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By-Products of the Agri-Food Industry: Use for Food Fortification

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Food".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 4585

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90123 Palermo, Italy
Interests: food analysis; bioactive compounds; antioxidants; polyphenols analysis; functional foods; dietary supplements; quality control; HPLC–MS and GC–MS analysis; biophenols in olive oils; fatty acids
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Guest Editor
CNR-IBE National Council of Research, Institute of BioEconomy - Via Paolo Gaifami n.18, 95126 Catania, Italy
Interests: valorisation and characterization of typical Mediterranean germplasm for food a no food applications/recovery of molecules from agricultural wastes for food fortification/novel foods/antioxidants/fructans
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, the agro-food industry generates high amounts of byproducts that may possess added-value compounds with high functionality and/or bioactivity.

At the same time., consumers’ demand for healthier foodstuffs has increased over the last years; thus, the food industry has strived to answer this challenge.

Byproducts are generally secondary products derived from primary agro-food production processes and represent an exciting and cheaper source of potentially functional compounds. Functional foods" are defined as foods that, through the incorporation of bioactive compounds, can be shown to exert health benefits beyond the intrinsic nutritional effect.

Adding bioactive compounds to staple foods, such as pasta, bread, biscuits, beverages, fats, etc., represents an opportunity to produce fortified foods to promote a healthier diet, without requiring consumers to change their dietary habits.

Dr. Vita Di Stefano
Dr. Maria Melilli
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • functional food
  • fortified food
  • agrifood byproducts
  • phenols
  • carotenoid
  • fibre
  • health food

