Fruits and vegetables are the most utilized commodities among all horticultural crops. They are consumed raw, minimally processed, as well as processed, due to their nutrients and health‐promoting ...compounds. With the growing population and changing diet habits, the production and processing of horticultural crops, especially fruits and vegetables, have increased very significantly to fulfill the increasing demands. Significant losses and waste in the fresh and processing industries are becoming a serious nutritional, economical, and environmental problem. For example, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that losses and waste in fruits and vegetables are the highest among all types of foods, and may reach up to 60%. The processing operations of fruits and vegetables produce significant wastes of by‐products, which constitute about 25% to 30% of a whole commodity group. The waste is composed mainly of seed, skin, rind, and pomace, containing good sources of potentially valuable bioactive compounds, such as carotenoids, polyphenols, dietary fibers, vitamins, enzymes, and oils, among others. These phytochemicals can be utilized in different industries including the food industry, for the development of functional or enriched foods, the health industry for medicines and pharmaceuticals, and the textile industry, among others. The use of waste for the production of various crucial bioactive components is an important step toward sustainable development. This review describes the types and nature of the waste that originates from fruits and vegetables, the bioactive components in the waste, their extraction techniques, and the potential utilization of the obtained bioactive compounds.
Mango fruit has a high nutritional value and health benefits due to important components. The present manuscript is a comprehensive update on the composition of mango fruit, including nutritional and ...phytochemical compounds, and the changes of these during development and postharvest. Mango components can be grouped into macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, lipids, fatty, and organic acids), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), and phytochemicals (phenolic, polyphenol, pigments, and volatile constituents). Mango fruit also contains structural carbohydrates such as pectins and cellulose. The major amino acids include lysine, leucine, cysteine, valine, arginine, phenylalanine, and methionine. The lipid composition increases during ripening, particularly the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The most important pigments of mango fruit include chlorophylls (
a
and
b
) and carotenoids. The most important organic acids include malic and citric acids, and they confer the fruit acidity. The volatile constituents are a heterogeneous group with different chemical functions that contribute to the aromatic profile of the fruit. During development and maturity stages occur important biochemical, physiological, and structural changes affecting mainly the nutritional and phytochemical composition, producing softening, and modifying aroma, flavor, and antioxidant capacity. In addition, postharvest handling practices influence total content of carotenoids, phenolic compounds, vitamin C, antioxidant capacity, and organoleptic properties.
Qualitative and quantitative analyses of betalain pigments in 10 cultivars/lines of prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) fruit grown in Mexico were conducted with reverse phase high-performance liquid ...chromatography−diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) coupled with electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Betacyanins and betaxanthins were identified by comparison with the UV/vis and mass spectrometric characteristics as well as the retention times of semisynthesized reference betaxanthins. Data revealed that the ratio and concentration of betalain pigments are responsible for the color in the different cultivars, showing the highest betalains content in the fruit of purple colored Camuesa (O. robusta Wendl.) (8.1 mg/g dry fruit), which is comparable to that found in red beet (Beta vulgaris L. ssp. Var. Pablo) (8.6 mg/g dry tissue). Yellow betalains were absent in Reyna (O. alba-carpa) prickly pear cultivar. A total of 24 known/unknown betalains were present in the prickly pear fruit samples studied, including 18 betaxanthins and 6 betacyanins. Our results indicate that prickly pear cultivars can be considered as a potential source of yellow and red natural colorants.
Avocado is a subtropical/tropical fruit with creamy texture, peculiar flavor, and high nutritional value. Due to its high oil content, a significant quantity of avocado fruit is used for the ...production of oil using different methods. Avocado oil is rich in lipid‐soluble bioactive compounds, but their content depends on different factors. Several phytochemicals in the oil have been linked to prevention of cancer, age‐related macular degeneration, and cardiovascular diseases and therefore have generated an increase in consumer demand for avocado oil. The aim of this review is to critically and systematically analyze the worldwide production and commercialization of avocado oil, its extraction methods, changes in its fat‐soluble phytochemical content, health benefits, and new trends and applications. There is a lack of information on the production and commercialization of the different types of avocado oil, but there are abundant data on extraction methods using solvents, centrifugation‐assisted aqueous extraction, mechanical extraction by cold pressing (varying concentration and type of enzymes, temperature and time of reaction, and dilution ratio), ultrasound‐assisted extraction, and supercritical fluid to enhance the yield and quality of oil. Extensive information is available on the content of fatty acids, although it is limited on carotenoids and chlorophylls. The effect of avocado oil on cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases has been demonstrated through in vitro and animal studies, but not in humans. Avocado oil continues to be of interest to the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries and is also generating increased attention in other areas including structured lipids, nanotechnology, and environmental care.
