Fruit and vegetable residues flours with different granulometry range as raw material for pectin-enriched biodegradable film preparation.

The aim of this study was to develop biodegradable films using fruit and vegetable residue (FVR) flour with different granulometry range and pectin levels. The FVR flour was divided in three fractions, according to their granulometric distribution: A (425-500 µm), B (212-300 µm) and C (<150 µm). FVR presented heterogeneous particle size distribution and fibrous structure showing granular compounds adhered to the surface. The fiber contents decreased according to granulometry, whereas the protein content increased. The films obtained from FVR were malleable, homogeneous, yellowish, and presented high solubility (90%). The granulometry reduction and the pectin addition have significantly improved the viscosity and the yellow color of the film solutions (FS). There was decrease of solubility (50%) and improvement of the mechanical properties of the pectin-based films: decrease of elongation (16-30%) and increase of tensile strength (2.88 ±â€¯0.79 MPa). The sorption isotherms of the pectin-FVR films evidenced the lower availability of polar groups able to work as water-sorption sites. Therefore, different residue fractions could have different applications depending on their particle size and composition, either as source of dietary fibers (the thickest fractions) or as raw material for film production.

Byproduct Generated During the Elaboration Process of Isotonic Beverage as a Natural Source of Bioactive Compounds.

Agro-industrial byproducts are considered good sources of macronutrients and phytochemicals. Fruit and vegetable residues (FVR), obtained after the production of an isotonic beverage, have previously been characterized containing 80% insoluble dietary fibers from total fibers (48.4%), 26% available carbohydrates, 9.5% proteins and 5% lipids. Nevertheless, fruit and vegetables provide phytochemicals which have been related to human health such as phenolic compounds. The loss of specific compounds over the production process is related to their partitioning between fruit and vegetables and byproducts. However, phenolic profile of FVR remains unknown. This work is focused on the evaluation of FVR as a natural source of these bioactive compounds. For this purpose, pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) has been proposed as extraction technique for recovering phenolic compounds from FVR. The experimental variables were temperature and percentage of solvent (ethanol and water). Phenolic compounds extracts were characterized by UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS and a discussion about phenolic and macronutrient interactions was established. Globally, 88 compounds were tentatively identified: phenolic acids (28), flavonoids (32), and other polyphenols (28). The PLE conditions applied yielded different breaking matrix-analyte interactions leading to an increase in the number of compounds. The highest phenolic acids content was achieved with high temperature while lower temperatures were more efficient in extracting flavonoid. By establishing the phenolics profile in food byproducts such as FVR, it is possible to more effectively apply these byproducts as nutraceutical, food or pharmaceutical ingredients. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Flow diagram of bioactive compounds recovering from isotonic beverage byproduct is proposed using pressurized liquid extraction. The plant-bioactives mechanism relies on fruit and vegetable byproducts changes under different extraction conditions. The obtained extracts can most effectively be applied as nutraceuticals or as ingredients in food or pharmaceutical inputs.