crops and their co-products. Both innovative processing technologies (encapsulation, pulse electric fields, microwaves, high pressures) and classical approaches (drying, fermentation, extraction, membrane separation) that provide new insights are welcome. Characterizations of the recovered constituents or obtained products, e.g., physicochemical and functional properties of new products and ingredients, are also welcome. Thus, we cordially invite authors to contribute with original research articles or reviews.

Prof. Dr. Lucía Seguí
Dr. Cristina Barera Puigdollers
Dr. Noelia Betoret
Guest Editors

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

  • specialty crops
  • agri-food waste
  • waste valorization
  • sustainable food systems
  • applications of recovered bioactive compounds
  • new products development
  • new food ingredients
  • drying/membrane separation/fermentation/purification

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 1488 KiB  
Article
Health-Promoting Properties of Processed Red Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra): Effects of Drying Methods on Bio-Compound Retention
by Nicol Mejías, Antonio Vega-Galvez, Luis S. Gomez-Perez, Alexis Pasten, Elsa Uribe, Anielka Cortés, Gabriela Valenzuela-Barra, Javiera Camus, Carla Delporte and Giuliano Bernal
Foods 2024, 13(6), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13060830 - 8 Mar 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2259
Abstract
The aim of this work is to describe the effect of convective drying (CD), vacuum drying (VD), infrared drying (IRD), low-temperature vacuum drying (LTVD) and freeze drying (FD) on bio-compound retention of red cabbage and its beneficial health properties. The total phenolics content [...] Read more.
The aim of this work is to describe the effect of convective drying (CD), vacuum drying (VD), infrared drying (IRD), low-temperature vacuum drying (LTVD) and freeze drying (FD) on bio-compound retention of red cabbage and its beneficial health properties. The total phenolics content (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), anthocyanin (TAC) and glucosinolates (TGC) were determined by spectrophotometry. The profiles of phenolic acids, amino acids and fatty acids were determined by HPLC-UV-DAD, LC-DAD and GC-FID, respectively. Antioxidant potential was verified by DPPH and ORAC assays. The antiproliferative activity was measured in the human gastric cell line (AGS). Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and arachidonic acid models. VD showed high values of TPC = 11.89 ± 0.28 mg GAE/g d.m.; TFC = 11.30 ± 0.9 mg QE/g d.m.; TAC = 0.265 ± 0.01 mg Cya3glu/g d.m.; and TGC = 51.15 ± 3.31 µmol SE/g d.m. Caffeic acid, ferulic acid and sinapic acid were identified. The predominant amino acid and fatty acid were glutamic acid and γ–linolenic acid, respectively. The antioxidant potential was dependent on drying methods for both DPPH and ORAC assays. Dried red cabbage extracts showed clear anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activity. The dehydration process is an alternative for the retention of bio-compounds and health-promoting properties of red cabbage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Valorisation Opportunities for Specialty Crops and Its Co-products)
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20 pages, 3490 KiB  
Article
Impact of Air-Drying Temperature on Antioxidant Properties and ACE-Inhibiting Activity of Fungal Fermented Lentil Flour
by Janaina Sánchez-García, Sara Muñoz-Pina, Jorge García-Hernández, Ana Heredia and Ana Andrés
Foods 2023, 12(5), 999; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12050999 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2556
Abstract
Solid-state fermentation (SSF) with Pleurotus ostreatus enhances the nutritional value of legumes. However, drying can cause significant changes in physical and nutritional properties of the final products. Thus, this work studies the impact of air-drying temperature (50, 60, and 70 °C) on relevant [...] Read more.
Solid-state fermentation (SSF) with Pleurotus ostreatus enhances the nutritional value of legumes. However, drying can cause significant changes in physical and nutritional properties of the final products. Thus, this work studies the impact of air-drying temperature (50, 60, and 70 °C) on relevant properties (antioxidant properties, ACE-inhibitory capacity, phytic acid, colour, and particle size) of two fermented lentils flour (Pardina and Castellana) using freeze-drying as a reference method. Castellana variety is a better substrate for Pleurotus, generating four times more biomass. In addition, an almost total reduction of phytic acid from 7.3 to 0.9 mg/g db is achieved in this variety. Air-drying significantly decreased the particle size and the final colour with ΔE > 20; nonetheless, the temperature does not play a crucial role. SSF decreased the total phenolic content and the antioxidant capacity regardless of the variety, however, drying at 70 °C increased total phenolic content (186%) in fermented Castellana flour. Comparing drying methods, freeze-drying implied a higher decrease in those parameters, reducing the TPC from 2.4 to 1.6 and from 7.7 to 3.4 mg gallic acid/g db in Pardina and Castellana dried flours. Finally, the flours inhibit the angiotensin I-converting-enzyme, and fermentation and drying increased their potential cardiovascular benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Valorisation Opportunities for Specialty Crops and Its Co-products)
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20 pages, 1096 KiB  
Article
Effect of Processing and In Vitro Digestion on Bioactive Constituents of Powdered IV Range Carrot (Daucus carota, L.) Wastes
by Claudia Bas-Bellver, Cristina Barrera, Noelia Betoret and Lucía Seguí
Foods 2023, 12(4), 731; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040731 - 7 Feb 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2561
Abstract
Daucus carota L. is an important food crop utilized worldwide and a rich source of bioactive compounds. Carrot processing generates residues which are discarded or underused, for which using them as a source for obtaining new ingredients or products is an opportunity for [...] Read more.
Daucus carota L. is an important food crop utilized worldwide and a rich source of bioactive compounds. Carrot processing generates residues which are discarded or underused, for which using them as a source for obtaining new ingredients or products is an opportunity for the development of healthier and more sustainable diets. In the present study, the impact of different milling and drying procedures and in vitro digestion on the functional properties of carrot waste powders was evaluated. Carrot waste was transformed into powders by disruption (grinding vs. chopping), drying (freeze-drying or air-drying at 60 or 70 °C) and final milling. Powders were characterized in terms of physicochemical properties (water activity, moisture content, total soluble solids and particle size) nutraceuticals (total phenol content, total flavonoid content antioxidant activity by DPPH and ABTS methods, as well as carotenoid content (α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein, lycopene). Antioxidants and carotenoid content during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion were also evaluated; the latter in different matrices (directly, in water, in oil, and in oil-in-water emulsion). Processing allowed to reduce water activity of samples and obtain powders rich in antioxidant compounds and carotenoids. Both disruption and drying had a significant impact on powders’ properties freeze-drying led to finer powders with higher carotenoid content but lower antioxidant values, whereas air-drying implied chopped air-dried powders exhibited higher phenols content and improved antioxidant activity. Simulated in vitro digestion studies revealed that digestion helps release bioactive compounds which are bound to the powder structure. The solubilization of carotenoids in oil was low, but fat co-ingestion notably increased their recovery. According to the results, carrot waste powders containing bioactive compounds could be proposed as functional ingredients to increase the nutritional value of foods, thus contributing to the concepts of more sustainable food systems and sustainable healthy diets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Valorisation Opportunities for Specialty Crops and Its Co-products)
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Review