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 3484 KiB  
Article
In Vivo Study of the Effect of Sugarcane Bagasse Lignin Supplementation on Broiler Chicken Diet as a Step to Validate the Established Chicken Gastrointestinal Tract In Vitro Model
by Nelson Mota de Carvalho, Carla Giselly de Souza, Célia Maria Costa, Cláudia Castro, Joana F. Fangueiro, Bruno Horta, Divanildo Outor-Monteiro, José Teixeira, José Luís Mourão, Victor Pinheiro, Ana L. Amaro, Patrícia Santos Costa, Catarina S. S. Oliveira, Manuela Estevez Pintado, Diana Luazi Oliveira and Ana Raquel Madureira
Sustainability 2024, 16(20), 8946; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208946 - 16 Oct 2024
Viewed by 810
Abstract
Since the global restrictions on antibiotics in poultry systems, there has been a growing demand for natural and sustainable feed additives for disease prevention and poultry nutrition. This study evaluated the effects of incorporating sugarcane bagasse (SCB) lignin into broiler chicken diets. The [...] Read more.
Since the global restrictions on antibiotics in poultry systems, there has been a growing demand for natural and sustainable feed additives for disease prevention and poultry nutrition. This study evaluated the effects of incorporating sugarcane bagasse (SCB) lignin into broiler chicken diets. The performance of the chickens, including body weight, feed intake, and mortality, as well as intestinal histomorphometry, and cecum content pH, microbiota, and volatile fatty acids were assessed. In addition, we also aimed to validate an in vitro gastrointestinal tract (GIT) model developed by Carvalho et al. (2023). One hundred and eight 1-day-old Ross 308 chicks were randomly and equally divided into two groups. The first group was fed a basal diet (BD group), while the second group was fed a basal diet supplemented with 1% (w/w) SCB lignin (BD + SCB lignin group) for 36 days. The in vivo conditions of the chicken GIT were replicated in an in vitro model. In the in vivo study, SCB lignin increased cecum acetate and butyrate levels while reducing Bifidobacterium and Enterobacteriaceae, without affecting productivity (body weight, feed intake, and mortality). The in vitro assessment reflected microbiota trends observed in vivo, although without statistical significance. The divergence in organic acid production between the in vivo and in vitro conditions likely resulted from issues with inoculum preparation. This study demonstrates that SCB lignin incorporation positively influences cecal microbiota composition without impacting the animals’ productivity and physiology, suggesting its potential as a functional feed additive. For a more reliable in vitro model, adjustments in inoculum preparation are necessary. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue By-Products of the Agri-Food Industry: Use for Food Fortification)
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13 pages, 1477 KiB  
Article
Functional End-Use of Hemp Seed Waste: Technological, Qualitative, Nutritional, and Sensorial Characterization of Fortified Bread
by Fabiola Sciacca, Nino Virzì, Nicola Pecchioni, Maria Grazia Melilli, Carla Buzzanca, Sonia Bonacci and Vita Di Stefano
Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12899; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712899 - 25 Aug 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1601
Abstract
Due to its multipurpose usability, short production cycle, and low capital requirement in cultivation, hemp represents an excellent material applicable to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations Organization as a strategy “to achieve a future better and more sustainable [...] Read more.
Due to its multipurpose usability, short production cycle, and low capital requirement in cultivation, hemp represents an excellent material applicable to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations Organization as a strategy “to achieve a future better and more sustainable for all”. Hemp seeds represent the only edible part of Cannabis sativa and have a distinctly different nutritional composition from other representative foods such as rice and wheat (high protein content, low carbohydrate content, polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, and gluten-free). Hemp seeds are mainly used for the production of oil; the waste obtained after extraction, reduced to a fine powder and rich in bioactive components, is added to durum wheat flour and used for the preparation of fortified bread. The aim of this study was to use varying percentages of hemp seed flour for bread production and determine the impact of fortification on texture, organoleptic characteristics, crumb color, changes in crumb texture, total polyphenols, the scavenging activity of free radicals, and amino acid content. The solid residue remaining after oil extraction from hemp seeds (generally discarded as waste or added to feed) was triturated and sieved to 0.530 mm (Hemp 1) or 0.236 mm (Hemp 2). Samples of fortified bread were obtained by replacing variable percentages of durum wheat semolina with the two hemp flours (5%, 7.5%, and 10%). The total phenolic content of the fortified bread was between 0.73 and 1.73 mg GAE/g, and the antiradical activity was between 1.17 and 3.18 mmol TEAC/100 g on the basis of the growing fortification. A comparison of Ciclope semolina bread with hemp flour-enriched bread showed a large increase in amino acid content in the fortified samples. In particular, bread enriched with 10% hemp flour 2 showed a higher content of glutamic acid, tyrosine, proline, and essential amino acids such as leucine and isoleucine compared to other samples with the same percentage of substitution. The amount of hemp seed flour influenced the color of the crumb by increasing the yellow index from 18.24 (100% Ciclope) to 21.33 (bread with 5% hemp flour 2). The results of the sensory analysis were very good, demonstrating the high acceptability of fortified breads at higher percentages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue By-Products of the Agri-Food Industry: Use for Food Fortification)
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21 pages, 15312 KiB  
Article
The Valorization of Agro-Wastes and Stevia Leaves as a Sugar Replacer in Cupcake Formulas: Histological and In Vivo Studies on Diabetic Rats
by Mohammed El-Waseif, Badr Saed, Samy El-Behairy, Hatem Ali, Manal Elkhadragy, Hany Yehia and Amr Farouk
Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 9126; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15119126 - 5 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1527
Abstract
One potential solution to enhance the nutritional value of food while addressing environmental concerns is to use bioactive extracts from agro-waste in the food industry. This study aimed to investigate the effects of replacing sucrose with powders made from Stevia leaves (SLP), banana [...] Read more.
One potential solution to enhance the nutritional value of food while addressing environmental concerns is to use bioactive extracts from agro-waste in the food industry. This study aimed to investigate the effects of replacing sucrose with powders made from Stevia leaves (SLP), banana peels (BPP), and carrot leaves (CLP), as well as their mixtures, in cupcakes. Additionally, the study aimed to determine the impact of these substitutes on alloxan-induced diabetic rats fed the cupcakes. Sensory evaluation revealed that up to 60% of sucrose in the cupcake formula could be replaced without significant changes in sensory attributes. Substituting agro-wastes and SLP increased the protein content from 12.86% to 14.26% and the dietary fiber content from 3.65% to 5.60% compared to the control sample. The treated diabetic groups, particularly those fed cupcakes containing SLP-CLP mixture, showed increased body weight gain % and feed intake, reducing serum glucose levels from 427.5 to 180.8 mg/dL after 28 days. The mix of CLP-SLP had the highest additive effect, indicating a significant reduction in various biochemical parameters, including ALT, AST, albumin, urea, uric acid, creatinine, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL, compared to the positive control. No histopathological alterations were detected in the pancreas and liver of diabetic rats fed cupcakes supplemented with SLP-CLP. However, moderate degenerations were observed in the hepatocytes of diabetic rats fed cupcakes fortified with SLP-BPP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue By-Products of the Agri-Food Industry: Use for Food Fortification)
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