Mangoes are tropical/sub tropical fruit with a highly significant economic importance. Preferable quality attributes include freedom from external damages such as bruises, latex or sap injury and ...decay, uniform weight, colour, aroma, firmness (with little give away, not soft), shape and size. The fruit is rich in antioxidants and recommended to be included in the daily diet due to its health benefits such as reduced risk of cardiac disease, anti cancer, and anti viral activities. Maintenance of mango fruit quality during the supply chain depends on many aspects including adequate orchard management practices, harvesting practices, packing operation, postharvest treatments, temperature management, transportation and storage conditions, and ripening at destination. Postharvest losses are high during the supply chain due to harvesting fruit at improper maturity, mechanical damage during the whole chain, sap burn, spongy tissue, lenticels discolouration, fruit softening, decay, chilling injury, and disease and pest damage. The aim of postharvest treatments and management practices in the supply chain is to create suitable conditions or environments to extend the storage life and retain the quality attributes, nutritional and functional compositions. This review summarises the available research findings to retain the overall mango fruit quality and to reduce postharvest losses during supply chain by adopting suitable postharvest novel technologies.
This book provides a comprehensive review of the causes and prevention of food losses and waste (FLW) at key steps in the supply chain. The book begins by defining what is meant by food losses and ...waste and then assessing current research on its economic, environmental and nutritional impact.
Garambullo (Myrtillocactus geometrizans) is endemic in México, and although popularly consumed locally, its nutritional characteristics and value have not been studied in details. The objective of ...this work was to investigate the bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in garambullo fruit from different sites at three ripening stages. Fruit from the three ripening stages (red, purple, and dark purple) were investigated for their physicochemical characteristics, hydrophilic (phenolic compounds, betalains, and ascorbic acid), and lipophilic (carotenoids, tocopherols, and fatty acids) bioactive compounds, using spectrophotometry, gas chromatography (GC‐FID), and high‐pressure liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC/DAD‐ESI‐MS). The antioxidant capacity was measured with the 2,2′‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl and the ferric‐ion‐reducing antioxidant power assays. The color components of the fruit, chroma and a* values increased, whereas lightness (L*) and b* significantly decreased during ripening. Five betacyanins and four betaxanthins were tentatively identified with HPLC/DAD‐ESI‐MS, and betacyanins were more abundant than betaxanthins. Betalains content and antioxidant capacity of hydrophilic extracts significantly increased during ripening. Ten phenolic compounds were identified, with ferulic acid being the most abundant. Tocopherols were low (0.023–0.033 mg/100 g fw). Five fatty acids were abundant, and linoleic acid was the most important. Phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, and fatty acids decreased during fruit ripening. Garambullo fruit is rich in phytochemical compounds of importance for human nutrition and health.
Practical Application
The physicochemical and bioactive compounds characterization in garambullo fruit is important to establish maturation and harvesting indices, postharvest strategies to preserve fruit quality and prolong postharvest life, promote the consumption and utilization of the fruit, and the designing of proper functional foods. In addition, the knowledge on the bioactive components might be useful to include this fruit in personalized nutritional approaches for patients with risks of certain chronic diseases. The methodology used in this study could be useful for the study of other fruits, especially those from the Cactaceae family.
Fresh pistachios are rich in dietary fiber, minerals and unsaturated fatty acids, but they have a short shelf life. This investigation examined the effect of pre-harvest foliar application with ...chitosan (500 and 1000 mg. L−1), nano-chitosan (250 and 500 mg. L−1), and chitosan/TiO2 nanocomposite (250 and 500 mg. L−1) coating films on the postharvest physiology and storage of fresh pistachios (Pistacia vera cvs. Akbari and Ahmad Aghaei) cultivar during storage at 4 ± 0.5 °C. It was found that, fresh pistachios' shelf life could by increased by up to 30 days by the use of chitosan/TiO2 nanocomposite coating for foliar application. The decay index of the composite coated fruits was 4–6 % lower than that of the control group, and after 50–60 days the bacterial contamination appeared in cultivars; respectively. The nanocomposite treatments reduced the fruits weight between 30 and 40 %, which was 15 % higher that of than uncoated fruits. The pre-harvest application of chitosan/TiO2 coating reduced microbial contamination, weight loss, phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL) activity and saturated fatty acids, and increased unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidant properties, sensory properties, essential minerals, superoxide dismutase (SOD), quality indicators and shelf life. These results demonstrated that the chitosan/TiO2 (250 and 500 mg. L−1) coating film effectively preserved the nutrient composition, sensory quality, nutritional value, antioxidant capacity and shelf life of fresh pistachio.
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