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19 pages, 503 KiB  
Review
Strategies for the Valorization of Date Fruit and Its Co-Products: A New Ingredient in the Development of Value-Added Foods
by Nuria Muñoz-Tebar, Manuel Viuda-Martos, Jose Manuel Lorenzo, Juana Fernandez-Lopez and Jose Angel Perez-Alvarez
Foods 2023, 12(7), 1456; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12071456 - 29 Mar 2023
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5751
Abstract
Date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera L.) are traditionally cultivated in South-West Asia and North Africa for date fruit consumption, although in recent years, its consumption has increased worldwide, and its cultivation has spread to other areas of America, sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and [...] Read more.
Date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera L.) are traditionally cultivated in South-West Asia and North Africa for date fruit consumption, although in recent years, its consumption has increased worldwide, and its cultivation has spread to other areas of America, sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and Southern Europe. During date fruit processing, several types of by-products are generated, such as low-quality dates or seeds, which along with date fruit, represent an excellent source of dietary fiber and bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, tannins, carotenoids, tocopherols, and tocotrienols. Therefore, this review provides information on the processing of dates fruit and the value-added by-products generated from them as well as their applications in different types of foods for the development of foods with an enhanced nutritional and functional profile. The incorporation of date fruit and their co-products in food formulations will help to cover the current consumer demands for foods made with ingredients of natural origin and with health properties beyond the merely nutritional. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Valorisation Opportunities for Specialty Crops and Its Co-products)
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